We’ve seen a big change in international football where a lot of players are eligible for multiple countries, so it makes sense that many won’t start their international careers until they are well into their 20’s.
It tends to be the case that they are holding out for a call up to one of the elite teams, but they will then accept a call up from someone else once it’s clear that it’s not going to happen.
This is now the case with West Ham striker Sebastien Haller, with confirmation coming through that he’s accepted a call up from the Ivory Coast:
West Ham United striker Sébastien Haller called up for the Ivory Coast for the first time – had previously been seeking a career with the French national team.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) November 5, 2020
Haller was born in France and even played for the U21 side 20 times, but the manager loves Olivier Giroud and it seems he was just never going to get a chance.
There’s no shame in not breaking into the French setup as they are world champions, but his Mother is Ivorian and he’s now expected to play for them instead.
He’s not the only Frenchman to make that choice this month with Wolves defender Willy Boly also changing his allegiance, so it will be interesting to see how they fare at international level.