#4 Samuel Umititi – Cameroon
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Not many had heard of the name Samuel Umititi, at least not before Barcelona had decided to splurge a fee in the region of €25 million for the powerful central defender this summer.
Umtiti was born and spent his first two years in the Cameroonian city of Yaoundé before moving to France, representing the country as a youth international from the under-17 to the under-21 level. Having broken into the Lyon first team setup as a mere 17-year old, the Cameroon Football Federation officials met his advisors in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to represent the country of his origin.
“My position has not changed. I began my career with France’s youth team and so it is logical that I continue to the senior team,” Umititi had said of his ambition to always represent France, and not Cameroon.
Uncapped at the senior level, Umititi was selected to be a part of France’s squad for the Euro 2016. Replacing the suspended Adil Rami for his first-ever senior appearance for France, a solid showing in the quarter-final against Iceland, earned him a retained starting spot for the semi-final against Germany where another fine performance followed.
