Photo credit: The Nation
The nation a player represents is often the subject of debate.
Players with dual-nationality obviously have tricky decisions to make,
often regarding which country they feel a closer allegiance to.
In some cases though, players use distant relatives or other such weaker
arguments to play for a country which strengthens their chance of
winning international honours, and it is these scenarios which are often
frowned at.
Some players on this list had very justifiable reasons for playing for
countries other than their native ones, while others are a little more
questionable.
Here are the top 15 soccer players who didn’t play for their native country:
Zinedine Zidane
He is the youngest of five siblings and he is from Kabyle in
Algerian. His parents, Smaïl and Malika, immigrated to Paris from the
village of Aguemoune in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylie in
northern Algeria in 1953 before the start of the Algerian War.
He is one of the most famous French football players of all time, widely
regarded as a master of the fundamentals and techniques of the game.
He is known for his excellent control and dribbling skills, his magic
ball touch, his focused vision and great leadership traits.
His excellence in football has bestowed him some coveted awards such as
the FIFA World Player of the Year thrice, and the Ballon D’Or once.
During his active soccer years, no player would surpass the way he
controlled and received the ball. He scored 31 goals, out of his 108
international outings.
Deco
The masterful midfield playmaker who won 75 caps for Portugal, proved
to be a world class midfielder during his time with Porto, Barcelona
and Chelsea.
He was ignored in Brazil, but Deco went to Portugal in 2003 making his debut against Brazil, in which he scored the winner.
Lilian Thuram
France’s 1998 and 2018 World Cup winning squad featured a number of
players born outside of mainland France. The former Monaco, Parma,
Juventus and Barcelona defender Lilian Thuram is the first French
international to feature on this list. He was born in Pointe-a-Pitre,
Guadeloupe but made his international debut for France in 1994.
He went on to become a crucial player for the team, scoring twice in
the 1998 World Cup semi-final. Thuram had 142 caps for France, making
him their all-time most capped player.
Mauro Camoranesi
Mauro Camoranesi was a wonderful player who could have represented
either Argentina at international level. Born in Tandil, Argentina,
Camoranesi was eligible to play for Italy through a great-grandfather
named Luigi who emigrated to Argentina in 1873.
As such, his ties to Italy were far from immediate, yet when Italy
showed an interest in him before Argentina, he chose to tie himself to
the Azzurri. He went on to win 55 caps for Italy, winning the World Cup
in 2006.
Clarence Seedorf
The Holland International who was the former Cameroon national team
manager, is considered as one of the most successful player in UEFA
Champions League History.
The former Ajax, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan was
regarded as one of the most gifted midfielders of his generation.
Seedorf won four Champions League trophies, as well as countless other
titles, trophies and accolades. He made his Holland debut in 1994 and
went on to win 87 caps for the country, twice being named Dutch
Footballer of the Year
Patrick Vieira
Another recurring theme of this list and the last of a collection of
1998 World Cup winners, a titan of the French national team, Patrick
Vieira was born in Dakar, Senegal. Vieira moved to France at the age of
eight, and his allegiance to the country was never really in doubt.
He made his France debut shortly after joining Arsenal in 1997. He went
on to become a star of the French team as their midfield enforcer,
winning the World Cup, European Championship’s and Confederation’s Cup
as he picked up 107 caps.
Eusebio
The former Benfica Striker is regarded as Portugal’s greatest ever
player with only Cristiano Ronaldo in recent times forming his first
genuine competition.
Not just Portugal’s but one of the world’s greatest ever talents. During
his professional career, he scored 733 goals in 745 matches (41 goals
in 64 matches for Portugal) Eusebio won 11 Portuguese titles and one
European Cup with Benfica.
Eusebio was born in Mozambique, but made his Portugal debut in 1961,
going on to win 64 caps, scoring 41 goals and winning the Golden Boot at
the 1966 World Cup.
Nani
Another international who was not born in Portugal is former
Manchester United winger Nani. The talented but inconsistent wide man
was born on the island of Cape Verde.
Nani made his Portugal debut in 2006 and has since won 88 caps for the country.
Gonzalo Higuain
The former Real Madrid, Napoli, AC Milan, Chelsea and current
Juventus striker was born in Brest, France, as his father – also a
footballer – was playing in France at the time. Higuain holds a French
passport and had to apply for Argentine nationality in 2007 in order to
play for the national team. He was successful and to date has 75 caps
and 31 goals for Argentina.
Pepe
Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira known as Pepe has become one of the
first names on the team sheet in the Portuguese national team, yet he
was born in Maceio, Brazil.
Pepe moved to Portugal in 2001, aged 18. Dunga reportedly approached
Pepe with regards to playing for Brazil in 2006, which Pepe declined,
and he made his Portugal debut in 2007.
The Besiktas defender has over 100 caps for Portugal, and was sent off
in their 4-0 defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup also part of the
Russia 2018 Portuguese World Cup Team.
Lukas Podolski
Former Bayern Munich and Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski was born in the Polish city of Gliwice.
Despite this, Podolski’s decision to represent Germany is rather
understandable. Eligible to play for both nations, when Podolski first
broke through at FC Koln, Polish media asked the country’s manager
whether he was in line for a call-up. He replied by saying that his
country had “much better players in Poland”.
A year later, Podolski accepted a call-up to the German squad. Today he
has 126 caps and 48 goals for Germany, winning the 2014 World Cup and
finishing second at Euro 2008.
Edgar Davids
The former Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder
Edgar Davids is one of the best remembered players of the 1990s due to
his distinctive dreadlocks and eye wear.
Davids was also a quality player, who was particularly noted for his combative style, short temper, energy and technique.
Born in Suriname, Davids played internationally for Holland, winning 74 caps.
Davids had no choice in the matter as the Surinamese FA do not allow
those based outside of the country to represent them, and having joined
Ajax at the age of 12, he was allowed to represent the Netherlands, a
path a few others have taken, as you will see later in the list.
Eduardo
A Brazilian-born player who doesn’t represent his native country,
former Arsenal striker Eduardo was born in the Brazilian capital of Rio,
but plays his international football for Croatia.
He moved to Croatia at the age of 16 when he joined Dinamo Zagreb in
1999. Eduardo made his debut Croatia under-21s in 2004, with his chances
of international football with Brazil looking unlikely.
He made his full debut a year later, and won 64 caps for Croatia,
scoring 29 goals before retiring in 2014 following the World Cup.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Former Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Middlesbrough striker Floyd
Hasselbaink who was born in Suriname. Hasselbaink moved to the
Netherlands at the age of 12 and signed his first professional contract
with Telstar as a teenager.
Hasselbaink later played in Portugal, England and Spain, winning 23 caps for Holland and scoring 9 goals.
Hasselbaink is now one of the brightest prospects in English football
management as the head coach at Burton Albion, where he is doing an
excellent job.
John Barnes
Liverpool legend John Barnes is considered the greatest Jamaican
footballer of all time, yet he never played for the Reggae Boyz at
international level. Kingston-born Barnes chose instead to represent his
adopted nation of England, the country in which he moved to at the age
of 12.
Barnes won 79 caps for England, scoring 11 goals and being a part of
England’s fourth-placed World Cup team at Italia ’90. He did go on to
become part of the Jamaica set-up, managing the country in 2008 and
2009.
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Source: The Nation