Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, has revealed why he snubbed Senegal to play for France.
Evra, who was born in Dakar, was eligible to represent his country of birth, Senegal, Guinea, through his father, Cape Verde through his mother and France, where he grew up.
However, the former Juventus left-back opted to represent France internationally.
Speaking to Arise News’ The Morning Show, Evra said he decided to play for France because he wanted to play with the big players, adding that it was political.
He said: “That is why I said to all the footballers to pick carefully their national team.
“I was born in Senegal. I could play for Senegal or France, I spoke with my parents.
“I grew up in France, my choice was natural to play for France because you just think about playing with the big players but actually it’s just politics.
“Like you said when you win with France you are a French player when you lose suddenly you get your Senegalese passport, so that is why when you make your decision you have to be really careful about all of that.”
Evra made 81 appearances for France during his playing career.
He also featured in Euro 2008, 2012 and 2016, including World Cup 2010 and 2014.