Manchester United boss David Moyes let him go in 2012 – and now he is a German international. But Shkrodan Mustafi feels more Albanian…
Shkrodan Mustafi has had a pretty good week. This afternoon his Sampdoria side came through a tough encounter with Torino 2-0, and earlier in the week he was celebrating a first call-up to the full German national side.
Mustafi has played for the German side at youth levels all the way from under-16 level up to under-21 and now has the opportunity to impress Jogi Low ahead of the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
And some of you might just be thinking – ‘I know that name from somewhere’.
Well chances are you are an Everton fan – because he was a young talent at the club between 2009 and 2012.
He was signed by The Toffees from Hamburg in 2009 but only ever made one appearance for the club – in an experimental side against BATE Borisov in the Europa League.
In January 2012 David Moyes let him go – the now Manchester United boss apparently happy that he would not become a first-teamer at Goodison Park – and he joined Sampdoria.
That certainly looks like a mistake now – but Mustafi has made some interesting comments about the call-up.
Just like a young player Moyes DOES have faith in, Adnan Januzaj, Mustafi comes from Albanian heritage -and could have played for the side.
And he admitted in a recent interview that he does feel more Albanian than German – although said there was never any doubt about representing Germany:
“I have had huge luck that I could enjoy a top football education with the DFB. For me as a German junior international, there was never a question of playing for another country. But Albanian was always spoken at home and we ate Albanian food. I feel more Albanian than German, even though I was born there, but there was never a question of playing for Albania.”
Hopefully Januzaj will follow suit and play for England!
image: © tjuel
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