Five dual nationality footballers

This evening, Diego Costa has been tipped to make his highly anticipated debut for Spain.

The Atletico Madrid centre-forward was born in the Brazilian state of Sergipe and even turned out in two friendly matches for the South American nation last year.

However, the 25-year-old has since declared his allegiance to the Spaniards, whom he qualifies to represent having joined his current club back in 2007.

Ahead of his first outing for La Roja, Sports Mole has picked out five other footballers that have either played for two different countries, or had to make a decision between a couple of nations.

1. Alfredo di Stefano

The Real Madrid legend didn't just turn out for two countries, he actually played for three! Di Stefano made six appearances for his native Argentina, before turning out on four occasions for Colombia as a result of his four-year stint with Bogota-based Millonarios. His switch to Madrid then saw him granted permission to play for Spain, for whom he scored 23 goals in 31 appearances.

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2. Deco

The playmaker's rise to prominence at Porto under the management of Jose Mourinho arrived too late for Deco to be included in the Brazil squad for the 2002 World Cup. The Brazilian's loss was Portugal's gain when he opted to turn out for Os Navegadores, having lived in the country for six years. His debut, incidentally, came back in 2003 against the country of his birth and he came off the bench to score the winning goal. In total, the former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder made 75 appearances for Portugal, scoring five goals.

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3. Marcos Senna

Sao Paulo-born Senna was granted Spanish citizenship in the early part of 2006 and was selected for that summer's World Cup in Germany. The holding midfielder was also an ever-present during the 2008 European Championships, which Spain won. Such was Senna's impact on the team, many journalists reported that he was the Spain's best player throughout the competition. UEFA also agreed, having named the Villarreal player in their Team of the Tournament.

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4. Giuseppe Rossi

Born in the USA to Italian parents, Rossi could have played for either nation. American coach Bruce Arena made the first move when he invited the frontman to join his squad for the 2006 World Cup. Rossi rejected the opportunity, insisting that his heart was set on turning out for Italy. He did just that with his debut against Bulgaria in 2008 and has since been capped a total of 29 times.

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5. Ferenc Puskas

The inside-left fired in a highly impressive 84 goals in just 85 outings for the Hungarian national team. His move to Real Madrid allowed him to play for Spain at the 1962 World Cup, but in his four matches, his goalscoring touch deserted him. Those proved to be his last matches in international football.

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