Daily Times

WELLINGTON: New Zealand captain Winston Reid will retire from international football after Sunday’s home friendly against Australia. The match in Auckland is New Zealand men’s first home game in nearly five years. “It is great to have the opportunity to play my final international game in Auckland,” Reid, 34, said in a statement Monday. “It’s going to be nice to come home to the city I grew up in, where I first started playing football.” The defender is without a club after 11 years with West Ham United, where he made over 200 appearances. Reid has made 32 appearances for New Zealand and his goal sealed a 1-1 draw with Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup.

“The World Cup was special for me because I was very young and playing and scoring in it was amazing,” he said. “It’s something I’ll always be grateful for. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have a long career, for both club and country, and captaining the national team has been an honour.” While with the Hammers, Reid had loan spells with MLS side Sporting Kansas City and Brentford, where he helped them win promotion to the Premier League. Australia host New Zealand in a friendly in Brisbane this Thursday, three days before the sides meet again at Auckland’s Eden Park. This will be the first time the All Whites have played in New Zealand since November 2017. The Socceroos have qualified for the 2022 World Cup, but New Zealand missed out on a place at the Qatar finals after losing a play-off to Costa Rica in June.