Dual nationality: the top 10 young talents who could have played for African national teams

Gifted with great talent, several stars today play for various European national teams. However, they could have represented their countries of origin at the Africa Cup of Nations. Global stars, these talents are both iconic figures and indispensable pillars within their respective teams. Here is a look at the top 10 talents who are currently bringing joy to European national teams!

1- Lamine Yamal (Spain - Morocco)

Having quickly become a global star, Lamine Yamal was selected for the Spanish national team. He won Euro 2024 with La Roja, beating England in the final (2-1). He was named the tournament's best young player, breaking the records for the youngest participant and youngest goalscorer. The following year, he reached the Nations League final, which Spain lost to Portugal. In 2026, he won the World Cup by beating Argentina (1-0). He could have chosen Morocco, but he ultimately gave in to the pressure.

2- Michael Olise (France - Nigeria - Algeria - England)

Called up for the first time by Didier Deschamps in September 2024, the player who is currently shining for Bayern Munich could nevertheless have played for Algeria, Nigeria or England.

In 2021, Nigeria included him on its reserve list for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Lesotho. Two years later, while he was still playing for the France U20 team, Olise received an approach from Djamel Belmadi's Fennecs. Yasser Larouci, an Algerian international who was trained in England at Liverpool, even posted an Instagram story in October 2023 accompanied by a message: "Michael Olise, we're waiting for you." He never came!

3- Nico Williams (Spain - Ghana)

Born in Spain, Nico Williams decided to represent Spain, unlike his brother, who opted for Ghana. Nico flew to Qatar with the Spanish team, having first joined it in September 2022 for the UEFA Nations League. Nico won Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.

4- Alexander Isak (Sweden - Eritrea)

Having become famous in Sweden's colors, Alexander Isak could have played for Eritrea. He even made an emotional visit to his parents' country. Born in Sweden to Eritrean parents, Isak has always maintained a deep connection with Eritrea, a small country in the Horn of Africa.

5- Désiré Doué (France - Ivory Coast)

Born and trained in France, an Olympic silver medalist in Paris 2024 under Thierry Henry and transferred to PSG during the offseason, Désiré Doué was identified as one of the potential great names in African football. But in this case, the FFF managed to secure his international future. He could have played for Ivory Coast, the country of his parents' origin.

6- Bradley Barcola (France - Togo)

A France international since 2024, he was selected to take part in Euro 2024. On September 6, 2024, he scored his first goal for France against Italy after 13 seconds of play, the fastest goal in the history of the French national team.

Bradley Barcola was born in France to a French mother and a Togolese father. He is the younger brother of Malcolm Barcola, a Togolese international goalkeeper who also played for OL from 2016 to 2022.

7- Nuno Mendes (Portugal - Cape Verde)

Of Cape Verdean origin, Nuno Mendes was born in the Sintra district of Lisbon. The current PSG player joined Sporting CP's academy at the age of ten. Called up for the first time by Portugal in March 2021, when he had been expected to play for the under-21s, he made his debut in the very first World Cup qualifying match, starting at left-back against Azerbaijan. In May 2021, he was selected by Fernando Santos, Portugal's national team coach, to take part in Euro 2020.

8- Rafael Leão (Portugal - Angola)

On October 5, 2021, Rafael Leão was called up to the Portugal national team for the first time, replacing the injured Rafa Silva. Four days later, he made his international debut, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at halftime and providing the assist for André Silva's goal in a 3-0 friendly win over Qatar.

Of Angolan origin, he could have shone in Africa.

9- Rayan Cherki (France - Algeria - Italy )

Pursued by Algeria for several months and also eligible to play for Italy, Rayan Cherki was one step away from choosing the Fennecs. But Didier Deschamps and his staff decided otherwise in 2025.

10- Hugo Ekitiké (France - Cameroon)

While he was playing for Frankfurt, Hugo Ekitiké once gave the impression that he wanted to choose Cameroon. But he ultimately confirmed to the Indomitable Lions' coach Marc Brys that he wanted to play for France, much to Didier Deschamps' delight.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.