Chris Wood

Chris Wood is the most disrespected goalscorer in the Premier League, and the numbers have been screaming that injustice for years. The New Zealand international has enjoyed a resurgence at Nottingham Forest that has forced even the most stubborn sceptics to acknowledge his quality — aerial ability that makes defenders look foolish, movement in the box that is instinctive rather than coached, and clinical finishing that produces goals when they matter most. After spells at Burnley, Newcastle, and Leeds, Wood has found the perfect home at the City Ground, where Nuno Espirito Santo’s system maximises every one of his considerable strengths.

Wood’s entire Premier League career has been built on consistency, professionalism, and the kind of quiet excellence that the pundit class consistently overlooks because it is not accompanied by stepovers and social media highlights. He scores with his head, holds up play to bring midfielders into the game, and presses from the front with the work ethic of a player who knows what it takes to stay at this level. His form at Forest has been so remarkable that he has been competing with strikers a decade younger at the top of the scoring charts, which tells you everything about his quality and their complacency.

For Australian and New Zealand football fans, Wood is the most significant Antipodean striker in Premier League history and a source of genuine pride. He represents Australasia at the highest level of club football, and he does it with distinction.

Career Statistics

Player Profile

With 195 appearances and 65 goals, Wood’s record places him among the Premier League’s most prolific active strikers. The New Zealand captain is central to Forest’s 2025-26 European qualification push, and at 33, he is playing with the composure and effectiveness of a man who has absolutely nothing left to prove — except perhaps to the people who spent years telling him he was not good enough for this level.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com