Alex Paulsen: Link with Kiwi Manchester United English Premier League goalkeeper

Alex Paulsen has made one of the great leaps in New Zealand sporting history.

The Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper, who is this week linked to Vanuatu with the All Whites, has moved from the A-League bench to a one-season English Premier League contract.

Paulsen has signed a four-year contract with Bournemouth in a life-changing deal that will net the Phoenix several million dollars.

And while taking the field in the world’s biggest club football competition may be a few years away – the players ahead of Paulsen include Bournemouth’s 34-year-old captain Neto – he is well on his way to a high-profile career extremely rare among Kiwi footballers. .

The 21-year-old, whose parents emigrated from South Africa in 1999, was raised in Auckland’s eastern suburbs.

Futsal was an early passion and his brother Adam Paulsen is a top New Zealand player.

The skills in that game have prepared Paulsen well for what is required of modern goalkeepers and his ability with the ball at his feet could soon be incorporated into the All Whites game.

His brilliant season in the A-League will have national coach Darren Bazeley pondering whether Paulsen deserves to start against Solomon Islands or Vanuatu in the OFC Nations Cup next week.

(And Paulsen has a great history in Oceania – a superb performance in the Under-16 final against hosts Solomon Islands six years ago was an early sign that New Zealand might have a special goalkeeper on their hands.)

It will then be off to the Olympics in France, where the OlyWhites’ Group A opponents include the Thierry Henry-coached hosts and the USA.

Rising star Paulsen talks to NZME.

Have Bournemouth’s coaches mapped out a plan for your career?

The four-year contract makes it clear that they are willing to have a plan for me to one day play in the English Premier League. Whether I start in the reserves or go out on loan, I’m ready for those avenues. This is not finalized yet – we are still discussing it.

Liverpool and Chelsea were interested in you – have you discussed these options?

It wasn’t just them – my agent sent me other clubs. I’m aware of the clubs that are interested but I haven’t gone into too much detail. I just tried to focus on my football.

Is there an EPL club, or a major club elsewhere, that you support?

Well I’m all for Bournemouth… one of my best friends is a Barcelona supporter and he keeps me up to date with them so I’m a Barcelona fan.

I support Manchester United. My brother is a big Manchester United fan and so is my dad.

That’s how I was introduced to Peter Schmeichel’s goalkeeper… he was a role model for me, one of the goalkeepers I aspired to be.

He was a little before your time… a man of famously great personality…

Yes, a very big personality. I feel like I’m a completely different personality than this, calmer, more relaxed. But there are elements of his game that I can take into account, such as his aggressiveness off the ball, the way he communicated with his background. He was very firm and direct, he got the message across once. This is what I would like to incorporate into my game, although not in a disrespectful way, but to send a message to the backline or defenders.

How did you become a goalkeeper?

I played Futsal as a field player but also as a goalkeeper and it grew from there. I thought “I want to make that change”. I loved the pose, the hand-eye coordination.

Modern goalkeepers need to be skilled with the ball, something you are known for…but things can go wrong with this approach.

Yes, it’s the kind of high-stakes scenario that gives people goosebumps or a bit of anxiety when playing near the six-yard box. It’s about having confidence in your ability.

Does this mean goalkeepers train a lot with the main team?

Every coach and team is different in how they want to integrate the goalkeeper with the outfield players. At Phoenix there were more specific goalkeeper training sessions, with the goalkeepers training on their own, although we could get involved a bit with four-on-four drills.

Do the goalkeeper’s tactics with the ball change depending on the opponents?

The head coach will have a style of play, but each game involves different scenarios and tactics – you’ll be doing a few different things in these games. Every opponent is different.

Was there a turning point for you this season with Phoenix?

It should be early in the year against Sydney FC. It was an eye opener about the realities of professional football. It wasn’t a great performance from my point of view, but I learned and grew from it and how to deal with pressure. You’re more or less talking to those close to you, in your inner circle, and getting advice and experience about what they’ve been up to.

If you weren’t a professional footballer…

Growing up in New Zealand, you grew up playing a wide range of sports. I liked Futsal, but I also liked playing cricket. I was a wicketkeeper/batsman. But I was pretty set on trying to pursue a career as a footballer.

Your father is South African, your mother Namibian… does that heritage play a big role in your life?

It plays a big part in the fact that they feel that moving from South Africa without knowing anyone to New Zealand was a big sacrifice. As anyone who moves to Auckland will find, it’s a fantastic place to grow up. It was better to raise a family here because the crime rate in South Africa makes life very difficult.

Your All Whites career has involved sitting on the bench for a few games – can your rise this season lead to the start of the OFC Nations Cup?

Max Crocombe did a fantastic job retaining his number one spot. I will have to work hard to make my debut.

Your story could help inspire other Kiwi kids to have big football dreams…

I never had that thought – I just focused on my football. I tried my best to achieve every child’s dream… firstly to get a professional contract and hopefully one day play in the Premier League.

With everything that’s happened – do you have to pinch yourself sometimes?

I wouldn’t say I’m pinching myself… but I do think about it and try to celebrate every moment with my family as much as I can. This (an EPL contract) was always a dream, but I didn’t realize it could happen so quickly.

I had faith, but it took a lot of hard work. I am very grateful to the staff and coaches at Onehunga Sports… I have many people to thank.

I’m blessed…and I wouldn’t be here without the support of my teammates, family and everyone else involved.