The thrill of representing your country and wearing your national soccer jersey with pride is something that is a dream for many soccer players but sometimes, players play for a country other than the one they were born in. The vast majority of international players turn out for their country of birth but there can be many reasons why they play for another and the laws make this perfectly.
Some players may think that their chances of playing for their own national team is limited so decide to play for another team in order to gain more caps and get the chance to play at a major tournament. It is obvious that Brazil has an abundance of great players and not everyone can get their way into the squad and some top class players are an example of this. Soccer fans the world over will recognize Deco as a Portugal player and Marcos Senna was a major part of Spains Euro 2008 success but both players were born in Brazil. Perhaps both believed they would stand a better chance of being picked by another nation but it goes to show that even great players can use the ruling to play for another nation.
Other big nations like England, France, Italy and Germany have also benefitted from the rules that allow players to play for a nation other than their country of birth. England fans would agree that Owen Hargreaves was the best player in the England soccer uniforms at their last major tournament but he was born in Canada. France have long picked the best players from their colonies around the coast of Africa to play for them and the backbone of the team, like Patrick Viera who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 hailed from outside France. The history of Germany shows strong links to Poland and Turkey which means that many players have switched their allegiances. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podoski were both born in Poland but have starred in the white soccer top of Germany as opposed to the red kit of Poland.
Italy not only have Giuseppe Rossi who was born in America and could be playing for the USA national team. Italy also two Argentinean born stars, Mauro Camoranesi and Pablo Danial Osvaldo, in their line-up so although the rules of who a player can play for can really help small nations get some great players, it can also be of benefit to the major nations as well.
One player who has thrilled fans in the green and white soccer kit of his club and country is Aiden McGeady. The Celtic wide man was born in Scotland but choose to play for the Republic of Ireland through links on his grandparents side but this move has not been without controversy. McGeady opted for the FAI after the SFA made no moves to select him and even though he was well within his rights to opt to play for another national team, McGeady is subjected to racial and sectarian abuse at away grounds throughout Scotland.
No matter the reason a player chooses to play for another national team, there is a fair amount of controversy and not every fan believes the rules are right. International soccer is an exciting proposition though and anything which ensures more talented players are able to play is better for soccer fans everywhere.
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