Jamaica fans have taken to Twitter to react in delight after Sky Sports revealed that West Ham’s Michail Antonio has decided to represent them.
Born in London, the 30-year-old has seemingly been waiting for an England cap.
He was called into the squad by Gareth Southgate back in March 2017, coincidentally on the 17th day of the month.
However, he never actually managed to get onto the pitch, so he remains uncapped as an international footballer.
Exactly four years on from the day of his England call-up, he has now decided to represent the country in which his parents were born.
In our view, Antonio is making a smart decision.
It’s a unique experience for a footballer to represent a national team, and have the backing of a whole nation behind you at international tournaments.
At 30 years of age, time was running out for Antonio to get that opportunity for England, so he’s made a brave – but admirable – call.
Additionally, even if he was a regular in Southgate’s squad, it would’ve been extremely tough for the West Ham No.30 to get much game time.
He would have to compete with the likes of Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Danny Ings, Callum Wilson and many more top-class forwards.
Now, he’ll surely be a starter among the likes of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.
Let’s see how the Jamaica fans reacted to the news…
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