5 current superstars who could have played for France

#4 Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)

Deschamps wanted Koulibaly to play for France

Kalidou Koulibaly played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup albeit not for France. The Napoli defender was born in France and started his professional career with Metz before moving to Belgium and later to Italy.

There is no doubt that Koulibaly would have played for France if he didn’t choose to play for Senegal. In 2015, when he switched his allegiance to Senegal, France manager Didier Deschamps was considering calling up the player to the senior team.

Koulibaly, who has 28 caps for Senegal, played eleven times for France at the Under-20 level. After he made his debut for Senegal, Deschamps continued scouting him without realising he is no longer eligible to play for France.

"I heard that a member of the French national team’s scouting team came to watch Napoli against Empoli recently but I thought it was for [Empoli’s Vincent] Laurini who is also French.

"When I arrived at Napoli, I knew that there would be an opening. I waited for a long time for my chance [with France] and I decided to play for Senegal. It was a choice from the heart and I’ve no regrets." - Koulibaly