KEY POINTS:
He's perhaps New Zealand's highest-paid sportsman, but Ryan Nelsen has not forgotten his roots.
The captain of English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers has been back in his hometown of Christchurch in his off-season to catch up with family and friends, and is championing the Kicks for Courage charity, which encourages Kiwi kids to get involved in soccer while raising money for child cancer.
The Weekend Herald caught up with the self-made soccer star nicknamed Nellie this week, and spoke to him about his Olympic hopes, the state of football in New Zealand, fatherhood and the All Black coaching debate.
Q: Manager Mark Hughes is leaving Blackburn. He brought you there and you've prospered under him. Would you consider a move as well?
A: Well, it's not really up to me, to tell you the truth. I have four years left at Blackburn. It will be a decision if the new manager who comes into Blackburn might not want me. Then I might have to leave, but at the moment all that kind of stuff is out of my hands.
Q: Any truth in rumours linking you to Chelsea?
A: Definitely just rumours. Since I have been [in England], coming up four years, I have come to realise the major speculation and rumour that goes on. And most of it is just for the papers and for people to get excited and gossip and read about.
Q: But is playing for one of the top-tier clubs a goal for the future?
A: Obviously, it would interest pretty much every player in the world.
I have got to be realistic - I am 30 now - and Blackburn were extremely good to me. They signed me up to a big contract last year, which they didn't have to really because I was under contract. And you don't forget that. But football is a funny kind of sport ... and things change really quickly.
Q: Will you be able to play for New Zealand in the Olympics Games?
A: It's a bit cat among the pigeons now that Mark Hughes has left. [Hughes] probably had bigger things to think about - like a move to Manchester City. It's in the club's hands.
Blackburn don't care one ounce about the Olympics - all they care about is winning. Hopefully the new manager might have a soft spot for the Olympics, but I don't know.
Q: Is it disappointing not to have played more for the All Whites?
A: Yeah, definitely. For the first two years when I was in the Premiership I really wanted to just get my career going there. And in all honesty, by making an impact in the Premier League that's probably given more exposure to Kiwi kids than actually playing for the All Whites.
Once I had got that under my belt, then I said "now I can get back into New Zealand" and I have had some injuries that have just niggled me and annoyed me, and have come when the games are on.
Q: What does New Zealand need to do to shine at the Olympics?
A: It is a massive ask. I think just to get through to the next round would be an unbelievable achievement, given our group. I think just to be able to walk away knowing that you have given absolutely everything, your heads are held high, that's what we will be looking for.
Q: Will New Zealand ever make another soccer World Cup, and what is needed to make it happen?
A: Of course we'll be able to reach the World Cup. In football you don't have to be the fastest or most skilful - you can still win games and that's why it makes such a great game. The underdog status is powerful, because these upsets happen.
Q: Who is the most difficult player you have had to mark and why?
A: Thierry Henry. He's the only one that has really scared me, to tell you the truth. I can go out [against] the [Didier] Drogbas and the [Wayne] Rooneys, and think I can handle them. But when it came to Henry ... one time at Highbury he was doing stuff which had my head spinning. I was looking for holes to fall into. He was by far the best.
Q: Any young Kiwis you know could make it in the Premier League?
A: [New Zealand Olympic coach] Stu Jacobs has a couple there that are quite talented, and we just saw this [North Shore 15-year-old] Cameron Lindsay who's going to Blackburn, so he looks like he will be an exciting prospect. If I can do it, there's several other Kiwis that can do it.
Q: When did you first start dreaming of making it big in football?
A: Probably when I went overseas [at 18] and I started realising playing against other young internationals, and I thought "I could handle this". That's when I thought I might have a career in this game. It's not really about talent, to tell you the truth. Talent just kind of opens the door, and you have to be able to get through it.
Q: How did starting your career in the USA help you as a player?
A: It's a big stepping stone. I had a fantastic time there. I learned other aspects of the game I wasn't really good at. They are massive on fitness and strength. It put me in great stead.
Q: How can football overtake rugby in New Zealand?
A: At the grassroots level it is amazing how popular it is. Girls and boys are playing the game. New Zealand has always had the problem that when they start getting out of the grassroots and get a bit older, the majority will see the Dan Carters and see the professional rugby players. But hopefully now they can see football players playing overseas, and there's a career in football that wasn't there five, 10 years ago. These opportunities have got to be made available for young soccer players when they hit their teens and they show promise.
Q: You're a big All Black fan - Henry or Deans?
A: There's absolutely no question about that one. I can't understand why, [with] the success that Deans has had, he wasn't given a chance.
Q: What do you think of some fans turning their backs on the ABs because Henry is at the helm?
A: I think it's a load of rubbish. When it comes to the All Blacks, I'm supporting them 100 per cent. I don't care if Mickey Mouse is coaching them.
Q: How is the body after a bad run of injuries last season?
A: I'm definitely back to 100 per cent now. Looking back, I didn't really handle it very well, but I was just so keen to get back and play and it was so frustrating. Hopefully that's the end of it now.
Q: You're often labelled the highest earning New Zealand sportsman, and some reports say you earn $8 million a season. Are they right?
A: I don't know where people get these figures from. Because obviously it's me, my agent and the [club] chairman who pretty much know. My wife doesn't even know what I earn, let alone some reporter.
Q: You and wife Monica now have a 6-month-old boy, Maxwell. How has fatherhood changed your life?
A: I have to admit it probably dulls the highs and lows a bit for me. Which is awesome because beforehand I would take a loss horrifically - sulking and all that. You just absolutely can't do that when you come home and this wee guy cracks a smile at you. He just loves you for who you are.
Q: Do you want Maxwell to follow in your footballing footsteps?
A: Not at all. I hope he is a musician, to tell you the truth. I have got a little acoustic guitar for him. My wife will do the dancing and I will do a bit of solo vocals. So I think it could be all right.
Q: Do you think you will return to play in New Zealand one day?
A: Yeah, I'm not sure. I've been asked this quite a few times. I've got four years left [in Blackburn] and I'll be going on 34, 35, and I think it would be really nice to end at the top. But in saying that, it would be nice to go back and give something to New Zealand soccer, even if it's not in a playing capacity, but some other role.
