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Usually in football, players represent the country of their birth in international competitions, and even in some cases where they hold dual citizenship, they play for one of the two nations they have passports for.
However, there have been some players who never played a single match for their home country for several reasons. This doesn't take into account those who did not play for their native country due to tough competition or lack of chance or other reasons. But rather this who chose to represent a country other than that of their birth.
In this list, we name five of such players.
#5 Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf was one of the leading midfielders of his generation. Pele chose him to be a part of the 'FIFA 100' list of Greatest Living Footballers in 2004. He won four Champions League trophies with three different clubs, as well as numerous other trophies, awards, and accolades.
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Seedorf was born in Suriname, but his family moved to the Netherlands where he grew up. He represented the Dutch national team in 87 matches and won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award twice.
The legendary midfielder never played a match for his home country Suriname.
#4 Pepe
Pepe was born and raised in Brazil. He currently plays as centre-back for Portugal and Portuguese club Porto. In an interview, he said he chose to play for Portugal over Brazil due to a lack of recognition in his native country.
Pepe arrived in Portugal at the age of 18 where he played his debut match in 2007. Since then, he has represented Portugal 103 times. The short-tempered defender is known for collecting cards and reckless tackles.
It was reported that former Brazil national team coach Dunga wanted him to represent Brazil in 2006, but he declined.
#3 Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira was born in Senegal but relocated to France along with his family when he was eight. Considered by many to be one of the leading midfielders of his generation, he played his debut match for France in 1997. Overall, Vieira played 107 matches for France with six goals.
He was a star player who won the 2001 Confederations Cup, 2000 European Championship, and 1998 World Cup.
He went back to Senegal for the first time since moving to France, in 2003 when he was 27-year-old.
#2 Miroslav Klose
The Poland-born striker was part of the German team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Miroslav Klose won the Golden Boot at 2006 World Cup, scoring five goals. He is also the top goalscorer in World Cup history with a tally of 16 goals.
Klose was born in Poland but chosen to represent Germany. Since making his debut in 2001, he played 137 matches and scored 71 goals.
It was reported Poland tried to persuade him into playing for their national team, but he declined the offer.
#1 Eusebio
Eusebio Ferreira Da Silva is the most prominent football player ever to come from Africa. Before Cristiano Ronaldo attained prominence, he was Portugal's greatest ever player. He was born in Mozambique but relocated to Portugal at a very young age.
Eusebio made his debut in 1961 and went on to play as a striker. In this role, he scored 41 goals in 64 matches for Portugal.
He was resilient, hardworking and was admired for his menacing shot-making ability. Da Silva played alongside Mario Coluna for the Portuguese club Benfica.
He won one European Cup and 11 Portuguese titles with Benfica where he scored 473 goals in 440 games. His prolific ability made him a popular star of his time.
He helped Portugal win their solitary medal in World Cup history. Da Silva scored 34 hat-tricks in his football career and was awarded him the Ballon d’Or in 1965, but he lost to Bobby Charlton in 1966. He also won the Golden Boot in the 1966 World Cup in
IFFHS and World Soccer adjudged him the ninth and tenth greatest football player of the century, respectively. He was fondly known as 'Black Panther' and the 'Black Pearl.'
