Representing your nation on the international stage is a huge honour, and a childhood dream for many footballers. However, national teams are filled with talent and can often be near impossible to break into. Some players choose to take their talents elsewhere, for playing time or other reasons, as noted by many such as the consultants from Global Residence Index. Here are five dual nationals.
Five Important Dual Nationals Who Made Bold Choices
Alphonso Davies
Canada’s dual national talisman is Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies. Davies was born and lived in Ghana for the first five years as a Liberian refugee. It wasn’t until 2017 that the fullback gained Canadian Citizenship and pledged his allegiance to Canada’s National Team.
Folarin Balogun
So much attention was on then Arsenal player Folarin Balogun as he was rumoured to be contemplating representing the United States instead of England in international football. In May 2023, he made that official, opting to represent the United States where he was born. Balogun had represented England in youth competition, as he was raised in the United Kingdom after leaving the States at a young age.
Harry Kane
Perhaps England’s most important player of the last ten years, the nation’s Captain has scored an incredible 69 goals in 103 appearances. He was crucial to Gareth Southgate’s (contested) success as manager, helping the side reach a World Cup semi-final and two European Cup finals.
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Kane’s importance cannot be understated as the skipper, despite some holding him responsible for England’s failure to win a trophy; the number nine missed a crucial penalty against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, and failed to square the ball to Raheem Sterling against Croatia in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
However, his consistency as the starting centre-forward and captain of the side across Southgate’s four major international tournaments has been critical. He was a huge part of the reason why that group of players managed to bounce back from an extra-time defeat in a semi-final, a penalty shootout defeat in a final, a quarter-final exit, and still end the era by going toe-to-toe with Spain until the final whistle of Euro 2024. Maintaining moral levels was integral.
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And yet, his father Patrick Kane was born in the Republic of Ireland. This is not the first England player that we will discuss, who could’ve played for Ireland, but he is perhaps the biggest “what if?”.
Bukayo Saka
As many will know, Bukayo Saka has Nigerian heritage but chose to play for England. He revealed: “Choosing Nigeria over England would be a tough decision…my whole family has been in England like forever, it would be very strange for me to adapt to an environment that I had never been in since growing up…when I grew up all my documents stated that I am English, hopefully Nigerian people will understand.”
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He played a crucial role in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final (played in 2021), though suffered major criticism after missing the penalty that saw Italy win the trophy. Playing every game in the most recent Euros, Saka has proven to be a key cog in the system, cutting in from the right hand side with his left foot.
For Arsenal, he has five goals and ten assists in the Premier League this season, though has been injured since before Christmas. This has arguably been detrimental to the Gunners’ season, with them drawing or losing seven of their last 16 matches in all competitions. Mikel Arteta’s side are no longer in the EFL Cup or FA Cup, and sit 13 points off league leaders Liverpool, though do have one game in hand. His creativity has been heavily missed, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli struggling for form.
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There is no real striker, and Kai Havertz is injured; it seems unlikely that they have a shot at winning the UEFA Champions League, despite winning their first round of 16 leg away at PSV by an incredible six goal margin. This highlights how important Saka is for both his club and country, and if England do finally win a trophy, he will be an important part of that.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
A more unknown fact is that Trent Alexander-Arnold was eligible to play for the United States of America; he could’ve played for the USMNT through a connection via his maternal grandmother. Add Alexander-Arnold to a team with the likes of Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah, and you’d give USA a strong chance of going far in the next World Cup.
Perhaps Alexander-Arnold hasn’t found the same form for his nation as he has for Liverpool, being trialled in midfield at times and battling for a starting position with the likes of Reece James, but he should be a huge asset for new manager Thomas Tuchel for years to come.
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At 26-years-old, he will surely be a starter for the next three major international tournaments, whether they’re all under Tuchel or not. With the German manager a fan of a five at the back formation, he should excel at right-wing-back: his attacking talents are a lot stronger than his defensive ones.
Cole Palmer
A man who didn’t get as many minutes as he would’ve hoped at Euro 2024, Cole Palmer was eligible for St. Kitts and Nevis, thanks to his grandfather. Palmer is proud of his Caribbean heritage, with the St Kitts flag on his boots.
Similar to Alexander-Arnold, the forward will be more important to his nation in the future than he has been in the past, although he did score an equaliser in the European Cup final. He currently has 11 England appearances, but will surely go on to make many more than that. In what capacity, though, is uncertain: he can play on the right-wing or as a number ten. Depending on where Jude Bellingham slots in, we could see Palmer starting in either position.
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In a very young England squad, he will always have to compete with the likes of Saka, Phil Foden, and Anthony Gordon, but you’d have good hopes for the 22-year-old to be a starter for the next ten years if he keeps up his current form.
Declan Rice
Another Arsenal player, Declan Rice is and will be hugely important for his country, though it may go more under the radar than the more attacking players listed previously. Sitting deep, the midfielder can play either as a number six or eight, and has been crucial to Southgate’s teams due to the array of attacking talent in the roster.
As with many English players, he has links to Ireland with Irish grandparents, with the likes of Jack Grealish playing for the Boys in Green at a youth level. However, he is more of a rarity, having actually played for the senior team on three occasions. In 2019, he switched allegiances to the Three Lions. FIFA allowed this as none of these fixtures were competitive matches, only friendlies.
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Many Irish fans were unimpressed with this switch, viewing it as a betrayal. However, when Rice scored in England’s 2-0 victory over them back in November (in the UEFA Nations League B), he respectfully did not celebrate, unlike teammate Grealish who enjoyed the moment.
As with all of these players, we can see the midfielder being a big part of Tuchel’s system, and potentially a trophy in England’s cabinet in the coming years.
