Captain wrote:
Don't like people who declare out of convenience, but it doesn't really matter. It's only kicking a ball around for 90mins at the end of the day.
Yup, play wherever you want to play.
The thing about teams is this: As long as you have the ability and you show the commitment, no one really cares about the color of your passport. Any half reasonable player has to give the thought careful and serious consideration before he makes the commitment.
If you're not a substantial upgrade on the available talent pool though, it's a different matter entirely.
Look at the situation with Zelalem for example. He has his options: Ethiopia, Germany, USA. Wherever he chooses he'll be welcome with open arms. Ethiopians lay "claim" to him because of his parenthood, Germany cos he was born there, lived there as a kid and has played on their youth teams. USA because he's good and they're mostly shit.
He has the right to choose any of these teams and will represent a quality addition to their squad. But whomever he rejects is going to feel slighted.
Miranda obviously is a Brazilian and would probably prefer to ply his trade in Brazil if given the chance. But if another nation shows a great appreciation for his skills and services, and he feels accepted and comfortable with their set up, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to declare for them as well. Football is a global game now, and the barriers limiting national team representation are getting increasingly lax as quality players are unearthed worldwide. I believe we will get to a point in the future where there will be a quota apportioned to "non-native" National team players. History is littered with players who have represented more than one country throughout their playing careers. Alfredo di Stefano played for Argentina, Colombia and Spain, Ferenc Puskas played for Hungary and Spain. It's nothing new, and helps improve both the strength of the national teams and the global appeal of the game.
I think the Fifa rules on player eligibility are quite clear and reasonable :
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/81/10/29/circularno.1147-eligibilitytoplayforrepresentativeteams_55197.pdf
To each his own.
