Christopher Grant Wood (born 7 December 1991) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and captains the New Zealand national team. Widely regarded as the greatest ever footballer to come out of New Zealand, Wood is one of just six New Zealanders to have played in the Premier League.
Wood started his senior career with Cambridge, Waikato and Hamilton Wanderers before moving to England to play for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. He spent his time on loan at six clubs before joining Leicester City in 2013. After a loan spell with Ipswich Town in 2015, he signed for Championship club Leeds United, where he became the top scorer in the 2016–17 season, with 27 goals. Wood then joined Burnley for a club record fee, and became a consistent goalscorer for them in the Premier League, notching up 49 goals in 144 matches over four and a half seasons. In January 2022, he joined Newcastle United for £25 million (€29 million), making him the most expensive Oceania player of all time.
After joining Nottingham Forest in 2023, Wood went on to become the club's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, surpassing Bryan Roy's long-standing record of 24 goals. During the 2024–25 Premier League season, Wood equalled his career-best goal tally by mid-January, having scored 14 goals in 22 matches. He later went on to finish the campaign with 20 Premier League goals, the first time he had reached that milestone in a single season.
Wood has earned over 90 caps for the New Zealand national team, making him the country's record appearance holder, while his 45 international goals also make him their all-time leading goalscorer. He ranks second among all New Zealand internationals, male or female, for international goals, behind only Amber Hearn. Wood represented New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and 2026, and was a member of the squad that won the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.
Wood was born in Auckland to Grant and Julie Wood; his mother is from England. Wood began his footballing career at Onehunga Sports; after moving to Hamilton aged 11, he attended St Paul's Collegiate School.
Wood's sister, Chelsey Wood, is also a footballer, and has represented New Zealand at under-20 level.
In June 2024, Wood married his long-term partner Emma Lovell, a solicitor. In October 2024, Wood revealed that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl, Wood's first child.
Wood began his senior career with Cambridge, scoring on his debut in the NRFL Division 2 in 2006 aged just 14, and after a spell at local rivals Hamilton Wanderers the following season in the NRFL Premier, he attracted the attention of ASB Premiership club Waikato.
Wood was recommended to West Bromwich Albion's Academy by coach Roger Wilkinson, who set up a trial for him. He found a rich vein of goal scoring form for West Brom's youth academy side, leading to a call-up to the reserve team where he was just as prolific. Injuries to several West Brom players saw Wood handed a surprise call up to the first-team for a Premier League match against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in April 2009. He came on as a substitute to become just the fifth New Zealander to play in the Premier League.
At the end of the 2008–09 season, Wood signed his first professional contract, of two years with a further two-year option in the club's favour. This was followed in December 2009 with a new three-and-a-half-year deal, with West Brom having the option to extend that for a further year. He scored his first professional goal for West Brom on 15 September 2009, a "stunning" 25-yard strike into the top left corner, in a 3–1 win over Doncaster Rovers.
Wood was sent out on a 93-day emergency loan to Barnsley on 24 September 2010. The loan was terminated early by mutual consent after seven league appearances for the club without scoring.
On 19 November, Wood signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until January 2011. He scored on his debut against Bristol Rovers but saw a penalty saved just days later against Southampton. He added to his scoring tally in the 3–1 FA Cup win over Portsmouth, and scored twice against Peterborough United.
The day before the first match of the Championship season, Wood joined Birmingham City on a one-month loan. He made his debut the following day, replacing Keith Fahey in the second half of a 2–1 defeat at Derby County. Playing as the lone striker in Birmingham's first match in major European competition for nearly 50 years, the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, Wood hit the frame of the goal twice. The game finished goalless. He scored his first goal for Birmingham in the second leg of the tie against Nacional. On 11 September, Wood scored a hat-trick to lead Birmingham to victory over Millwall, followed by two goals against Nottingham Forest on 2 October to take his league total to seven goals from eight games. His loan was then extended for a second time, until 5 January 2012. His eighth, to clinch a 2–0 win over Leicester City, came when Marlon King played a cross-field ball for Wood to run on to and, according to The Independent, "the composure he revealed to go past Kasper Schmeichel and slot the ball home from an angle was impressive". Four days later, Wood scored in the 10th minute of stoppage time to defeat Club Brugge 2–1 in the Europa League group stage. His loan ended on 5 January 2012, after 29 games in all competitions from which he scored 11 goals.
After returning to West Bromwich Albion as an unused substitute in their third round FA Cup tie against Cardiff City, Wood joined Championship club Bristol City on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. He scored three goals during his loan spell with the club, his first goal coming on his home debut in a 2–1 win over Doncaster Rovers on 21 January. His other two goals came in back to back matches, one against Nottingham Forest on 7 April, where it was the only goal of the game, and then two days later at home to Coventry City in a 3–1 win.
On 17 September 2012, Wood completed a two-month loan deal to Championship side Millwall. He made his Millwall debut as a substitute for Darius Henderson against Cardiff City, and on his first start, scored a consolation goal against his former club Brighton & Hove Albion. On 18 November, Wood extended his loan until January 2013, and scored the winner against Leeds United on the same day. On 24 November, he scored the opening goal away to Blackburn Rovers, a powerful shot from 25 yards, helping the visitors to a 2–0 victory.
West Bromwich Albion recalled Wood from Millwall on 27 December 2012, and announced the following day that they had accepted offers from Millwall and fellow Championship club Leicester City for the permanent transfer of Wood. He chose to join the latter, and the move was expected to be completed when the January 2013 transfer window opens. Leicester confirmed that the player had agreed personal terms. Wood started and scored twice after only 24 minutes in his first game for Leicester on 1 January 2013 against Huddersfield Town, initially joining on loan to be registered in time to play.
On 12 January 2013, Wood scored a first-half hat-trick against Bristol City at Ashton Gate to take his goal tally to six goals in three games for Leicester. He finished the regular season with 11 goals in 24 appearances, helping Leicester qualify for the Championship play-offs. On 12 May 2013, Wood played in the semi-final second leg against Watford but the team were knocked out by the opposition 3–2 on aggregate.
On 26 March 2014, TV footage appeared to support Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's claim that he had scored what would have been the first goal of his career, when Leicester equalised in injury time against Yeovil Town. However, the match officials ruled that his header had not crossed the line, and the goal was officially credited to Wood, who followed up to put the ball in the net. Five days later, after replacing Jamie Vardy as a substitute, Wood scored a "stunning" long-range volley against Burnley to put Leicester six points clear at the top of the Championship. Wood finished the season with 8 goals in all competitions as Leicester were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season as champions.