Man City young player Floyd Samba might have a big choice to make, as he can play for four different countries including England.
Manchester City youngster Floyd Samba really made a splash, scoring two goals on his senior debut in a 5-0 win against Championship team Norwich City. If he keeps playing like this, he might just end up chatting with England manager Thomas Tuchel soon.
Last season, Samba wowed fans with an overhead kick in the FA Youth Cup final win over Manchester United. He’s also trained with the first team a few times. This time, Enzo Maresca trusted him to make his senior debut at the Etihad Stadium.
The 17-year-old didn’t disappoint, scoring two great goals. His second was a beautiful curling shot from 18 yards out into the bottom right corner. With performances like that, it’s no surprise he’s catching the eye of England and other national teams.
Samba’s dad is former Premier League defender Christopher Samba, who played for Blackburn and QPR. Christopher played internationally for Congo but was born in France. Floyd, born in Macclesfield, can represent England, France, Congo, or Germany (through his mother).
So far, Floyd has played for England up to the U17 level. But this week, he got called up to Germany’s U19 team for some upcoming matches during the international break.
He hasn’t made a final choice yet and can keep his options open until he plays three senior competitive matches for one country. No doubt, England, France, Congo, and Germany are all working behind the scenes to win him over, hoping he’ll shine for them in the future.
International managers don’t always get involved directly. For example, Gareth Southgate said he didn’t push Declan Rice to switch from the Republic of Ireland to England back in 2019. On the other hand, Portugal’s former manager Roberto Martinez reportedly talked to Wolves about convincing Mateus Mane to switch from England to Portugal, which Mane did at the U21 level.
After City’s big win, head coach Enzo Maresca said about Samba’s debut: “Yeah, it was satisfying. Not just because of the two goals, but he played well overall. He hadn’t played much as a number nine, but after a few days of training, he showed he can finish well.
“He said he’d never played as a nine before, so it’s not his usual spot, but he did great. He’s young, full of energy, strong, and can both finish and assist. He made some smart passes in the first half. I’m happy with his performance, but we need to take things slowly with young players like him.”