Sligo Rovers' well-travelled Kiwi off to Qatar for World Cup bid

Nando Pijnaker has linked up with the New Zealand squad ahead of Monday’s meeting with Fiji.

Mon, 21 Mar, 2022 - 10:04

John Fallon

Nando Pijnaker was born in the Netherlands, raised in New Zealand and had played in Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal before he’d turned 23.

After all that globetrotting, the serene setting of Sligo has been a haven but he was back on a plane to Doha on Saturday morning following his latest appearance for the Bit O’Red.

The centre-back had to turn his attention from Friday’s 2-2 draw at champions Shamrock Rovers to World Cup qualifiers for the Kiwis.

Danny Hay’s side began their bid to reach the showpiece by beating Papua New Guinea on Friday and Pijnaker has linked up ahead of Monday’s meeting with Fiji.

Due to Covid, the Oceania groups are being staged in Qatar, where the finals are to be held from November.

Pijnaker developed into a regular for the All Whites last year, playing every minute in their march to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics and retaining his spot alongside Winston Reid for their preparatory friendlies.

With Newcastle United’s recent €28m recruit Chris Wood leading their line, the Kiwis are favourites from their region to reach the inter-confederation play-off in June, the last hurdle to a first World Cup for 12 years.

Playing for a Sligo side second in the Premier Division – on loan from Portuguese outfit Rio Ave – hasn’t harmed Pijnaker’s prospects of figuring in their qualification quest.

One of his coaches with the national team, Rory Fallon, was close to signing for Shelbourne in 2002 while the striker’s Dad, Kevin, spent four years at Sligo in the late sixties.

“I didn’t know about the League of Ireland until my agent told me about Sligo’s interest in February,” explained Pijnaker, under contract with the Portuguese side till 2024.

“I needed to play games and this was a brilliant opportunity of coming to a good standard and play in big stadiums like Tallaght.

“I had missed pre-season at Rio Ave due to the Olympics and the new coach had his team organised when I returned. He said that I wasn’t part of their plans right then, so I could look for another opportunity and this came up.

“Rory (Fallon) knew about the League of Ireland and I was aware that another New Zealander, Ryan de Vries, has enjoyed his spell at Sligo in recent years.

“The people of Sligo have been very welcoming. It couldn’t have gone any better so far.”

Pijnaker’s Dutch-born parents relocated their family to New Zealand when Nando was three and he was just 11 when they were last part of the World Cup.

“I remember watching those big 2010 games and we’ve a few survivors from that squad in Winston Reid, Chris Wood and Tommy Smith,” explained the classy defender, identified by Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley as Sligo’s most astute signing.

“From talking to them, it was the highlight of their careers in a way.

“Everything has been geared towards qualifying this year, especially the Olympics.

“These are the games that matter and we can't afford to lose any. We're expected to win as well, so there's a pressure that comes with that.

“I didn’t want to miss Sligo’s game at Shamrock Rovers on Friday after only signing for the club but hopefully I can play my part in the qualifiers.

“Chris (Wood) is a big player for us. He got that massive move to Newcastle, scoring in the Premier League last week, and maybe he can score a few for our national team too.”

Fifa World Cup Oceania Group B qualifier: New Zealand v Fiji, Qatar SC Stadium. (Monday, 5pm Irish time).