All White Ben Waine said learning to step back from his football "obsession" may have been just as important as anything he has developed on the pitch ahead of his first Football World Cup.
By Felicity Reid of RNZ
The 24-year-old striker will head to this year's tournament in North America having spent the last three years navigating the highs and lows of professional football in England.
But as his career reached new heights, Waine realised football had begun to consume everything else around him.
"I am obsessed with my football, but I was probably maybe a little bit too much to the obsessive side," he said.
"Football was just 24-7, and it was the only thing that mattered, but obviously, you take a step back, and there are bigger things in life."
For Waine, reaching a World Cup feels like the completion of a childhood obsession with football that began in Wellington.
As an eight-year-old, he was in the crowd at Wellington Stadium when New Zealand last qualified for the World Cup in a playoff against Bahrain in 2009.
Like many young players in the capital, Waine idolised the All Whites side that went unbeaten in South Africa the following year.
Now, 16 years later, he is preparing to follow them onto football's biggest stage.
Having been part of the national team setup since 2022, Waine believes the current All Whites side has the talent to build on what that 2010 team achieved.
"I think the way we play has improved, and we've had a lot of past All Whites come in and say how talented and special the group are, and to just keep believing in what we're doing.
"It's in a really good place, but we also have to look back as well and see how well that 2010 group did, and take a lot of inspiration from them to try and do better than what they did."
Waine comes into the 2026 World Cup competing with captain Chris Wood for minutes up front. Wood was one of two All Whites at the tournament in North America who were also in South Africa 16 years ago.
Injuries to the skipper gave Waine more time in internationals this year, and a change of coach at club level at the end of last year had also given him more game time on a week-to-week basis.
But it is his time in England that has most reshaped his outlook on football.
Waine left the Wellington Phoenix at the start of 2023 to play overseas for the first time, signing with Plymouth Argyle in England's Championship. He later spent time on loan to Mansfield Town, returned to Plymouth, and is now with Port Vale in League Two.
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy when I first moved over. There's probably a bit of a honeymoon phase as well because it's all good news, it's exciting, you're making the move of your dreams and all of that.
"And then when it settles down a little bit, obviously, that's when the proper hard work starts, and it's been lots and lots of ups and downs."
He said the experience has forced him to adjust mentally to the demands and pressures of English football.
"There's a lot of learning that you have to do and to deal with the pressures of the games, and there's a lot on the line.
"There's relegation, promotion, and it means a lot to everyone, because relegation over there is people lose half your wages, more often than not, so there's a lot going on, and there's a lot on the line.
"For me to move over and understand that and learn that has been a big thing, and then to deal and find ways of coping with those pressures and to flip them on their heads and to try and play as well as I can. It's been a huge, huge growth for me."
Waine said nothing could fully prepare him for what he had experienced in England, where stability is never guaranteed.
"The only preparation I did was to kind of say to myself, no matter how hard it gets, I'm going to stay there.
"I made that promise to myself, and I think it was an important promise to make, because it's easy to think 'maybe it's not going to work out' and go back home.
Being in a different time zone from his family means it is hard when he needs a morale boost, but a video call home is always an option.
"They're always up at 3am, 2am, whatever it is, watching the games and helping me out to get through those periods.
"I can only imagine it's been probably tougher for them not being able to help maybe as much as they think they can, but they've done a lot for me, so I'm very grateful for the support they've been doing."
Waine thanks his partner Scarlett for adding "a lot of balance to my life" and All Whites psychologist Dom Vettise for helping him to "learn different tools and ways to deal with adversity and to just develop as well mentally".
Golf, when a wet English winter allows, and dog walks with his cocker spaniel Alby, have been ways that Waine has found to take his mind off football.
"It sounds silly, but you come back from a game, regardless of how the game's gone, he's at the front door, and he thinks you're the best thing ever, and you're like, oh well, it doesn't matter."
Waine's club season with Port Vale ended on May 3 with a loss. He was named in the All Whites' World Cup squad on May 14 and was among the first group of players who went into camp with the national team in Florida to keep fitness up ahead of the June 3 warm-up against Haiti and the match against England, which will be their last before their opening game of the World Cup against Iran on June 16.
If a 10-year-old Waine could see where he was now, "they'd be buzzing", he said.
"So I think it's a big thing to try and just not take it for granted and enjoy it as much as I can."
The All Whites play Haiti on Wednesday in their first warm-up game ahead of the World Cup.
Watch the All Whites' FIFA World Cup and warmup matches live and free on TVNZ+
SHARE ME