29 Facts About Ricki Herbert

Ricki Lloyd Herbert was born on 10 April 1961 and is a New Zealand former footballer and manager.

Ricki Herbert is the current director of football at Hamilton Wanderers AFC.

Ricki Herbert represented his country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and coached the New Zealand national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, famously leading them through the tournament unbeaten.

Ricki Herbert represented New Zealand at age group level, playing for the New Zealand under-20 side and gained 61 full international caps from 1980 to 1989, scoring seven goals.

Ricki Herbert was a substitute for the loss against Scotland, but was reinstated to the starting eleven for both Soviet Union and Brazil as New Zealand failed to claim any points in their first World Cup finals appearance.

Ricki Herbert had his greatest success with Mt Wellington AFC where he won three league championships during two spells with the club and two Chatham Cup triumphs.

In 1982 Ricki Herbert spent some time in England at Southampton FC, where he made a few appearances for the reserve team and one disastrous friendly appearance for the first team.

Ricki Herbert had a spell in English football with Wolverhampton Wanderers from 1984 to 1986, where he made 49 appearances in total.

However, his time at the club coincided with them sliding down the leagues; Ricki Herbert was part of the team relegated to the third tier in 1985, but left in March 1986 shortly before a successive relegation after falling out with new manager Sammy Chapman.

Ricki Herbert began his coaching career at Papakura City AFC in 1990, before taking over at neighbouring Papatoetoe AFC in 1993.

In both 1997 and 1998, Ricki Herbert took Central United to victory in the Chatham Cup and finished a close second in the league.

In 2003 Ricki Herbert took charge of the New Zealand U-17 team.

Ricki Herbert was appointed All Whites coach on 25 February 2005, replacing Mick Waitt after being his assistant since 2003, with his first game in charge being scheduled in June that year as a friendly against archrival Australia.

Ricki Herbert was honoured New Zealand Coach of the Year for 2007.

Ricki Herbert led the New Zealand national football team to the victory in the 2008 OFC Nations Cup, qualifying for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Ricki Herbert is the second manager and only New Zealander to take New Zealand to the FIFA World Cup for a second time when his side qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by winning World Cup qualifying play-off against Bahrain.

Ricki Herbert described the draw as the "best ever result" for the New Zealand national team.

In December 2006, after FFA announced that it had revoked the 2006 season A-League licence held by the Knights' owners, Ricki Herbert took over the reins of the now defunct New Zealand Knights under an arrangement between the FFA and NZ Soccer whereby the national body would step in to manage the club to meet their commitments for the remaining five games of the season.

In 2007 the new A-League franchise, Wellington Phoenix was granted a three-year license, and owner Terry Serepisos and Ricki Herbert immediately confirmed as head coach.

On 26 February 2013, Ricki Herbert resigned from his role as head coach and took on an advisory role within the club.

Ricki Herbert was appointed to FIFA's Technical Study Group to analyse tactical and technical dimensions of play at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

In July 2015, Ricki Herbert coached the Papua New Guinea Under 23 side to a bronze medal at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Ricki Herbert was appointed head coach of the Maldives on 9 September 2015.

Ricki Herbert sought an early termination to his two-year contract in June 2016 after 14 games in charge of the national side.

In September 2016, Ricki Herbert announced he was taking up a new coaching role as Director of Football for St Peter's, Cambridge, and as Technical Director for Cambridge FC, one of the biggest clubs in the Waikato region.

In May 2017, Ricki Herbert was announced as the head coach for Hamilton Wanderers AFC in the New Zealand Football Championship, providing him with a summer role that complements his winter coaching commitments.

Ricki Herbert holds a UEFA 'A' International Coaching Licence, and UEFA 'Pro' International Coaching Licence course that finished in June 2008.

Ricki Herbert's mother, Shirley, was a champion sprinter while his father, Clive, was a professional cyclist.

Ricki Herbert's father was a long-time football administrator, represented New Zealand as an official at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, and was a professional trainer of standardbred harness racing horses.