The Athletic speaks to players who have represented African nations despite being born abroad
Ademola Lookman has scored all of ’s goals in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. , but he was not born in Lagos or Abuja. Lookman grew up in England and went to school in Peckham, south London. There are lots of others at AFCON with a similar story. is Senegal’s captain while Sebastien Haller is Ivory Coast’s talisman. Both players were born in France and represented them at youth-team level.
It’s also our responsibility as their team-mates to integrate them. They need time to adapt to the different conditions, including the weather, too. “It is beneficial. They still belong to even though they were born in Europe. , DR Congo and Cape Verde have players in their squad who play at the highest level in Europe. They are superstars who add value to their respective countries when they choose to play for them but this strategy hides a weakness on the African continent.