French Olympique Lyonnais player Houssem Aouar announced on Thursday that he will join the Algerian national football team.
Aouar told the Algerian Federation website: Part of me is French, because I was born and raised in France, but I am also Algerian, given my Algerian upbringing and origins, and I am proud to join the national team.
Aouar joined a group that chose to represent Algeria in the past days, and it includes Toulouse player Fares Chaibi, young Badreddine Bouanani, Nice striker, in addition to Nantes defender Jaouane Hajjam.
German Werder Bremen player Mitchell Pfizer confirmed that he chose to represent the Algerian national team.
Aouar added: When I was on vacation in the homeland, the president of the Algerian federation and the coach called me. The Algerian national team means a lot to me and my parents, and after choosing France, I felt regretful.
The 24-year-old previously played one match with France in October 2020.
But after years of controversy and not joining the French national team, Aouar succeeded in changing his sports nationality last January.
Jahid Zvizif, president of the Algerian Federation, confirmed that national team coach Djamel Belmadi was responsible for revealing the new players, amid speculation about persuading several players in Europe to represent the team.
It was reported that Belmadi intends to use several additional players before playing against Niger twice in a row in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers on March 23 and 27.
