Born in Ghana to Ghanaian parents, Marcel Desailly joined France at his early age. For his international career, the former Chelsea defender finally opted for the Blues. With this selection, he had several successes including the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000.

Further to Desailly’s France choice, several questions have been raised in his country of origin. Why to have skipped the Black Stars for the Blues? The former FC Nantes player gave answer to these questions years later while explaining his choice.

“You know, in the 80s, I left Ghana, I was 4 years old. So I joined France and I slowly entered football. I didn’t really have a choice, I was in the system and with the under 13 category. I was already playing for the French national team. So I didn’t really have a choice, I was already in the system,” he told Footballmadeinghana.

Marcel Desailly claims to belong to Ghana even though he served France. “It’s strange when you say that I won the World Cup with France. People immediately identify me as a European but I am a Ghanaian. Both of my parents are Ghanaians.” He concluded