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In International Soccer, Nationality Isn't Always Simple. Just Ask Wilfried Zaha.

Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace is one of a small number of players to have ... [+] represented two countries. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)

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Returning to the country of his birth for the first time in 20 years, Wilfried Zaha wasn't expecting such a warm welcome.

It was October, 2017, and the Crystal Palace player had flown to Abidjan, in Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), West Africa. As he entered the airport building, he was mobbed by fans who had waited to welcome him.

"The first time I went back, there was genuine love I was getting and I had done virtually nothing," Zaha tells me in an exclusive interview.

"There were thousands of people waiting for me at the airport. It was ridiculous! I'd just decided to come back and play for Ivory Coast. I didn't know how happy they were that I'd decided to play for my country."

Zaha is one of a relatively small number of professional soccer players to have represented two nations at international level. The first country he represented, England, will play at the World Cup finals starting on November 20. Ivory Coast will not.

Zaha was four when his family moved from Ivory Coast to South London and he represented England at youth levels. He briefly appeared in two friendly matches for the senior England team, the second of which was in August, 2013. Having been overlooked for future squads, Zaha decided to represent Ivory Coast in November, 2016.

"I had my ups and downs with England at the time and obviously Ivory Coast came and spoke to me and the space where I was at, I just thought, 'I think it's best I play for Ivory Coast,'" he says.

"Before my mindset was playing for England, I grew up here. But even through those years, the Ivorian people still supported me through everything. They still showed me love. So when that came about and the space I was in, I just thought, 'this is the time.'

"I feel like it's paved the way for a few other players … there are so many now who decide to play for their home country, so it's nice to see."

Zaha has represented Ivory Coast since January, 2017. In March, he was set to make history as the ... [+] first former England player to play against England, in a friendly with the Ivory Coast. Zaha missed the match with an injury. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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FIFA rules allow multinational players aged 21 and over to change the country they represent, providing their appearances for the first nation were in non-competitive fixtures.

There are several reasons a player with a multinational background chooses to represent one country over the others for which they are eligible. They may choose the nation where they grew up, that they know best. They might want to represent the place where they were born or the homeland of their mother or father. It could come down to their relationship with the coach or other players.

Zaha, who has previously been subjected to racist abuse online, remembers the "hate" he received after his decision to play for Ivory Coast was made public.

"People who watch football, just don't tend to see us footballers … as human," he says.

"There are still the odd messages saying if I was still with England I'd be playing all the time now. But then there's the other thousands that say the reason why I don't play for England is because I chickened out or I'm not good enough.

"That's the same old stuff. It's the same old hate."

Was it, perhaps, hard for some people of single nationality to understand a player can feel a connection to two countries at once? That someone might feel both Ivorian and English at the same time?

"I just realized not everyone's capable of understanding these things," Zaha says.

"There are so many players who play for one country but you see how they're heavily invested in where they were born. I see it all the time. There's nothing wrong with it, people make their choices.

"People have different reasons why they play for certain national teams. Playing for your home country (outside Europe), there are not as many opportunities as playing for a European country.

"With African countries, we're improving slowly. We're not at the stage of England where everything is top notch – first-class flights, first-class hotels, all of these things. I've said publicly there is stuff I want to change with the African mentality where if you want to be the best, you need to provide the best for the football players that you have, which other countries do.

"People have different reasons why they play but my choice was just to face that head on and go and play for my country."

The 2017 trip to Ivory Coast made a big impact. Zaha, who has given 10% of his salary to charity since signing his first professional contract, established a foundation that funds an orphanage in Ivory Coast run by his sister. The Zaha Foundation also supports widows and other community and development projects for young people in the country and, Zaha says, he is planning to do more.

In the UK, he supports charitable causes including a South London soccer academy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he offered free accommodation to staff from the UK's National Health Service.

His latest project is a fourth division, semi-pro soccer club in Ivory Coast which Zaha has bought with his brother, Carin. The plan for Espoir Club D'Abengourou, based in the capital Yamoussoukro, is to offer opportunities for young players.

"Going back to my country just opened up my eyes to a lot of things to be thankful for," Zaha, who is working with The MailRoom agency to help promote his charitable projects, says.

"I just wanted to invest back in my country. I was thinking of different possibilities to help and when my brother came to me with the football club opportunity, it just made me think, 'imagine all the aspiring kids that are watching me that want that same opportunity.'

"So if you do well you get an opportunity to thrive and you can end up playing for my club. There are so many people who want to play and there's just not many opportunities.

"I just thought, 'the love I'm getting, let me see if I can give it back somehow.'"

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace scores their team's first goal past ... [+] Alisson Becker of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace at Anfield on August 15, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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A fast and skillful attacker, Zaha is one of the Premier League's most exciting players. Many believe he would have been a valuable addition to England's World Cup squad. England manager Gareth Southgate previously met with Zaha in an effort to convince him to stick with England but, by then, Zaha's mind was made up.

Ivory Coast has qualified for the World Cup three times – in 2006, 2010 and 2014. It narrowly missed out in 2018 and again this year.

Zaha, who turns 30 later this month, has maybe one more chance to play on international soccer's biggest stage.

"I've made my bed now, I've got to deal with it. There's no regrets at all," he says.

"I'd love to be a player that features in the World Cup, what player wouldn't? But that's where we are at right now and we're fighting to be a team that makes it there."

If there is any bitterness, any thoughts of what might have been, Zaha hides it well.

"100%!" he says when asked if he plans to watch the World Cup on television.

"What on earth am I going to be doing if I'm not watching the World Cup?"

2K Will Develop The Next FIFA Game, Leaker Claims

"FIFA 2K25 is set to launch this year, just in time for the FIFA World Cup 2K26!"

2K is rumoured to have secured the official FIFA license to develop the next FIFA game.

That's according to unverified claims from retailer @mohplay_inc_, which alleges that "the partnership is confirmed, and 2K will be developing a new football game series", albeit without sharing their source.

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Whilst not confirmed in any official capacity at all – which means we can only take this news has a hefty rumour for now – it does back up prior claims from earlier this year that 2K and FIFA may have been in talks for the former to succeed development of the FIFA series after EA announced it would be taking its football franchise forward without FIFA branding.

Insider Gaming also suggested earlier this year that it was "hearing rumours that FIFA/2K are working to announce a partnership for 2K to make an officially-licensed FIFA game".

The news has been received with excitement, alarm, and scepticism in equal measure, not least because the leaker claims "FIFA 2K25 is set to launch this year, just in time for the FIFA World Cup 2K26!", which seems an incredibly quick turnaround.

Others are just delighted at the prospect of EA's football series having competition beyond Konami's eFootball franchise, which secured an Avoid in our review when it first released back in 2022.

2K Games has secured the FIFA video game license, according to @mohplay_inc_byu/Quelanight2324 inGamingLeaksAndRumours

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EA's long-running football series might have jettisoned the FIFA license, but the publisher was keen to let everyone know it's doing just fine without it, announcing that this year's iteration, EA Sports FC 24, reached 11.3m players in its first week of release.

That's compared to the 10.3m players that hopped into last year's FIFA 23 during the same period - a figure EA referred to as "record-breaking" and the "biggest launch period" in the franchise's history at the time.

EA Sports FC launched for PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch at the end of September, earning itself 3 out of 5 stars in Eurogamer's EA Sports FC review. "There are improvements, and there are problems, business as usual," contributor Josh Wise wrote. "The era of EA Sports' FIFA may be over, but the game goes on."

History Of FIFA: Every FIFA Game Ever Released

The latest edition of the popular video game FIFA features high-end graphics and crisp user interplay as well as stunning gameplay features – but playing FIFA wasn't always this aesthetically pleasing.

Goal rewinds the clock and takes a look at how FIFA's gaming interface has evolved over the years, starting off as a game that looked as if it belonged in the arcade next to Super Mario Bros.

FIFA 21

There had been some concerns that FIFA 21 might not land thanks to Covid-19-related disruptions, but EA Sports launched the game in October 2020.

Kylian Mbappe ascended to the throne on all three covers of the game, taking sole billing for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo in FIFA 19. David Beckham was the headline Icon addition, while a new 'Quick Sim' option became available on Career Mode.

FIFA 20

FIFA 20 saw the introduction of Volta mode - a small-sided street football game mode. It was the first such street football to appear in the franchise since the days of FIFA Street. Eden Hazard was the chief cover star, with Virgil van Dijk appearing on the cover of the Champions edition. Zinedine Zidane was the new star Icon, too, so a new generation was able to play as Zizou.

FIFA 19

FIFA 19 introduced the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Super Cup competitions to the game, alongside the final chapter of Alex Hunter's "The Journey" story mode.

Martin Tyler and Alan Smith return as regular commentators, while the new commentary team of Derek Rae and Lee Dixon feature in the UEFA Champions League.

FIFA 18

FIFA 18 was the first title to feature Ultimate team ICONS on all systems, and also introduced the Cruyff turn – a feint named after Dutch star Johan Cruyff – as one of the four new skills.

FIFA 17

FIFA 17 was the first to introduce a story mode that featured fictional footballer Alex Hunter in "The Journey".

FIFA 16

FIFA 16 was the first title in the series to include female athletes and national teams.

FIFA 15

FIFA 15 was the first edition released during EA's deal with the English Premier League as Official Sports Technology Partner, allowing all 20 Premier League stadiums to be included in the game – as well as official Premier League scoreboards and television graphics.

FIFA 14

Features such as Human Intelligence were introduced in FIFA 14, alongside True Player Motion and signature goal celebrations from Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and and Gareth Bale. 

FIFA 13

Attacking Intelligence was introduced in FIFA 13, as well as Complete Dribbling and 1st Touch Control.

FIFA 12

FIFA 12 was the first version of the game to be fully operational in Mac OS X.

It included several new functions such as: Player Impact Engine (a physics engine built to deliver real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch), Precision Dribbling (delivering a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for attacking players), Tactical Defending (placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling) and Pro Player Intelligence.

FIFA 11

New features in FIFA 11 include an improved passing system, improved player likenesses, the option to play as a goalkeeper for the first time, and a new replacement to the manager mode called career mode – the ability play as a manager, player or player manager. 

FIFA 10

FIFA 10 featured an extended manager mode which boasted a new assistant manager that could be used to take care of the team's line-up and to rotate the squad based on importance of the upcoming match and transfer kitty.

FIFA 09

Online play was improved in FIFA 09 with a feature called "FIFA 09 Clubs" – allowing players to form or join clubs and field their strongest team online.

The game was also the first in the FIFA series to feature user-controlled goal celebrations. Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray provided commentary in the English version, though in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, Tyldesley was replaced by Martin Tyler.

FIFA 08

FIFA 08 introduced a new game mode titled "Be a Pro", in which the player controls only a single player on the field.

This version also introduced a larger club selection section including the League of Ireland and the Hyundai A-League of Australia.

FIFA 07

Wembley Stadium and the Emirates were introduced as new stadia with the ability to create custom teams also added. 

FIFA 06

FIFA 06 saw a rebuild of the game's interplay which made for a dramatic increase in the control of play.

It also introduced an improved career mode with the inclusion of "team chemistry" which determined how well team members played together.

FIFA Football 2005

FIFA Football 2005 included the return of the create-a-player mode, as well as an improved career mode.

It also saw the inclusion of first-touch gameplay which provides gamers with the ability to perform "real-life" tricks and passes, and was the first version to feature the full Mexican league.

FIFA Football 2004

The biggest new inclusion in FIFA Football 2004 was secondary divisions, allowing the player to take lower ranked teams into the top leagues and competitions.

A new gameplay feature dubbed "off the ball" was introduced – which is the ability to simultaneously control two players to move a second player into the box in anticipation of a pass.

FIFA Football 2003

FIFA Football 2003 added greater player likeness to the likes of Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho and also featured improved and completely new gameplay from previous editions. "Freestyle Control" was introduced, allowing the user to flick the ball on and lay it off to team-mates.

FIFA Football 2002

Power bars for passes were introduced in FIFA Football 2002, and dribbling reduced in order to attain a higher challenge level.

It was also the last iteration of the game to include the Japan National Team until FIFA 17, due to the side selling exclusive team rights to Konami in 2002.

FIFA 2001

This version was the first to include a power bar for shooting and was also the first that could be played online – a revolutionary feat back then.

FIFA 2001's license also included official club emblems for the first time.

FIFA 2000

Sol Campbell performed motion capture duties for the game and then had his actions computer generated. FIFA 2000 marked the introduction of Major League Soccer, replacing the fictitious "American" league that was previously featured.

International recording star Robbie Williams also was cyber-scanned into the game – so you can see him when he sings in the introduction to the game.

FIFA 99

Indoor playing mode and the Malaysian league were abolished, but FIFA '99 saw the introduction of the Belgian league and the Portuguese league.

It also implemented a league where the top European teams not in the top leagues were able to play against each other – known as the 'Rest of Europe'.

FIFA: Road to World Cup 98

The '98 edition of the game was the start of a growing trend of quality in the series, featuring improved graphics and more team and player customisation options as well as more stadia, FIFA-registered national teams. It was also the first to feature popular musicians for the soundtrack.

Blur's 'Song 2' was used as the opening track, with the offisde rule also introduced within the game.

FIFA 97

A huge introduction in FIFA 97 was the 6-a-side indoor feature with polygonal players, and the game increased their number of playable leagues to include Malaysia.

This version was also the first to feature in-game commentary by John Motson, alongside Andy Gray and Des Lynam introducing the matches.

FIFA 96

FIFA 96 was the first game to feature real-time 3D graphics on specific platforms, and was also the first to present players with real player names and positions, alongside ranking, transfer and team customisation tools.

The Brazilian teams, however, had faulty rosters – having included some long-retired players that were only corrected in FIFA 99 – and the American league still consisted of entirely fake teams and players.

FIFA 95

Using the same mechanisms and featuring only minor upgrades, FIFA 95 was the first edition to introduce club teams within eight national leagues: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, and the United States.

FIFA International Soccer

The very first incarnation of FIFA as we know it was called 'FIFA International Soccer' and released in 1993, riding the wave of traditional 16-bit games, and only featured national teams. Real player names were not used! 

A notorious bug allowed the player to score by standing in front of the goalkeeper so that the ball rebounded against him and into the net

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