5 footballers who switched nationalities

The concept of dual citizenship in Europe is actually a boon for players who are not born in football-centric countries. It’s common to see players switching their nationalities to play for a country of their choice with a view of winning accolades on the international level.

Take France’s World Cup-winning squad for an example. Les Bleus had a mixture, rather a majority, of players who actually hailed from different nations. On that note, let’s have a look at five players who switched their nationalities.

5. John Barnes

We all know John Barnes as that robust midfielder who made 317 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 84 goals in the process. Well, few are aware of the fact that Barnes was born in Jamaica and spent his childhood there, until moving to England at the age of 12.

Interestingly, Barnes is 17th on the list of all-time of most appearances for England. He played 79 times for the Three Lions and scored 11 goals.4. Patrick Viera

Well, no need of introduction for this man. Patrick Viera was hands down one of the greatest midfielders ever to grace the game.

Viera was born in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which also happens to be the biggest African nation. However, he moved to France at the age of 8, which also opened up the possibilities for him to represent Les Bleus. Also, Viera’s grandfather served the French army, which became another chance for him to represent France.

After making his debut in 1997, Viera went on to win the World Cup in 1998 and European Championships later, making 107 appearances for his country in the process.3. Miroslav Klose

It would have been son different had Miroslav Klose decided to choose Poland, his country of birth, over Germany at the international level. The former Bayern Munich player’s father played for FC Auxerre and Klose, as an 8-year-old, decided to join his dad in Germany.

This opened up a possibility of representing Die Roten for the striker, who eventually availed it. Klose attracted interest after he became regular at Kaiserlautern and Polish boss Engel tried his best to convince him to represent Poland.

Klose, however, chose Germany and went on to make 130 appearances until he hung up his boots.2. Marcel Desailly

It seems like the French have a long history of luring players from other countries to represent them. And, Former Chelsea man Marcel Desailly was one of them.

Desailly was born in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. His mother headed the French consulate in that city. Desailly moved to France when he was just four years of age, going on to make 116 appearances for Les Blues eventually.

It’s safe to say that profession wise, Desailly’s decision to represent France was a big hit.
1. Alfredo Di Stefano

Alfredo di Stefano was the spearhead of the Real Madrid team that won European Cups in a row in the 60s. However, born as an Argentinian, the striker changed countries as if they were clubs.

In his lifetime, Di Stefano went on to represent Argentina, Spain and Columbia. He decided to pursue another country after a football strike in Argentina in 1949, choosing to represent Columbia.

He later went on to represent Spain till 1962 but the unluckiest thing was he never played in a World Cup, retiring prematurely due to an injury.