Earlier this week, Aaron Wan-Bissaka accepted his first senior call-up for DR Congo, ending years of speculation over his international future.
The West Ham defender, 27, had long been tipped for an England debut after breaking through at Crystal Palace and sealing a £50million move to Manchester United in 2019.
At the time he was hailed as one of the Premier League’s finest one-on-one defenders.
But Gareth Southgate consistently overlooked Wan-Bissaka, with Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier and Reece James all picked ahead of him during the former Three Lions’ head coach’s reign.
Born in Croydon to Congolese parents, Wan-Bissaka represented both nations at youth level, featuring once for DR Congo’s Under 20s before switching allegiance to England, where he won caps at U20 and U21 level. He previously declared his ‘aim was England’, but his stance has shifted six years on.
Following his decision to move on from England, Daily Mail Sport examines other stars who chose to represent someone other than the Three Lions.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has accepted his first senior call-up for DR Congo, ending years of speculation over his international future
Wan-Bissaka linked up with Sebastien Desabre’s squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against South Sudan and Senegal
Jamal Musiala – Germany
Jamal Musiala reportedly had his heart set on playing for England before a meeting with a man who changed his career trajectory.
The midfielder took Euro 2024 by storm as he impressed for Germany, his country of birth. He has come into his own in recent years at club level with Bayern Munich, and is targeting international success too, though it could have been a whole different story if it wasn’t for the intervention.
Musiala, formerly of Southampton and Chelsea in England, he represented England at Under-15 level, then Germany at Under-16 level, then England again at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 levels.
According to The Sun, he was ready to commit to representing the Three Lions before then-Germany boss Joachim Low persuaded him to change his mind.
Andrew Martin, a former coach of Musiala, said: ‘It was always going to be England. He felt more at home there, he played for Chelsea and there were other Chelsea boys in the England squad, and he knew others from playing on the academy circuit.
‘I remember at the time Jamal went to meet Jogi Low and the academy director at Bayern. They made a clear pathway of how he would get into the Bayern first team and the German first team.
‘I think once you meet the first-team manager as a 16, 17-year-old, I think your decision is made for you. That’s pretty impressive that they made the time to do that.
‘He wanted it to be England but then it was the move to Germany that swayed everything, with the help of Low and the help of the Bayern set-up.’
Musiala hasn’t looked back since, announcing in February 2021 that he had chosen to represent Germany, making his debut for the senior team a month later in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Iceland.
Jamal Musiala reportedly had his heart set on playing for England before a meeting with a man who changed his career trajectory
Wilfried Zaha – Ivory Coast
Zaha represented England at youth level and went on to earn two caps at senior level, before switching his allegiance to the Ivory Coast, having been born in the country’s capital city Abidjan.
The winger made his senior England debut under Roy Hodgson on the same November 2012 night as Raheem Sterling in a 4-2 defeat by Swede, a match best remembered most for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s four-goal haul and stunning overhead kick.
Having earned his first cap while playing in the Championship for Crystal Palace, his second came against Scotland in August 2013 following his move to Man United.
With both his appearances coming in friendlies, Zaha remained eligible for the Ivory Coast and took the option to play for the nation in 2016.
‘It was just like I was rejected from the England side,’ Zaha told CNN Sport. ‘I didn’t get picked or even a look in for four years. No one even thought about me at all.’
Pardew, Palace manager at the time of Zaha’s international switch, said: ‘He just couldn’t break into the squad. He was getting frustrated a little bit.
‘He had the confidence, felt he should have been in the squad. There wasn’t really too much I could do other than say to him ‘be patient, I think you can break into the England team, you’re certainly good enough’, give him those great affirmations.
‘But he went for the Ivory Coast and you can’t criticise that decision because guys want to play international football.’
When he landed back in the Ivory Coast ahead of his first appearance there, the reaction was likened to the frenzied crowd scenes in certain foreign countries when a big new signing arrives at the airport.
Zaha has since represented the Ivory Coast at three African Cup of Nations tournaments. He was, however, omitted from their squad for the 2023 tournament hosted by the Ivory Coast, which they would go on to win.
Zaha played for England at youth level before making his senior debut under Roy Hodgson on the same November 2012 night as Raheem Sterling – but went on to play for Ivory Coast instead
Tariq Lamptey – Ghana
Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey decided play international football for Ghana after representing England at youth level.
The London-born right-back featured from Under 18 to U21 level in the past for the Three Lions switched his allegiance to the Black Stars in 2022 – as he qualifies to play for through his parents.
Lamptey’s father Ahmed had a major influence in arranging for the player to switch international sides, per The Athletic. Prior to that, Lamptey asked to be left out of England U21’s squad.
Lee Carsley said at the time that the team would respect his wishes but reiterated that he was an important player for them.
‘There’s an issue over his dual nationality,’ he said. ‘He’s had an approach. It’s something he’s considering at the minute.
‘He’s asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He’s not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that. But he’s had an approach (from Ghana), we have to respect that. We’ve made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well.
‘It’s not something that we’ve given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.’
Lamptey did go through with the switch and has made 11 appearances for Ghana’s national team to date.
Ghana FA president Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku shakes hands with Lamptey’s father after agreeing to switch his allegiance in 2022
Lamptey had previously represented England at youth level – from the Under 18s to Under 21s
Brennan Johnson – Wales
Tottenham star Brennan Johnson was born in Nottingham and represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level, but chose to represent Wales when it came to international football at senior level.
Explaining his decision to Daily Mail Sport in 2023, he said: ‘My family on my mum’s side are Welsh and at that age it was about enjoyment. I enjoyed playing for Wales a lot more. It felt more like a family. Everyone was really nice and made me feel comfortable.
‘Being from a club like Forest, you go to England and see the players from top teams and it is a bit more intimidating. It’s not like the people there create that atmosphere deliberately, but being from a smaller academy and rarely playing against those players made a difference.
‘After I had played for Wales Under 21s there was chat about me going back to England, but nothing major. I was always happy to play for Wales.
‘I was only 18 at the time so it never reached the stage of Gareth Southgate contacting me. I feel proud to play for Wales and it makes my family proud — that is the most important thing.’
Johnson would ultimately face the Three Lions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but Wales failed to make it past the group stages. With Wales missing out on Euro 2024, Johnson will be hoping to help fire his nation qualify for next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tottenham star Brennan Johnson was born in Nottingham and played for England at Under-16 and Under-17 level, but ultimately decided to play for Wales
Antoine Semenyo – Ghana
While he was born in Chelsea, Semenyo is of Ghanaian and French descent. The Bournemouth star had three nationalities to choose from, but opted to represent Ghana and featured for their national team for the first time in 2022.
He also featured for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup by making two substitute appearances in group-stage matches against Portugal and Uruguay.
Semenyo, 25, also named Michael Essien as the best Ghanaian player to have ever played in the Premier League.
He said: ‘[It] has to be Michael Essien. I want to say Asamoah Gyan just for what he’s done at Sunderland but yeah, Michael Essien, he’s the GOAT.’
Semenyo started Ghana’s 1-1 draw against Chad on Thursday and played 77 minutes before Chad equalised in the dying embers of the contest to snatch a point.
While he was born in Chelsea, Semenyo is of Ghanaian and French descent, but was called up to the Ghana national team in May 2022
Steven Caulker – Sierra Leone
Caulker was another of the debutants fielded by Roy Hodgson in England’s friendly against Sweden in November 2012. It proved to be a memorable occasion for the then-Tottenham defender, who scored on what would prove his only appearance for the Three Lions.
He ultimately fell out of England contention as he embarked on a remarkable club career that included spells at Swansea and Liverpool, as well as stints in Turkey, Scotland and currently Iceland. Caulker has previously opened up about his mental health struggles during his career, which included a battle with depression.
Having previously spoken of the possibility of representing Scotland, Caulker would eventually switch nationality to Sierra Leone, the African nation where his grandfather William was born.
As a Cardiff player, Caulker raised £25,000 selling signed shirts from stars including Gareth Bale, topped it up with his own money and, with the help of the charity Action Aid, built a six-classroom school complete with its own well for 400 children in the district of Kambia.
‘Sierra Leone is a third world country,’ said Caulker. ‘There’s a lot of struggle there and I’ve always tried to do my bit and be hands-on because of my grandfather who moved to London in the 1950s and married my Scottish gran, Jessie.
‘Our players who grew up in Sierra Leone inspire those children who think they could be like Kei Kamara or Mustapha Bundu. It is exciting for me. Yes, I want to experience international football, to play at the highest level.’
‘I had a very small taste of that with England, but when I walk out to represent Sierra Leone I will be thinking of all that. And all the people waiting outside the hotel before we left for Cameroon, running after our bus as we went off to play in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 25 years. It’s so much greater than football.’
Caulker made one senior appearance for England during their 4-2 defeat to Sweden in 2012
He earned five caps during Team GB’s Olympic campaign, starting all three group games
However, he is equally reflective on what could have been when it came to the 2014 World Cup, where he missed out on selection.
He added: ‘It was a special moment for me to wear the England shirt and make my debut at the same time as Raheem Sterling, to play with Steven Gerrard, but it’s a long time ago and I’ve drifted away from England.
‘I was upset to miss out on World Cup selection in 2014. They sent a text to say Roy Hodgson would call everyone whether we were in or not.
‘He never called. I sat by the phone all evening. That was quite disheartening and to be honest quite rude. I’d been around the squad for the best part of two years and it left a bit of a sour taste.’
