Nottingham’s rise has a lot to do with Chris Wood (33). The New Zealander is an old-school striker who has been around a lot in England. Late in his career, he is shining on the big stage – thanks in part to the way the Tricky Trees play under coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
In New Zealand, rugby is by far the number one national sport. The All Blacks, as the national team is known, have been world champions three times, regularly produce world-class players and enjoy absolute cult status in the island nation at the other end of the world. Although football is clearly in the shadow of rugby, at least the English Premier League has a large number of fans in this remote place.
And to their great surprise and delight, a fellow countryman is currently making positive headlines in the sporting world. Chris Wood has already scored 17 goals for Nottingham Forest in the league – only superstars Erling Haaland (Manchester City, 19 goals) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 22) have scored more.
