Riki Van Steeden

Club Auckland City
League NZFC
Position Central defender
Age 30

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“Japan was an amazing experience,” says Van Steeden of last December’s Club World Cup in Japan. “To be involved in a major FIFA tournament was a highlight in my career. We were treated like royalty for two weeks.”

Van Steeden’s Auckland City did Kiwi football proud. A 2-0 loss to Al Ahly and a 3-0 reversal to Asian Champions League winners Jeonbuk Motors were hardly the thrashings some predicted.

“One thing was not to be overawed by the occasion or the players we were up against. You think you are capable of playing at that level and competing with players who play continuously at a level greater than you do, but it is not till you actually face them on the pitch that you can prove it.”

Van Steeden plays in the NZFC, an amateur domestic league. He caught FourFourTwo’s eye in an impressive performance in a league match last November. He ticks all the boxes for a defender who can play across the back: dominant in the air, strong in the tackle, an intelligent distributor and a good team player.

So, shouldn’t he have been a shoo-in for the Knights in the A-League? Like Che Bunce (a fellow NZFC and All-White defender), he was overlooked.

“I don’t think the Knights were really looking to sign any Kiwi players in their first season,” notes Van Steeden. “Also John Adshead didn’t know much about the local scene – both NZ and Australia – and consequently underestimated the strength of the league.”

When the Kiwis were focusing on Kiwi players, Van Steeden (along with a clutch of top level All Whites) didn’t disappoint in the old NSL.

“The first two years at the Kingz were great. With Wynton and Shane Rufer as coaches we were winning a lot of games and more importantly, we played some really exciting football.”

Van Steeden works for Sky TV while playing for Auckland City, but says, “I could come back to that later. Time in football is precious, I would love to play professionally again.”