Every player’s dream is to be at a FIFA World Cup, but the competition for a spot is one of the toughest and not everyone can deal with it. That is the case of Inaki Williams, amongst others, who decided to change colors and defend other national teamsin order to be at Qatar 2022.
The next FIFA World Cup is months away from starting and all the 32 national teams are deciding which pieces they will use to fight for the trophy. Some countries made huge changes and searched for those players that did not have big chances of playing in order to convince them to swap nationalities and play for them at the tournament.
It will be a thrilling FIFA World Cup and every single fan is looking forward to end the four-year wait with some victories by their national team. Of course, some new faces will appear in this edition, but the goal is the same: to prove their game is the best and become the reigning champions in soccer.
Which players havechanged their nationality for Qatar 2022?
Inaki Williams: Spain – Ghana
Inaki Williams is probably one of the biggest surprises for Qatar 2022. He played for SpainU-21 and one match (against Bosnia and Herzegovina), but according to FIFA’s new rules, he became elegible in July to defend Ghana’s colors and be at the next FIFA World Cup with the African nation.
Aymeric Laporte: France – Spain
Another big name that changed nationality is Aymeric Laporte. The Manchester City center-back was considered by France for the U-17and U21 teams, but he was unable to play during the Qualifiers for Russia 2018. He said in 2016 that he would consider a call for Spain and it happened, so he played all the Euro 2020 with them and now is probably going to be in the starting squad for Qatar 2022.
Rogelio Funes Mori: Argentina – Mexico
When Mexico needed a striker, Rogelio Funes Mori appeared as the best possible option. Raul Jimenez was injured and the Monterrey forward received the approval to play for El Tri, so Gerardo Martino did not think twice and called him for his squad. He used to play for Argentina, but the competition was too rough and he decided to leave the ones from the CONMEBOL to play in Concacaf.
Otavio: Brazil – Portugal
Portugal and Brazil have a long story of players that could have defended both colors due to their history. Otavio is the most recent case of this. The midfielder was called for Brazil’s U-21 and U-23 teams, but in 2021 he was given the opportunity to play for Portugal and now he has big chances of playing at Qatar 2022 with the European side.
Matty Cash:England – Poland
Matty Cash was born in England, but he is now defending Poland’s colors. In 2021, he decided to change nationality and play for his mother’s country. He was first called for Qatar 2022 Qualifiers and played against Andorra and Hungary, but there are big chances for him to be a starter in the next FIFA World Cup.