Bellingham, Kane, Rooney, Gascoigne – 10 England Stars That Could’ve Represented Ireland Internationally

As England and Ireland prepare to face off at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, we’re taking a look at some of the best Three Lions stars could’ve represented the Irish internationally.

The latest installment of the long-standing rivalry between Ireland and England is almost upon us, as the pair prepare to face off in their 2024/25 Nations League opener in Dublin on Saturday evening.

It’ll be the first competitive meeting between the pair in over 30 years, and they’ll both be looking to get off to a strong start under their new managers, Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lee Carsley.

Of course, those familiar with England’s new interim manager will know that he represented the Ireland national team 40 times throughout his playing career, despite being born and raised in Birmingham, England.

Carsley isn’t the only English-born player to do this, with six of Ireland’s current squad being born in England.

But did you know that there are a plethora of world-class England internationals that could’ve donned the Irish green over the years? Our top 10 list reveals some of the best English players that could’ve done exactly that, in no particular order.

10 England Stars That Could’ve Represented Ireland

10. Declan Rice

One of the more famous cases of a player switching international allegiances in recent years is undoubtedly Declan Rice’s switch from the Republic of Ireland to England, as he had made over 20 appearances for the Boys in Green across all age groups and as a senior international.

Yes, Rice earned a total of three senior international caps for Ireland, but decided to switch when England came calling.

The 25-year-old was omitted from Martin O’Neill’s squad to face Wales in August 2018 after being approached by the English, and in February 2019, the Arsenal star pledged his future to the Three Lions.

Rice, who was eligible for Ireland thanks to his paternal grandparents from Cork, has since made 58 appearances for England and is one of the standout midfielders not only in the Premier League, but also in the world.

9. Jack Grealish

Similarly to Rice, Jack Grealish represented the Republic of Ireland on numerous occasions throughout the age groups but never made an appearance for the senior national side.

Grealish’s eligibility came through a number of familial links. The Manchester City winger’s maternal grandfather is from County Dublin, his paternal grandfather is from Gort, County Galway, and his paternal grandmother is from Sneem, County Kerry. Influenced by his Irish heritage, he also played Gaelic football as a youngster.

Whether he would pledge his international allegiance to England or Ireland was a major story in the media between 2014 and 2015, and after declining multiple call-ups to the senior Irish side, Grealish confirmed in September 2015 that he’d opted to represent the country of his birth, England.

The following May, he made his debut for the Three Lions’ Under-21s side, and in August 2020, he was called up to the senior team for the first time. He has since gone on to make 36 appearances for England, scoring a total of two goals.

"That's life, we move on"

Roy Keane's reaction to Jack Grealish choosing to play for England over Ireland. pic.twitter.com/BIqQnALWBL

— Sky Sports Retro (@SkySportsRetro) September 7, 2023

8. Harry Kane

Another famous England star that could’ve opted for the Irish green if he wanted to is current Three Lions captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane, whose Irish eligibility comes through his Galway-born father.

Kane has represented England throughout the age groups and ruled out switching his international allegiance to Ireland in August 2014, stating that he had ambitions of breaking into the senior English side.

His eligibility for Ireland came to an end in March 2015 when he made his competitive debut for England as a substitute against Lithuania in a Euro 2016 qualifying match, in which he netted his first of 66 senior international goals just 80 seconds after being introduced.

7. Conor Gallagher

Continuing the trend of current England internationals that were eligible to represent Ireland prior to pledging their allegiance to the Three Lions, Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher is next up.

The Epsom-born Chelsea academy graduate was eligible to represent England, Ireland, or Scotland but opted for the country of his birth, having earned caps from Under-17 level all the way through to senior level.

Gallagher, who switched the English capital for the Spanish capital in a reported £34 million move this summer, has made a total of 18 appearances for the Three Lions and looks set for a lengthy career representing his country.

6. Jude Bellingham

Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham is the next England star who could’ve played for Ireland, as he qualified through one of his grandparents.

Bellingham’s father, Mark, who was a ruthless non-league striker in his prime, has described himself as ‘half-Irish’ on social media in the past and once released an image of Jude donning an Ireland jersey as a child.

Unfortunately for Ireland though, like many current and former England internationals, Bellingham represented England throughout the age-grade groups and opted to represent his country of birth at senior level.

Since making his debut for the Three Lions in 2020, Bellingham has made a total of 36 appearances and has scored five goals. He also has a brother, Jobe, who remains eligible for Ireland having not yet made a senior appearance for England.

5. Paul Gascoigne

Perhaps one of the most iconic players in the history of the English national side, for a variety of reasons, Paul Gascoigne could’ve and almost came close to playing for Ireland instead.

Jack Charlton, who was Ireland’s manager between 1986 and 1996, made an approach for the then-Newcastle midfielder in 1987, and later said that he felt as though he would’ve been able to convince Gascoigne had he approached him slightly earlier.

“The problem was getting him to play for Ireland and if only I’d spoken to his mother a week earlier, I might have had the chance.

“He actually qualified to play for Ireland but no one knew it at the time and we only just missed out on him.” Charlton said.

4. Rio Ferdinand

Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand is another who was eligible to represent Ireland thanks to his Irish mother, although he revealed in 2017 that he had no interest in representing the nation after receiving a letter gauging his interest from the Football Association of Ireland.

Ferdinand said: “I was born and bred in England, I’m English so there was no chance… I love a pint of Guinness, but it wasn’t going to happen.”

A six-time Premier League winner, two-time League Cup winner, and a one-time Champions League winner, Ferdinand went on to make a total of 81 appearances for the English national side.

3. James Maddison

Not involved in the upcoming Nations League squad for the games against Ireland and Finland, James Maddison was once eligible to wear the Irish green through a grandparent, and in 2019, it was reported that he was considering switching his international allegiance.

Of course, this never happened, with Maddison making his debut for England in 2019, earning a total of seven caps since.

Maddison, who joined Tottenham Hotspur from Leicester in June 2023 for an estimated £40 million fee, described making his debut for England as a ‘dream’, leaving many Irish fans pondering what could’ve been.

Just a young lad from Coventry with a dream. Last night I fulfilled that dream of playing for my country @england can’t begin to try and describe the satisfaction it gave me. Thankyou for all the messages🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🦁 pic.twitter.com/2PQ23Ac6d1

— James Maddison (@Madders10) November 15, 2019

2. Paul Scholes

Another Manchester United legend and former England star Paul Scholes could’ve played for Ireland if he wished to, while he could’ve also turned out for Northern Ireland.

Scholes’ Irish links come from his mother’s side of the family, with his grandmother hailing from the Republic of Ireland, and his grandfather from Northern Ireland, however, the Salford-born midfielder had no interest in representing anyone other than England.

Like Ferdinand, Scholes has a whole host of major honours in football, including 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cup titles, two League Cup titles, and two UEFA Champions League titles, amassing a total of 66 caps for England throughout his career, in which he returned an impressive 14 goals.

1. Wayne Rooney

England’s record goalscorer prior to Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, was also eligible to play for Ireland through his paternal grandparents, however in 2015, he confirmed that he had rejected an approach from the FAI at the age of 16, describing himself as “English through and through”.

Rooney went on to make his senior England debut at the age of 17 years and 11 days, becoming the youngest player to ever play for the country at the time, before becoming England’s youngest ever goalscorer later that year, aged 17 years and 317 days.

The Liverpool-born striker would go on to make a total of 120 appearances for England, scoring 53 goals, and captained his country from September 2014 until his international retirement in August 2017.