Newcastle United striker reflects on 'truly special' moment after breaking international record
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The 30-year-old netted his 29th and 30th goals for his country in a 4-0 World Cup qualifier win over Fiji on Monday.
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Hide AdWith 30 goals in 62 appearances for The All Whites, Wood broke Vaugh Coveny’s 16-year record of 29 with a back-post header and a tidy finish in Qatar.
He is now hoping to head to his second FIFA World Cup with his country having previously made three substitute appearances as a teenager during New Zealand’s 2010 outing in South Africa.
Following his brace against Fiji, Wood reacted to becoming his nation’s all-time top goalscorer by tweeting: “One of the proudest nights in this great Shirt.
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Hide Ad"To achieve this milestone is something truly special to me. Here’s to many more. Thanks to all my team mates over the years. Couldn’t have done it without you brothers.”
Wood is the fourth player to be the current top scorer for their country having also played for Newcastle. He joins Jon Dahl Tomasson (52 goals in 112 games for Denmark), Aleksandar Mitrovic (44 goals in 69 games for Serbia) and Salomon Rondon (34 goals in 84 games for Venezuela).
While Wood is away on international duty, the rest of the Newcastle squad not called up to represent their respective countries are currently taking part in a warm weather training camp in Dubai.
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Hide AdEddie Howe’s side are working hard during the extended break as they look to bounce back from consecutive defeats at Chelsea and Everton when they return to competitive action at Tottenham Hotspur on April 3 (4:30pm kick-off).