World Cup 2026: Page 12 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

World Cup 2026

QuincyAbeyie

Don Pacifico that sounds logical to me. He wouldn't be able to play for a national team otherwise.

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 it's the fact he clearly wanted to play for England judging by how upset he was that he wasn't selected. The fact he didn't get selected for a specific international break didn't mean he wasn't ever going to get selected.

Fundamentally, if I had the chance to play for my chosen nation, I'd be a little more patient rather than throwing a strop and playing for someone else.

QuincyAbeyie once Kane retires, there's not an abundance of options at CF for England. Don't see why he wouldn't be in the mix.

Sicario2

Don Pacifico he has the opportunity to be a starting striker at a home World Cup. Doesn’t get better than that. At least he didn’t sell out like a certain Declan Rice did with Ireland.

QuincyAbeyie

He's turning 25 in a couple of weeks. Waiting for Kane to retire on the off-chance that nobody else will come good in the meantime certainly wouldn't be my choice. Tbh I doubt he'd even be picked for the squad this WC if he chose England.

Don Pacifico

QuincyAbeyie I just don't get the urgency in switching nation. Most other players in that situation give it a few years before committing and that makes much more sense to me.

USArsenal

Don Pacifico
Players have finite careers... Why not play for a team that needs and wants you (and he was recruited hard by the US) and have more of a chance to play international football rather than wait 4 or 5 years and hope that one of the best strikers in the world decides to retire eventually?

Claudius

Don Pacifico this is normal. Just look at Africa. France’s team is 90% African. And about 70 French born players play for African counties. It’s how you end up with the Doue brothers playing for different teams. Inanimate Nico Williams as well - for Ghana and Spain. Balogun would’ve been stupid to wait for England. This is a team that’s dropped Foden and Palmer. What chance has he?

USArsenal

It was either wait to see if he got selected (and not be an automatic pick or starter) for England.... Or play for a decent, but not great, team where he would be seen as the 'missing piece' and be a bang on starter in the biggest media market in the world, and have his chance to be one of the 'main guys' on the team.

Quincy's right, he wouldn't have even made the squad if he had chosen England. I mean, he did OK for Monaco this season, but 13 goals for a team that finished 7th in Ligue 1 was not exactly gonna move the needle for him in England. But for the US, where we have a dearth of decent quality strikers, he's the guy for that job... And as it turns out, he scored 2 goals in his first ever world cup game. (oddly enough, he's got 11 goals for the US, and all of them have come in games played in the US)

Don Pacifico

USArsenal still feels a bit mercenary to me. It's treating international football the same as club football, which it isn't in my opinion. Fundamentally, I think international football is a bit meaningless as a player if you have no real connection to the country you play for.

Personally, playing for my country would be worth more than being a celebrated player in a nation I have no real connection with, regardless of my role.

Like I said, I think he could have given it more time. It's not as if he's achieved all that much with the US since he made the switch.

Sicario2 he has the opportunity to be a starting striker at a home World Cup.

So what? That's the kinda breeze the Athletic will use to pad out an article. Frankly it's meaningless, I just don't think it counts for anything if you have no real connection to that country when you look back on your career.

Sicario2 At least he didn’t sell out like a certain Declan Rice did with Ireland.

How did Dec sell out?

JazzG

Sicario2 At least he didn’t sell out like a certain Declan Rice did with Ireland.

invisibleman18

It was also the chance to be the starting striker at a home World Cup. How many players get to play in a World Cup at home? Ultimately he's probably made the right choice as it's still unlikely he'd have been in the England squad now. He was born in USA and played for them at age group level too, do we know for sure that he didn't always consider himself at least part American?

USArsenal

invisibleman18 He was born in USA and played for them at age group level too, do we know for sure that he didn't always consider himself at least part American?

Nahhhhhh, he never really considered himself part American. Lol. He was only born in the US because his mother who was pregnant with him was not allowed to fly back to the UK (where they lived) because she was so far along with her pregnancy, so ultimately he was born in the US, but went back to the UK by 2 months old and has been there ever since. Yeah, he played a few times for the US U-18 team, but also England's U17, U18, U20, U21 teams.

Ultimately, he could have chosen England, USA or Nigeria (he was open to all 3, it was just that the US recruited him the best). So yeah, he has a tie to the US, but it was, like you said, a chance to play for a 'home' team in a World Cup.

invisibleman18

USArsenal ah ok, I didn't actually know much of his story just that he was born there.

JazzG

USArsenal

JazzG

Played youth level for Ireland and was capped for 3 friendlies at senior level before deciding that he wanted to play for England. Grealish did the same, but without the 3 senior caps. Some Irish folks are still really bitter about it (more with Rice than with Grealish) but its all nonsense anyway. He was born British, raised in England and plays in England.

JazzG

USArsenal Oh didn't know he played for the senior team. Had heard he played for the youth team and I am a bit more flexible there, sometimes it could be the parents pushing you in that direction. From what I remember his parents born in England as well.

If you are parents are born in another country I get it, grandparents is pushing it though!

USArsenal

JazzG

Oh, Rice is born and raised British.. Ireland tried to recruit him young of course. I think he was the one who decided he would rather play for his country of birth.

Sicario2

Don Pacifico what you mean so what? Do you know the opportunities and money he can make from being the star man of a country hosting the World Cup. He was probably sold on the fact he could be the ‘new Michael Jordan’ marketing wise.

The others have explained the Rice situation, very simple to understand how he sold out. Now makes sense some of Q’s comments about him over the years. I still love Dec but he definitely sold out.

Qwiss

There is huge resentment for Rice here because of it. No one really gives a shite about the likes of Grealish who played youth but not senior football. Rice is an outlier, no one else has played 3 senior matches like that and then flipped. It was all very cynical from him, he knew exactly what he was doing with it. Avoided competitive games that would lock him out of making the switch.

On the other end of the scale then you have guys like Drewsbury Hall who Ireland have contacted and asked to play as he has Irish roots. Even though he's nowhere near an England call up he said he wanted to still keep that dream alive so turned us down. Gotta respect that.

Sicario2

Qwiss do the Irish still hate Thierry Henry because of his handball?

Don Pacifico

Sicario2 what you mean so what? Do you know the opportunities and money he can make from being the star man of a country hosting the World Cup. He was probably sold on the fact he could be the ‘new Michael Jordan’ marketing wise.

So it's financial? I mean, I feel like it'd be a relatively negligible difference. As I said, feels very mercenary.

USArsenal

Sicario2

100% yes.

Qwiss

Sicario2 yep. My Son wore an Henry shirt to school and most of the male teachers gave him shit for it. I'd say its mostly banter, there isn't much real hatred there.

JazzG

Sicario2 I remember Henry's reaction after that, complete PR disaster for someone who carefully manages his image.

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