2023-09-08 03:52:08
A little over five years ago, in March 2018, a certain Declan Rice honored his second selection with the Irish national team at the Stade de France against the Blues, not yet crowned with their second world champion star. Five years later, he has 43 caps with… the England team.
Inevitably, therefore, the new Arsenal midfielder, transferred this summer for a dizzying sum of 116 million euros from West Ham, will not be on the lawn of the Parc des Princes this Thursday evening September 7 to defend the green and orange of the Irish jersey against the same French team. After three friendlies with Ireland, which do not count as “official” selections in the eyes of Fifa, Rice was finally able to opt for the Three Lions with the success that we know of.
Rice is not the only Englishman to have changed his mind. Just above him in the ranking of the most expensive Britons in football history is Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City two years ago for 118 million euros and has since established himself as a key player of Pep Guardiola’s squad, defended the Irish colors in U18, U19, U20, U21… before changing flag.
Tom Cannon, latest at the heart of the battle between the English and the Irish
A nasty habit for the Irish to have young talents stolen by other selections, England at the top of the list. The fault of prestige, perhaps, for this nation 53rd in the FIFA rankings, which did not participate in the last Euro and which has not qualified for a World Cup since 2002.
Again last May, when his “Boys in Green” faced Greece (2-1 defeat) and Gibraltar (3-0 victory), Irish coach Stephen Kenny was asked to answer a question about a young 20-year-old player, who was making his first appearance in the group after having been through the youth selections.
“I met his agent, who told me: the England U21 team approached Tom,” he explained at a press conference. He just needed some time to think and see what the situation was, and he wanted to talk to me after the internship, sit down and have a conversation. »
In recent months Cannon, who has represented Ireland at U19, U20 and U21 levels, had started to attract attention with convincing performances (8 goals in 20 games) in the English D2 at Preston North End, where he was loaned by his training club Everton. Enough to earn him a call, very quickly, by Stephen Kenny. In the end, Canonn was unable to honor his first selection because he fell ill.
Bellingham, an Irish passport to get around Brexit
In the cases of Rice and Grealish, as in that of Cannon, the players were born in England but took advantage of Irish grandparents to navigate between these two sporting nationalities. You need at least one such link to represent a national team from a country where you were not born, stipulates Fifa.
This same family tie could also have offered other renowned English players to Ireland: Harry Kane, record holder of goals in the English selection whose father is Irish, Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips or Jude Bellingham, transferred this summer to the Real Madrid for more than 100 million euros.
A certain Bellingham in a Ireland jersey ????
It was brought to my attention today that a lot of Irish fans were unaware that Jude and his younger brother Jobe are BOTH ELIGIBLE for Ireland!
Ino it’s impossible for Jude to play for us now but brother Jobe could be a possibility???????? pic.twitter.com/koaQsIn6Ld— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) September 14, 2022
If he never wore the green jersey as a footballer, a photo of a very young Bellingham in an Irish shirt, revealed recently, made public this heritage, him whose father is of Irish origin.
On the other hand, he will use his roots in another way: Brand revealed in recent days that the player was waiting to obtain an Irish passport. Brexit obliges, he would therefore avoid occupying, at Real Madrid, an extra-community place in the workforce, reserved in limited numbers for players who are not from the European Union. It’s too late, however, for him to change his jersey, he who is already sportingly acquired by England, with whom he already has 24 caps.
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