Kirwan set for call-up
Niko Kirwan, the son of All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan, is set for a shock call-up to the All Whites.
According to an Italian media report, the 22-year-old midfielder will be selected in Fritz Schmid’s squad for New Zealand’s friendly against Canada later this month.
Although new faces were always destined to emerge at the beginning of a new World Cup cycle under a new coach, Kirwan’s potential elevation to the national team would come as a massive surprise.
Kirwan is in his first year at AC Mestre in Italy’s third-tier and has never represented New Zealand at any age-group level.
He fell in love with football during his childhood, which was spent largely in Italy, and said his father has always supported his career.
‘‘Growing up in Italy, all my mates at school always had a football in their hands. It’s not like here where you play football one day and rugby the next. Over there, it was all football, football, football,’’ he told Team Wellington’s website last year.
‘‘He has always been supportive when he found out I loved football.’’
Kirwan attended Sacred Heart College for his final year of secondary school before moving to Wellington to continue his studies
He initially played for Miramar Rangers before joining Team Wellington, where he went on to win the ISPS Handa Premiership under new All Whites assistant coach Jose Figueira.
It was his performances for Team Wellington that led to a move to AC Mestre last year.