Nationality is a fluid construct - and some of the best stars on the planet could've turned out for other international sides
(Image credit: Future)
Demarai Gray is now Jamaican. The Everton winger wasn't close to the England squad and so has joined the Reggae Boyz in search of international football.
It's a well-versed path. Such is the modern world, there are dozens of top-level footballers who could have turned out for another nation – and that's just the English lads in the Welsh side (sorry lads, cheap shot).
These stars were either born somewhere else, brought up somewhere else or had a parent or grandparent from a completely different country…
1. Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose, Germany's greatest-ever goalscorer… isn't German (Image credit: PA)
Germany's greatest World Cup scorer ever is not from Germany at all. In fact, their front two at Euro 2004 were both from neighbouring Poland.
Klose's dad, Josef, was a professional footballer himself who played Auxerre, while his mother was an international handball player for Poland. The striker moved to Deutschland at the age of eight with very little knowledge of the language and ended up winning the country's first World Cup as a unified nation.
It's testament to Germany's multicultural heritage that players like Ozil, Khedira, Gundogan and Podolski – Miro's fellow Polish strike partner in 2004 – all thrived for Die Mannschaft with claims to other nations. And to think, he could've had an international career as underwhelming as Robert Lewandowski – a Klose call indeed…
2. Pepe
Pepe was rejected by Brazil – bet they're regretting that, now… (Image credit: PA)
Hardman centre-back Pepe is in fact Brazilian – and was shunned by the Selecao at every youth level.
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Pepe was first asked to play for his country in 2006 by Brazil boss Dunga but by then, it was too late. The Porto defender had decided he wanted to play for Portugal and by 2007, he'd made his first appearance for his adopted nation. Well, they both speak the same language, at least.
He's since made over 120 appearances and been integral to Portugal's first-ever trophy at Euro 2016. Perhaps Brazil are wishing they'd have secured him sooner.
3. Leroy Sané
Leroy Sané has a tattoo of the nation he could have represented (Image credit: Getty)
Leroy Sané was raised in Essen, Germany. He's returned back to the country to play for Bayern Munich – like all good Germans – do and he has the tactical intelligence of someone brought up in the system after graduating from Schalke's academy.
In another universe, though, he could be turning out for international duty on the opposite wing to Sadio Mané, thanks to his father, Souleymane Sané, who netted 29 goals for Senegal (awkward, after their infamous squabble last season). Equally, the former Manchester City speedster could have turned out for France, the country that his father grew up in.
"There was never any question of wearing [the shirt] of France or Senegal. My country is Germany," Sané said of his allegiances. "I've got a tattoo of the map of Senegal, it's true, as well as Germany's… not that of France, sorry."
4. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is already a French legend but could have played for Cameroon instead (Image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
"1998 was a great year for French football," a Nike poster once stated. "Kylian was born".
The youngest player to score in a World Cup final since Pele and only the second to net a hat-trick since Geoff Hurst was always going to play for France: he was brought up in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris and now plays for the club he supported as a boy (for now).
His father, Wilfried, is from Cameroon, though. Imagine the Africa Cup of Nations with Kylian Mbappe…
5. Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp in Africa (Image credit: Getty)
Alphonso Davies had a tough start to life. The flying full-back was born to Liberian parents in Buduburam, a refugee camp in Ghana, after they fled during the Second Liberian Civil War, which displaced more than 450,000 Liberians.
Davies is therefore eligible to play for Liberia, the country of the only ever African Ballon d'Or winner, George Weah. He also has a claim to play for Ghana, too, since he was born there.
Instead, he hopes to become the first Canadian to win the Ballon d'Or. He won't have to worry about qualifying for the World Cup in 2026 when his nation hosts it with USA and Mexico, either.
6. Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is America's biggest star – but could have swerved the USMNT call (Image credit: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic is about as American as you get. He's from Pennsylvania, hasn't lost his accent in the slightest and his dad played indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat in the 1990s. Yee-haw.
Pulisic lived in England for a year at the age of seven, playing for the youth team of Brackley Town – and though that's not enough to qualify him for the Three Lions, his distinctly Eastern European surname most certainly would've given him a clue that he could have played for a nation on the continent.
The Chelsea winger has a Croatian passport – but declined playing for the 2018 World Cup runners-up to represent the United States men's national team instead.
7. Adnan Januzaj
Adnan Januzaj could have played for any number of nations (Image credit: PA)
Famously, England looked into Adnan Januzaj naturalising to become an English player. The Home Nations Agreement, however, denied him the chance… not that he wasn't left with plenty of other options.
Januzaj was eligible to play for Belgium since he was born there and had a Belgian passport – which he chose to do in the end – though Albania (through his Albanian descent) and Kosovo (which was not a FIFA member at that time and only a partially recognised independent state), were also choices.
The former Manchester United star also had claim to play for Serbia, Turkey and Croatia. Bet it was Roy Hodgson he really wanted to play for though…
8. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang unusually turned down the opportunity to represent the country he was born in (Image credit: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Auba is one of two Gabon internationals to have played in the Premier League, the other being another man who knows west London well, Mario Lemina.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang captains the African nation, just like his father Willy did but he was born and brought up in France. In another life, France could have used him and Mbappe up top.
But the Chelsea forward was another player spoilt for choice. He was offered a call-up to the Italian under-19 side while he played for AC Milan – and his mother is Spanish. That makes it three European sides that he could have played for.
9. Ivan Rakitic
Ivan Rakitic and Granit Xhaka in the same midfield? (Image credit: PA Images)
Ivan Rakitic came through the Basel academy, which no doubt gives a clue to where he was born and brought up. Switzerland is home to plenty of refugees and immigrants who have used the nation's neutral status in war to seek a safer place to live – and like Granit Xhaka's family, Ivan Rakitic's parents came from Eastern Europe.
Rakitic's mum and dad were both Croatian but unlike a lot of players on this list, the midfielder actually represented his other nationality, too. Rakitic turned out for the Swiss at youth level with the Switzerland under-17, under-19 and under-21 national teams before accepting Slaven Bilic's call to represent Croatia internationally.
What's the biggest benefit of being Swiss, you ask? The flag is a big plus.
10. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland could have been an Englishman… sort of (Image credit: Getty)
Yes, England could have had to choose between Harry Kane and Erling Haaland up front.
Well… maybe. Haaland was born in Leeds, when his father – Alf-Inge – played for Leeds United. Erling is still a Leeds fan to this day. But given that he was already a part of the Norwegian youth set-ups before England even wanted to consider him, it always made playing for the Three Lions a long shot.
"We recruit early, but we wouldn't have been into him when he was still in Yorkshire, that's for sure," Gareth Southgate said of the Manchester City phenomenon. It would have been unlikely but still feasible…
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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
