Five African nations have booked their ticket for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but many more players of African heritage will run out for European nations at the showpiece next year.
Click through the gallery above to see some players African nations lost to Europe.
Germany’s Jerome Boateng is one of the best examples of a player with African heritage successfully plying their trade for a European country.
The 29-year-old was born in Berlin but his father hails from Ghana. However, Jerome himself has never been to Ghana and always pledged his allegiance to Germany, and that decision paid off for him as he lifted the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Joachim Low's side.
Antonio Rudiger is another German player with African roots. The defender was born in Berlin, but would have been eligible to represent Senegal, his mother's homeland. However, he opted to play for Germany and lifted the FIFA Confederations Cup with them earlier this year.
France and Belgium have the biggest African contingents in their squads, and even Portugal have some noticeable connections to Africa. Back in 2016, during the UEFA European Championship final, as many as 16 players with African heritage were in France and Portugal's final squads.
Paul Pogba is a prime example. The 24-year-old Manchester United superstar was born in France to Guinean parents but opted to represent Les Bleus. Meanwhile, his two brothers, Florentin and Mathias, both play for Guinea.
Read: African World Cup Participants Who Snubbed Europe
Another famous example is Pogba's club teammate Romelu Lukaku. The striker was born in Belgium to Congolese parents, and while his father represented Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Romelu opted to don the Belgium shirt.
Find many more European players with African heritage in our gallery above, and let us know, in the comments section below, which ones you believe would've also made a name for themselves in Africa.
