"I told him to switch boots and he scored with both feet!" - Goal.com World Player of the Week Nathan Dyer

Feb 25, 2013 12:30:00 PM

World Player of the Week

Nathan Dyer
AGE	25
POSITION	Winger
FOR	Swansea City
WEEK IN NUMBERS
APPS (GOALS SCORED)	1 (2)
TIME ON PITCH	78
PREVIOUS WINS	0

Swansea City

5-0

Bradford City

Swansea claimed the first major trophy in their history on Sunday as they smashed League Two side Bradford City 5-0 in the Capital One Cup final, with winger Nathan Dyer at the heart of events at Wembley.

The 25-year-old showed a poacher's instinct when he raced in to tap home Michu's shot following Matt Duke's save, getting his side on the front foot in the early stages of the final. After the Spaniard had doubled the Welsh club's advantage, Dyer soon put the tie to bed just after half-time, finishing off a superb team move with a terrific turn and curled shot from just inside the area.

Dyer would soon steal the headlines for a less auspicious moment, when he squabbled with Jonathan de Guzman over who would take a penalty later in the half; however, given that the spot-kick represented his chance to become the first player to score a hat-trick in the final of the tournament, his frustration is understandable.

The exchange was played down by coach Michael Laudrup after the final whistle, and justifiably so: Dyer's well-taken goals and skillful attacking play had already earned him the man of the match award, as well as the Swans' first piece of major silverware in a century, and a place in the Europa League next season.

Goal.com UK's Oli Platt had this to say on the winger's bumpy ride to success: "Nathan Dyer emerged from the Southampton academy around the same time as Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale, but his path to the Premier League was somewhat bumpier. In March 2008 he, along with Bradley Wright-Phillips, was charged with burglary after being caught on CCTV stealing money and mobile phones in a nightclub and served 60 hours of community service. That summer, he was left out of Southampton's pre-season plans until he belatedly signed a new contract late in July.

"Like Bale and Walcott, Dyer is a winger with plenty of pace to burn but he has lagged behind them in adding goals to his game. Last season he scored six in all competitions in 36 games, which was a big improvement on the four he had scored in his 91 Swansea appearances until then, but still not enough to put him in Roy Hodgson's thoughts.

"His double in the final took him to six again for the current season and afterwards both he and [Michael] Laudrup hoped he could continue to prove more of a goal threat. He was reportedly approached by Jamaica earlier this season but in January stated his ambition to earn an England call-up.

"Laudrup said of the player: "During the week, one day he had a couple of incredible misses in training and I told him he had to switch his boots, to put the right one on the left and the left on the right. He did that today and he scored two goals with both feet."

Congratulations to Nathan Dyer, Goal.com's 197th World Player of the Week winner!

The Shortlist

Wilfried Bony - Vitesse Joe Wright: "Adds to his price tag with every week that passes." Goal.com's Stefan Coerts: "Vitesse's undisputed star this term - he continues to score for fun in the Eredivisie."
Jackson Martinez - Porto @andywest01: "Him, Falcao and Colombia could be very interesting at the World Cup." Goal.com's Miles Chambers: "He's already surpassed Falcao's club record for goals and keeps improving."
Lucky Mokoena - Maluti FET @Leratozz: "He made my weekend scoring two goals against the Pirates." Goal.com's Ignat Manjoo: "Mokoena credited the famous cup win to his mother after the game - a fitting tribute."
Dimitri Payet - Lille OSC @1DavidWall: "Only he has at least 10 goals and assists in major European leagues in 12/13." Goal.com's Robin Bairner: "He's been involved in 16 of the club's last 23 Ligue 1 goals. An absolute inspiration."