How Wilfried Zaha is playing for Ivory Coast despite making England debut

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha will make history tonight when he lines up for Ivory Coast against England.

Zaha made his debut for England against Sweden coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute to replace Raheem Sterling. The 29-year-old made a total of two appearances for England, but failed to feature in a competitive game for the Three Lions before switching allegiance to represent Ivory Coast in 2016.

Zaha declared his intent to represent Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, following a difficult period where the Ivorian winger was not being selected in the England squad. Current England boss Gareth Southgate had tried to dissuade the Palace attacker from changing national allegiances, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

Zaha has since made a total of 26 appearances for the Elephants, scoring five goals and registering six assists. The 29-year-old will make history on Tuesday night when he faces England and becomes the first player to switch allegiance from England and then play against them.

Only five other players have been capped by England and another country in their career, with West Ham midfielder Declan Rice becoming the latest player to do so, after making three appearances for Ireland before switching to represent England. Zaha was capped by England throughout all youth levels before making his first appearance for the senior team in a 4-2 defeat to Sweden.

Zaha was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast before moving to south London at just four years old. After former Palace manager Roy Hodgson gave the winger his first taste of England senior football, Zaha was overlooked for the following four years before changing allegiances to represent his country of birth at international level.

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