The All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen has been named by Reuters news agency as one of their five World Cup heroes.
Reuters described Nelsen as the masterful leader of a team many had suggested before the tournament had no right to be there.
The agency's four other heroes were two members of the winning team Andres Iniesta and David Villa, the Dutch playmaker Welsey Sneijder, and the German coach Joachim Loew.
