Top players who chose other nations over England

Folarin Balogun's switch to the USA may have come as a slight surprise, but he is not the only player to have snubbed England for another nation.

There are plenty of valid reasons why a player may pledge their allegiance to one nation over the other, whether that's the prospect of enhanced game time and opportunities or who they feel they belong to the most.

To have the ability to choose between two nations may seem like a good thing on face value, but players often struggle in their decision-making with plenty of factors to weigh up.

With the likes of Declan Rice, John Barnes and Jack Grealish having all opted to represented the Three Lions at international level, there are a select few who have given England the cold shoulder to play for a different nation.

Here are some of those footballing stars that have decided to represent a different country when playing in England colours was also an option.

Folarin Balogun

In the case of the in-form Folarin Balogun, he will be handed higher involvement in the USA national side compared to England due to the variance of attacking options.

The Arsenal loanee's switch may come as a shock for many, seeing as he rose through the England set-up and has represented the Three Lions at many different age levels over the years.

Many wouldn't known, however, that the United States is actually the country he was born in and that it became a "no-brainer" for him in the end.

Jamal Musiala

Jamal Musiala is one of the best, young, emerging midfield talents at this current moment, and it's damning to know that he slipped through England's fingers.

Having been born in Stuttgart and raised in London, where he featured for Chelsea's academy, the 20-year-old was given the proposition to play for either Germany or England.

But the 'old head on young shoulders' midfielder chose the four-time World champions instead and probably made the right decision.

Erling Haaland

Before he made his Norway debut, Erling Haaland was incredibly given the choice to represent England.

His father, Alf-Inge, spent some of his playing career in England for Leeds and this was the point where his son, Erling, was introduced to the world.

In the early stages of his national career, he figure-headed his way up to senior action where he made his debut in 2019. 21 goals in 23 appearances later and the Manchester City forward seems to have made the pragmatic and sensible decision.

Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale has now retired from football and turned his hand to golf, but his illustrious career could have involved playing for England instead of Wales thanks to his grandmother.

The Welshman spent the entirety of his youth career at English club Southampton and then moved to Tottenham for a six-year stint in 2013, with the Three Lions consistently hoping that the frightening wide man would choose them over Wales.

Bale's intentions always laid with Wales as he once said: "I wouldn't care if I never qualified - I would never play for England."

Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha made one singular appearance in England white, which interestingly came under his now Palace boss Roy Hodgson.

England's option were shallow and so Zaha's importance to the national side could have grown exponentially, but he decided a switch to Ivory Coast was more suitable to his career.

Gareth Southgate pleaded with Crystal Palace's star but the latter snubbed the appeal and was named in their squad for the African Cup of Nations in 2017.

Scott McTominay

Lancaster-born midfielder Scott McTominay leaned towards Scotland due to having Scottish blood on his father's side.

Before his admission, both nations were keen to get the player on board. Though, Southgate prompted McTominay with a text while Alex McLeish travelled to Carrington to consult the Manchester United player.

Not to downplay his compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson's involvement, however, as he would have certainly given him a nudge towards the Scotland side of things.

Giovanni Reyna

Newly initiated United States star Balogun has joined Giovanni Reyna in choosing the USMNT over England.

The American youngster was born in Sunderland, due his father Claudio Reyna playing for them when his son was born, meaning he was eligible to play for the Three Lions.

Although his dad plied his domestic trade in England, he captained his national side, the USA, at two separate World Cups so Giovanni's choice was relatively simple.

Tariq Lamptey

England's plethora of right-back choices may well have played an integral part in Tariq Lamptey's decision to represent Ghana instead, or it may have been that both his parents are Ghanaian.

Born and raised in London, he had played for the Under-21 side as recent as March 2022 but announced his desire to play his football elsewhere just two months later.

Though Lamptey was hailed as one of England's hottest prospects, their heavily stacked right-back choices meant he would hardly feature.