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- Freedom to travel, live, and work in other countries is a massive advantage if you want to live and work internationally or retire in another country
- Adopting citizenship can provide security and economic stability for those from countries experiencing political or economic instability.
- Dembele and Kante are among African footballers who adopted second citizenship
SportsLeo brings you a list of top African footballers who changed citizenship. To begin with, change of citizenship or second citizenship has become popular among individuals looking for opportunities or access to better healthcare and education.
It can provide security and economic stability for those coming from countries experiencing political or economic instability.
Second citizenship can offer multiple benefits to individuals, and in this article, we bring you a list of some African footballers who changed citizenship or adopted dual citizenship.
1. Leroy Sane
Leroy Sane. Photo/ Bavarian Football Works.
Starting off our list is Leroy Sane, a German footballer currently playing for the Germany National team and Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich football club as a winger.
Sane was a Senegal citizen before he changed to Germany as his adopted Country. He is the son of the former Senegalese international footballer Souleymane Sané and a former German gymnast Regina Weber, the 1984 Summer Olympics bronze medalist.
2. Angelo Ogbonna
Angelo Ogbonna is an Italian professional footballer currently playing for Watford as a centre-back. He is best known for his time with Premier League club West Ham.
The 36 years old Ogbonna was born to Nigerian parents who later emigrated to Italy in 1983 and settled in Casino City, the central part of Italy. At the age of 18 years, he luckily adopted Italian citizenship.
3. Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is a French professional footballer playing for the France National team and Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain as a winger. Dembele is Malian, having been born to a Malian father but later adopted the France citizenship. His mother is Mauritanian-Senegalese.
Dembele joined Barcelona in 2016, just a year after signing with Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105 million, a move that made him the second most highly-paid footballer.
Ousmane Dembele. Photo/ PSG Talk.
4. N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante, just like his Compatriot Dembele, is a Malian citizen who later adopted french citizenship. He was born to Malian parents in Paris, who later migrated to France. His father worked as a stonemason while his mother was a cleaner. The former Chelsea man is the eldest of four children.
As a defensive midfielder, he is a professional footballer playing for France’s National team and Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
5. Tammy Abraham
Tammy Abraham is a professional footballer playing for the England National Team and Serie A club AC Milan on loan from AS Roma. The former Chelsea man plays as a striker.
His African Heritage is Nigeria, but he later adopted England. He was born in Camberwell, Greater London to Nigerian parents.
6. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is a professional footballer playing for France’s National football team and La Liga club Real Madrid. He is one of the finest footballers in the world right now.
Interestingly, Mbappe is also one of the African footballers who changed citizenship. Mbappe was born and raised in Paris to His father, Wilfried, originally from Cameroon, and mother, an Algerian.
7. Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini is currently retired but remains one of the best midfielders of his generation. He is best known for his time at Everton and Manchester United.
He was born to Moroccan parents in Etterbeek and brought up in Brussels. His father, a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir, signed for Racing Mechelen. Unfortunately, Morocco refused to approve his paperwork and opted to stay in Belgium, where Fellaini was born; he acquired Belgium citizenship by birth.
8. Mario Balotelli
After enjoying spells at top clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester City and AC Milan, Balotelli now plays for Serie A club Genoa.
He was born to Ghanaian immigrants, and later, when he was two, his family moved to Bagnolo Mella, Brescia, Lombardy, and he adopted Italian citizenship.
9. Luís Carlos Almeida
Luis Nani. Photo/ Goal.com.
Luís, commonly known as Nani, plays for Portugal in international football and Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora. The 37-year-old Luis was born in Amadora, Lisbon metropolitan area in Portugal, and raised by his aunt after his parents abandoned him. He adopted Portugal citizenship. Nani is of Cape Verdean descent.
10. Bukayo Saka
Saka is an English professional footballer playing for the England national team and the Premier League club Arsenal. He’s regarded as one of the best young football players in the world and has been playing for Arsenal ever since. His parents, Adenike and Yomi Saka, are Nigerians.
