England

Five foreign-born England internationals

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor | 09 October 2013

Amid reports that the FA are keen on securing Adnan Januzaj's services, Sports Mole looks at five other foreign-born England internationals.

When Adnan Januzaj scored twice on his full Manchester United debut at the weekend, there was little indication as to the level of talk that was to come surrounding the 18-year-old.

Born in Belgium, the attacking midfielder could also represent Albania and Kosovo at international level. However, it has also emerged that the young Red Devil could pull on an England shirt in the future.

It has sprung a debate across the nation - should the Football Association pursue Januzaj's services? In any case, he would not be the first non-England-born player to represent the Three Lions.

Below, Sports Mole has picked out five other footballers who favoured England ahead of the country of their birth.

Terry Butcher

Everybody can recall the picture of Butcher with his bloodied head and shirt after England's vital World Cup qualifier in Sweden back in 1989, but some may not know that he was actually born in Singapore. He did move to England at a young age, though, growing up in the Suffolk seaside town of Lowestoft. Such was his standing during his 10-year England career that he was made captain at the 1990 World Cup following an injury to Bryan Robson.

Caps: 77 Goals: 3

England's Terry Butcher slide tackles France's Michel Platini in 1982. © Getty Images

John Barnes

Born in Jamaica, Barnes lived on the Caribbean island until he moved to London with his family at the age of 13. In 1981 he was signed by Watford and it was at Vicarage Road that he captured the attention of England boss Sir Bobby Robson. Three years after joining the Hornets, Barnes produced perhaps his most memorable moment for the Three Lions when he took on half of the Brazil side to score in a 2-0 victory at the Maracana.

Caps: 79 Goals: 11

Owen Hargreaves

Having been born in Canada to a Welsh mother and an English father, former Manchester United and Manchester City midfielder Hargreaves had a trio of nations to pick from. He looked destined to play for Wales at one stage, but eventually he opted for England. When he made his debut against the Netherlands in 2001, he did so having never played for an English club (he was a Bayern Munich player at the time). The now BT Sport pundit played in two World Cups and one European Championships, and would have made many more appearances but for a succession of knee injuries.

Caps: 42 Goals: 0

Owen Hargreaves battles for possession against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup. © Getty Images

Luther Blissett

There cannot be many better ways to begin your international career than by scoring a hat-trick. That was exactly what Blissett did in a 9-0 victory over Luxembourg back in 1982. Despite 13 more appearances, the ex-Watford and AC Milan striker failed to find the net again on the international stage. The 55-year-old was born in Falmouth in Jamaica, which was named after the Cornwall town.

Caps: 14 Goals: 3

Tony Dorigo

In his teens, Australia-born Dorigo wrote to numerous English clubs asking for a trial. He eventually joined Aston Villa in 1983 and he was called up to the Australian senior squad in 1986. He did not travel, though, and in 1989 he accepted England's invitation, making his debut against Yugoslavia. The defender, who had an Australian mother and an Italian father, went to the 1990 World Cup and featured in the third-place playoff defeat to hosts Italy.

Caps: 15 Goals: 0