They are brothers, but on different national teams. There are four such cases in the World Cup that starts on Thursday. And this is evidence of the impact on football of the constant migration in the world.
Desire Doue and his older brother, Guela, were born in France. While PSG star Desire plays for France, Guela is a full-back for Ivory Coast. The Doue brothers' father is from Ivory Coast.
Brothers Inaki and Nico Williams were born in Spain, in the Basque region. 23-year-old Nico was man of the match when Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final.
Older brother Inaki, 31, played just one friendly for Spain. This allowed him to later play for Ghana, where the Williams brothers' parents come from.
In addition to Inaki Williams, Ghana also includes 30-year-old Dutch-born defender Derrick Luckassen. He was included in the team as a replacement for an injured player, and joins his half-brother, Brian Brobbey, at the global event.
also
The Doue brothers with different paths in the World Cup
Brobbey, 24, is a Dutch striker. He received the invitation after excelling at Sunderland in the second half of the championship.
Australia selected Scottish-born centre-back Harry Souttar, 27. His brother, two years older, John, will play for Scotland. They were born in Aberdeen, but their mother is Australian.
Harry switched national teams seven years ago. He only played for Scotland at junior level.
There will be no confrontation between brothers in the group stage at the World Cup.
Last week, Desire Doue was in the stands at the Nantes stadium as Guela scored for Ivory Coast in a 2-1 win over France. The match was a friendly, and Desire was released by the French coach, as were several other PSG players.
also
Ivory Coast shines against France
"Of course, we teased each other a little after the game," Guela Doue said. "But we are family and we are very happy for each other."
The brothers were born in Angers, in northwestern France. They started their football career at Stade Rennais, but Guela, who is three years older, was overshadowed by his younger brother's extraordinary talent. Desire is a star at PSG, and has already won two Champions League titles.
Migration to Europe over the past few decades has created a huge source of talent for African national teams, which are looking for players in their diaspora.
Teams like Algeria, Cape Verde, Congo, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia have more players born in Europe than in their own countries.
also
Scottish teenagers expected to represent Uganda
There is only one recorded instance where the brothers have faced each other at the World Cup. And that happened twice.
Jerome Boateng was a defender for Germany, while his half-brother, Kevin Prince Boateng, played for Ghana. They faced each other at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
