Like Owen Hargreaves

[lackedpunch]

I was thinking about Owen Hargreaves the other day, and how it was so unusual when he got his first England cap, as he had never played for an English team (or lived in England!)

Looking up Hargreaves on Wikipedia told me that he was not the first player to be in this unusual situation, as one Joe Baker did the same ( playing all his football in Scotland and Italy prior to his first cap).

This has got me wondering about other players who have done this (got an international cap not having played in that country's national league).

Who else did it?

[seand]

80% of Irish internationals, north and south. 95% of Welsh internationals. Thousands of Africans trafficked into Europe (big club academies if they're lucky/brilliant/well connected or the Ukrainian second division if less lucky/brilliant/well connnected ) For a start.

[lackedpunch]

Yes, I thought there would be lots from Wales and Ireland and Africa. What about Spain, Italy, France, Germany?

[ursus arctos]

Fabregas is the most obvious Spanish example.

Giuseppe Rossi had only played for Parma on loan when he got his first full cap for Italy.

Given the recent wave of clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City signing dozens of promising EU youngsters and loaning them out, we are likely to see more examples of this as time goes on.

[SouthdownRebel]

Hector Bellerín would be another

[Ray de Galles]

I don’t.

[Kowalski]

Messi

[Anton Gramscescu]

Well over 90% of players capped by Canada.

[Antepli Ejderha]

What about Fraser Forster? Did he get capped while at Celtic?

[MrLeam]

Looking up Hargreaves on Wikipedia told me that he was not the first player to be in this unusual situation, as one Joe Baker did the same ( playing all his football in Scotland and Italy prior to his first cap).

I don't at all begrudge footballers earning what they can these days, but this sentence from Joe Baker's wikipedia entry shows how much the times have changed: "In 1961, Baker was transferred to Torino for £75,000, after the Hibs board refused to give him a £5 wage increase from his existing wage of £12 a week"

[G-Man]

South Africa has had a few of those. Dutch goalkeeper Hans Vonk and defender Pierre Issa (him of two on goals against France, the country where he grew up) being the most prominent examples.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I think that the list of Turkish gurbetçiler who've played for the national team without ever playing in Turkey would be rather lengthy.

[3 Colours Red]

95% of Welsh internationals.

I'd wager it's higher than this as nearly all our internationals that have played club football in Wales have done so for teams playing in the English pyramid.

[Jorge Porbillas]

I'd wager it's higher than this as nearly all our internationals that have played club football in Wales have done so for teams playing in the English pyramid.

Not 100% as an answer to a question in another thread pointed out last week ...

Edit: here it is https://www.onetouchfootball.com/sho...=1#post1367354

[Jorge Porbillas]

Also, I now have the Owen Haegreaves Wales Away song earworm

[3 Colours Red]

Not 100% as an answer to a question in another thread pointed out last week ...

Edit: here it is https://www.onetouchfootball.com/sho...=1#post1367354

That thread is exactly why I hedged my bets. I could recall a couple of League of Wales call-ups in my lifetime: Gary Lloyd infamously and I think Steven Evans may have got one after returning to TNS.

[Jorge Porbillas]

No, Evans got a call up as a non-league player at Wrexham, but never at TNS. Gary Lloyd is the only ever LoW/WP call-up and that came just the once

[3 Colours Red]

Damn my broken brain.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Of course, there are several graduates of the LoW/WP who have gone on to win caps - Tom Bradshaw being the latest.

[Pérou Flaquettes]

Yes, I thought there would be lots from Wales and Ireland and Africa. What about Spain, Italy, France, Germany?

Antoine Griezmann, left France at 14. He couldn’t get into any decent academy, was deemed too runty. A Real Sociedad scout – Frenchman Éric Olhats – managed to convince his parents to send him to the Basque Country (mind, it wasn’t too traumatising or dépaysant for the teenager as he stayed with Olhats in the French Basque Country and would often fly back home).

Speaking of whom, he scored a thronker vs Roma this week:

[Various Artist]

I've got an earworm from the thread title now – thanks lackedpunch.

Step by step
Heart to heart
Left right left
We all fall down
Like Owen Hargreaves

[colinwasp]

Joe Baker is an interesting example of brothers playing for different national sides. At the time of the rule being that players could only represent their country of birth, he played for England whilst his brother was only eligible to play for the USA.

[treibeis]

Kevin-Prince Boateng (has never lived in Ghana or played in the domestic league).

Jermaine Jones and Thomas Dooley (hadn't lived or played in USA at the time of their first cap).

[ursus arctos]

Other US example include David Regis, who got his first cap three days after his naturalisation, John Brooks, Fabian Johnson and Timothy Chandler

[tee rex]

Anthony Hudson (who has just quit as NZ coach) went searching for players in Europe who had Kiwi roots, and not surprisingly he found a few (the kiwi famously eats roots and leaves). Given that New Zealand play fewer competitive internationals than most countries, and even fewer at home, it's highly likely that he chucked somebody on for a friendly overseas who has never even set foot in the country he represented, never mind played there.

You want names? Ah, sod it, off to Wikipedia ...