MX23RW : Wednesday, March 13 15:00:00

Rice is not the only player to make tough decision over international future

Rice is not the only player to make tough decision over international future
© Reuters
The likes of Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Wilfried Zaha have all had decisions to make.

Declan Rice has received his first England call-up just weeks after making the agonising decision to represent the country of his birth rather than the Republic of Ireland.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at other players who in recent years have faced a choice between wearing the Three Lions badge or that of another country.

Harry Kane

England captain Kane won the Golden Boot as the highest goalscorer at last summer’s World Cup in Russia as he led the nation to the semi-finals. However, things might have been very different for Kane, who qualifies for the Republic of Ireland through his father’s side of the family with contact having been made before his breakthrough season at Tottenham.

Eric Dier

England’s Eric Dier (left) exchange words with Spain's Sergio Ramos
England midfielder Eric Dier, left, could have played for Portugal (Nick Potts/PA)

Tottenham defender Dier spent much of his childhood in Portugal after his family emigrated when he was seven, and he took his first steps in senior football with Sporting Lisbon. At one point, Sporting were sounded out by the Portuguese Football Federation, but Dier’s focus was always England.

Adnan Januzaj

England v Belgium – FIFA World Cup 2018 – Group G – Kaliningrad Stadium
Adnan Januzaj was courted by several countries (Tim Goode/PA)

When he burst on to the first-team scene as a teenager at Manchester United, Januzaj was a wanted man. Born in Brussels to Kosovar-Albanian parents, he was courted by Belgium, England, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey before choosing to commit to the land of his birth.

Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace forward Zaha represented England at both under-21 and senior levels but, crucially, did not play a competitive senior fixture. As a result, when his native Ivory Coast came calling, he was able to accept their overtures and made his debut in January 2017 in a warm-up fixture ahead of the African Nations Cup.

David Brooks

Wales midfielder David Brooks in Nations League action against Denmark
Wales midfielder David Brooks made his name at Sheffield United (Mike Egerton/PA)

Bournemouth midfielder Brooks, then a Sheffield United player, was part of the England Young Lions team which won the Toulon Tournament in 2017. However, he qualifies for Wales through his mother and made three friendly appearances before cementing his allegiance in their 4-1 Nations Cup victory over the Republic of Ireland in September last year.

Michael Keane

Southampton v Everton – Premier League – Goodison Park
Everton defender Michael Keane had committed to Republic of Ireland (Adam Davy/PA)

Like Rice, Everton defender Keane had a choice between England and Ireland with his father having left the Republic as a nine-year-old to start a new life across the Irish Sea. Despite representing the Ireland at under-17 and under-19 levels, he chose England when it came to senior international football.

Jack Grealish

Birmingham City v Aston Villa – Sky Bet Championship – St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium
Jack Grealish picked England (Nick Potts/PA)

Aston Villa playmaker Grealish was courted just as assiduously as Rice by then Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, but ultimately made the same decision as the West Ham midfielder. However, the English-born midfielder, who had represented the Republic at under-age levels, has so far had to make do with a series of under-21 caps.

Scott McTominay

Scotland’s Scott McTominay could have chosen to play for England
Scotland’s Scott McTominay could have chosen to play for England (Adam Davy/PA)

Manchester United midfielder McTominay held talks with both England boss Gareth Southgate and Scotland counterpart Alex McLeish before pledging himself to the latter’s cause. McTominay made his debut in a friendly with Costa Rica in March last year and played his first competitive international against Albania six months later.

Alex Iwobi

Lagos-born Arsenal winger Iwobi grew up in the England set-up and represented the nation at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels. However after the call-ups dried up, he turned instead to the country of his birth and made his first competitive appearance for Nigeria as a substitute against Egypt in March 2016.


Click here for more stories about Declan Rice

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30242479215874
2Liverpool30227168175173
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs30201957322561
4Arsenal30186663392460
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd30177658401858
6Chelsea29176650311957
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves30128103836244
8Watford30127114244-243
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham30116133743-639
10Leicester CityLeicester30115143842-438
11Everton30107134142-137
12Bournemouth30114154154-1337
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3097142938-934
14Crystal Palace3096153641-533
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2996143242-1033
16Southampton3079143450-1630
17Burnley3086163457-2330
18Cardiff CityCardiff3084182757-3028
19Fulham3045212868-4017
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield3035221553-3814

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