Most of the All Whites set to feature at the FIFA World Cup were already in place before Darren Bazeley took charge of the team in 2023.
But there are a few that could be considered his men – chief amongst them, centre back Finn Surman.
Bazeley first worked with the defender as national U-20 coach, where he had a big role to play in picking him up in the middle of 2023, after he found himself on the outer at the Wellington Phoenix.
After making him captain for the FIFA U-20 World Cup that May and June, he called him up to the All Whites for the first time, while still only the interim coach – backing Surman was grateful for in a period he said “shaped me as a person and a player”.
Once Bazeley was appointed on a full-time basis, he then made Surman the captain of the national U-23 team for the Oceania Olympic qualifiers that September, before handing him his senior debut against Greece that November.
