Split Decision: Seven Players Who Could Represent Different National Teams
Representing a national team is every footballer's dream. Winning games, winning tournaments, and winning the World Cup is what everyone wants to accomplish.
A player will usually represent the country where they are born, and in other cases, the country of their mother or father. However, something which is becoming more and more common in football today is naturalization, where a player can play for a country if they have a passport.
Some common examples are Marcos Senna and Mehmet Aurelio, two Brazilian born players who chose to represent Spain and Turkey respectively.
With one player able to represent so many different countries, it becomes difficult for players to choose, and sometimes, it even becomes like a race to see which nation will win the footballer's services.
Let's take a look at seven talented players who haven't been called up yet and still have the option to represent multiple national teams.
7. Cleo (Brazil or Serbia)
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Cléverson Gabriel Córdova probably isn't the most well known footballer, but Cleo, as he is known, proved his class when he scored a whopping 10 goals in 12 European apperances this season.
He has a brilliant shot from distance and is great at heading the ball as well.
Cleo was born in Brazil but has recently obtained his Serbian passport and expressed an interest to represent the national team.
FIFA rules state that he cannot represent Serbia for another two years, so it should be interesting to see if the 25-year-old receives his Brazilian call up.
6. Welliton (Brazil or Russia)
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Another Brazilian striker who could represent a European nation is Spartak Moscow's Welliton.
He was born in Brazil in 1986, but has stated that he would like to represent Russia.
Speaking on the matter he stated that, "The Brazil national team coaches only pay attention to those playing in the top clubs, but I played for little-known Goias and had no chance of being scouted."
The goal poacher has been making a huge impact in Russia though, where he has scored 50 times in 75 matches.
The question is whether Brazil will recognize his talent or will Russia field their first naturalized player in over 80 years.
5. Pablo Piatti (Italy or Argentina)
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A speedy young winger who has drawn comparisons to the great Lionel Messi would surely be wanted by any national team, and it will be interesting to see if Almeria's Pablo Piatti joins Messi for Argentina or plays for his father's Italy.
Born in Argentina, the 21-year-old has been having a breakthrough season in La Liga, where he is currently Almeria's top scorer with five goals.
Similar to Messi, he is lacking in physicality but is extremely fast and agile with lovely technique and a killer shot.
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4. Kevin Nolan (Netherlands, England, or Ireland)
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Newcastle United's talented attacking midfielder Kevin Nolan has a number of different countries he could represent.
He was born in England and represented his nation's U-21 side, but his ancestry would allow him to play for the Netherlands or the Republic of Ireland.
Nolan has a great eye for goal and a deadly passing range, not to mention he is a good header of the ball and contributes to the defence. He would be a valuable asset to any national team.
3. Nene (Spain or Brazil)
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He's already 29, but Paris St. Germain's Nene still hasn't gotten a national team callup.
Born in Brazil, Nene moved to Spain in 2003, where he spent four years before coming to Ligue 1.
Since arriving, he has proved to be a major scoring threat and shown his true brilliance.
Other than representing the Brazil U-23 team four times, Nene hasn't gotten a single call up and has expressed his desire to play for whichever team is willing to give him a chance.
2. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (Argentina or Italy)
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Another player who could represent both Italy or Argentina is Espanyol's Pablo Daniel Osvaldo.
Born in Argentina, the 25-year-old dual citizen had an unsuccessful four year stay in Italy before arriving in La Liga.
He has been highly succesful this season, scoring at a rate or exactly one goal every two games and against the likes of Barcelona.
Osvaldo played for the Italian U-21 side, but is still eligible to play for Argentina.
1. Danny Welbeck (Ghana, England, or Scotland)
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Manchester United youngster Danny Welbeck will face a difficult task choosing between Ghana, England, and Scotland.
Born in England to Ghanaian parents, 20 year old Welbeck has been lighting up the Premier League with his recent performances for Sunderland on loan from Manchester United, where he has formed a great strike force with the English Darren Bent and Ghana's Asamoah Gyan.
He represented England at at the youth levels, but could still make the choice to play for his parent's country of origin Ghana.
Additionally, he could represent Scotland, and it may seem a little far-fetched, but he has been advised to do so by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson himself.
Other Players
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There are plenty of other players who could reprsent different nations, and some of them include...
Ronald Huth (Tacuary) - Paraguay or Italy
Sebastien Ribas (Dijon) - Uruguay or Italy
Andy Najar (D.C. United) - United States or Honduras
Botelho (Arsenal) - Spain or Brazil
Please feel free to mention other players who could represent different nations in the comments and express your opinions on which nation some of the players I mentioned should choose.
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