When Scotland kick off their World Cup campaign against Haiti, several England-eligible players will feature in their matchday squad. Among that group will be some who previously represented their rivals at youth level. While those players may have faced a difficult decision over which nation to represent at senior level, former Scottish international Dominic Matteo had no such dilemma despite his history with the Three Lions.
Matteo's England Background
The Dumfries-born defender claimed the Toulon Tournament with England's Under-21s during his time at Liverpool, also appearing for England B and even receiving a senior call-up without earning a cap. Yet when Scotland came knocking, his mind was already made up.
"When I was around the England squad, I don't think, being honest, that anybody knew that I was actually part Scottish," Matteo told The Mirror via betselect.co.uk. "Obviously playing at the Toulon tournament and playing for the B team and certain games for England, I just thought, well, I'll just go with it. No one's kind of realised that I am born in Scotland. I've just gone with it, even though I knew that my dad was a huge Scotland fan, and I was myself, to be honest. There was always something that wasn't quite right with me, so it was always like, 'I wonder why Scotland aren't asking.'"
The Turning Point
Things might have turned out very differently for Matteo had England's then-manager Glenn Hoddle not left him on the bench during a friendly against Switzerland in the final camp before the 1998 World Cup summer. The defender believes his versatility in defence made him a natural fit for a sweeper role in Hoddle's frequently deployed 3-5-2 formation, yet he ultimately wasn't involved when Hoddle's Three Lions squad headed to France in June that year.
There remained some interest when Sven-Goran Eriksson stepped in to replace Hoddle in the hotseat. However, a chance encounter with Scotland boss Craig Brown proved to be the turning point in the player's international career.
"When I was in the England squad, I did bump in to Craig Brown and he was always saying, 'Someone told me you're Scottish,'" Matteo recalled. "That's how the conversation kind of started, random as that. I think Gazza might have known Browny and he maybe mentioned something.
"Obviously, knowing where I was born - and I did my research on that because obviously I did the show Long Lost Family and found out my birth mother was from Paisley - I thought, well, this makes sense. I was always a Scotland fan, if you see any young pictures of me you'll see me in a Scotland shirt, so that was kind of the reasoning why."
Defending His Decision
More recently, the likes of Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes have made headlines after pledging their international futures to England rather than Scotland. Nottingham Forest star Anderson was named in Steve Clarke's senior squad without featuring but will now represent the Three Lions at the World Cup, while Newcastle's Barnes, who won two senior England caps in 2020 but is eligible to turn out for Scotland through his grandparents, rejected an opportunity to switch allegiances to Clarke's side earlier this year.
Matteo remembers facing some criticism after making the switch himself. Nevertheless, he insists his sole regret is that injuries robbed him of further opportunities to represent the nation of his birth.
"When I was in the England squad I had a great time, great people, and obviously winning the Toulon tournament with some great players, in that tournament," he added. "And then being in the Scotland squad, I really enjoyed it because it was just so different.
"I don't mean that in a bad way, it just seemed a little bit more relaxed and... it just felt felt nice for me to go and be in that Scotland squad. I knew a few of the lads already and it just felt right.
"And I know people say, 'Oh, you're a traitor, you didn't get in the England squad so you end up playing for Scotland.' It wasn't like that at all. If you play one game with your country, it's an honour. I just wish it had been more for Scotland, and that's the truth."
