- Winston Reid is keeping tabs on his teammates at the Euros
- Defender is away on holiday in Mexico prior to the Club’s pre-season tour
- Hammers man is also delighted for his national side New Zealand
The 27-year-old, who bagged the famous winner against Manchester United in the Boleyn Ground’s final game last season, has been particularly impressed with French star Dimitri Payet in France, who has stolen the show for the hosts so far in the tournament.
After bagging the late screamer that saw his side beat Romania in the competition’s opener, Payet followed the stunner up with Les Bleus’ second in the 2-0 victory over Albania, before smashing against the crossbar in Didier Deschamps’ side’s final group match against Switzerland.
And Reid, speaking to New Zealand-based station Radio Live, has not been surprised with the midfielder’s terrific performances.
“I saw the opening game and he was really, really good in that game and came up with a brilliant goal at the end,” he said. “I didn’t see the second game, but I heard he got another goal and played a part in France’s other goal.
“He’s had an unbelievable twelve months and hopefully he can carry on with that form.
“Dimi is small and quick and technical whereas I am almost the complete opposite, so there are not a lot of similarities between us!”
The Hammers travel to the USA for their pre-season tour at the beginning of July, and will take on both the Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders as well as North American Soccer League outfit Carolina RailHawks.
Before the trip however, Reid has been enjoying a well-earned break abroad with his family.
“I’m in Mexico with my family [at the moment],” he continued. “We start back up in a couple of weeks’ time so I’m just getting away and spending some time with them.
“The nicest thing I’ve been able to do is to travel, as I like to get around and see places with my family. Having kids, it’s nice to be able to show them different places of the world and allow them to get experiences.”
While many of Reid’s teammates have been representing their countries this summer, the New Zealand international was not included in the All Whites’ squad for their Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup campaign due to a stop-start season with injuries.
However he was pleased to see his national side win the competition earlier this month after they defeated Papua New Guinea on penalties in the final to qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
“You have to adapt to any sort of environment you are playing in and it’s difficult playing in the Pacific islands, and you have to get the best out of the group,” Reid explained.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing was the qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
“Time flies [for a national team], as it seems like yesterday when I was scoring that goal in South Africa [against Slovakia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup]. It was a good time we had out there.”
“He’s had an unbelievable twelve months and hopefully he can carry on with that form.
“Dimi is small and quick and technical whereas I am almost the complete opposite, so there are not a lot of similarities between us!”
The Hammers travel to the USA for their pre-season tour at the beginning of July, and will take on both the Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders as well as North American Soccer League outfit Carolina RailHawks.
Before the trip however, Reid has been enjoying a well-earned break abroad with his family.
“I’m in Mexico with my family [at the moment],” he continued. “We start back up in a couple of weeks’ time so I’m just getting away and spending some time with them.
“The nicest thing I’ve been able to do is to travel, as I like to get around and see places with my family. Having kids, it’s nice to be able to show them different places of the world and allow them to get experiences.”
While many of Reid’s teammates have been representing their countries this summer, the New Zealand international was not included in the All Whites’ squad for their Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup campaign due to a stop-start season with injuries.
However he was pleased to see his national side win the competition earlier this month after they defeated Papua New Guinea on penalties in the final to qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
“You have to adapt to any sort of environment you are playing in and it’s difficult playing in the Pacific islands, and you have to get the best out of the group,” Reid explained.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing was the qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
“Time flies [for a national team], as it seems like yesterday when I was scoring that goal in South Africa [against Slovakia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup]. It was a good time we had out there.”