Francileudo Torn Between Countries

February 1st, 2006 | by: WC Bob | Comments Off

His uniform might say Tunisia but his heart still says Brazil. Francileudo Dos Santos has led Tunisia into the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup with his goal scoring. It is quite an interesting path for a kid from Brazil to take.

Here’s a good profile piece about Dos Santos. It is refreshing to read about a player who is so honest. When asked who he would support in a match between his adopted country and his homeland, he said:

“It would be very difficult, it’s not something I would want to go through and I hope our paths don’t cross,” he said.

“I’m not sure I would want to play. It’s something I would have to sit down and think about very carefully if it happened.”

As for any backlash against Tunisia’s choice to naturalize him days before the last African Nations Cup, Dos Santos says:

“People can think what they want,” he said. “Tunisia is a country which I like a lot.

“If a person want to naturalise, what’s wrong with that if he can adapt to the country. The Tunisians like me a lot and I’m very happy to have made the decision and to play for Tunisia.”

If he keeps scoring goals, people around the world will join the Tunisians in liking him a lot.