da imperador bet：
da bet7： There is a midfielder blessed with special talent whom can play for England but has so far been overlooked, his name is Mikel Arteta. Although he has played for the Spanish under 21’s, he has never been capped by the senior Spain side. Under residency rules, Arteta is eligible to play for England after living in the country for 5 years. Had he been born in here, there is no doubt at all that Mikel Arteta would have been capped for England. Arteta possesses the skills not many other English players have, he is technically excellent and his passing is masterful, assets that were so sorely missed in England’s World Cup bid. The problem is that although Arteta can play for England, he is not really English, and many fans baulk at the idea of fielding a foreign player in the England jersey. Perhaps though, pragmatism rather than pride should be taken into consideration after another English failure.
The fact is that other national sides are doing what England are not. As early as the 1950’s, Argentinian great Alfredo di Stefano turned out for the Spain national team after gaining citizenship in the country. In modern times, Brazilian Marcos Senna has also turned out for Spain, whilst Brazilian born duo Deco and Pepe have both played for Portugal, another Brazilian Eduardo da Silva has played internationally for Croatia. There will be many more examples, and if other countries are doing it, why shouldn’t England? Marcos Senna in particular played a crucial role in the Spanish side that lifted the 2008 European Championship. If Arteta played for England, greater success might be achieved. English fans are very proud of their national team however, and for many picking a foreign-born player is an idea that they instantly dismiss. The choice would be Fabio Capello’s though, and if he wanted to cap Arteta, he could do.
Fabio Capello brings us on to another point, England have already appointed foreign managers, something most other major national teams have not done. If England were willing to make this brave step with Eriksson and Capello, why not do so with players as well? When these managers were hired, many fans and many in the press pilloried the FA for making such a decision, and their lack of success did not help their case. If Arteta was capped for England, a similar reaction might initially be seen, but if it brought success to the team, it would surely die down.
English national teams in other sports have long since fielded foreign born players. The England cricket team contains a number of South Africans, whilst the England Rugby Union side capped Tongan born Lesley Vainikolo. These teams were pragmatic, they brought in players who were eligible in order to give them the best chance of success, and the results of the English cricket team especially since, have been spectacular. As seen with video technology however, football seems to hold itself in higher regard to these sports and the capping of a foreign player for many is simply unacceptable. Perhaps though Capello should brave the backlash that would occur if he picked Arteta, his current stock could probably not fall too much lower anyway. If he did, and Arteta helped drive England to greater success then England fans would surely forgive him. If England do want to win some silverware, it might just be the perfect place to look.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery