Everton talent Halid Djankpata rejected the approaches of two national teams in order to achieve his dream of wearing the Italy shirt.
The 18-year-old midfielder, who is a product of the Toffees youth system after undergoing trials with Brescia and Atalanta, made his debut for the Azzurri in the Under-19 clash with Austria on Wednesday.
Djankpata is considered one to watch in the Everton youth system and has featured regularly for the Under-21 squad this term, seeing over 600 minutes of action in the Premier League 2.
Gianluca Di Marzio details how Djankpata dreamed of playing for the Italy national team, deciding to reject offers from Togo and Benin in order to achieve his dream of wearing the Azzurri shirt.
The 18-year-old was born in Togo to parents from Benin, but moved to the city of Milan when he was nine months old, growing up in the Lombardy capital before heading to England for Everton.
A few years ago, Djankpata visited the Benin national team training ground and last month Togo called him up to the Under-23 squad. On both occasions, he politely rejected their offers.
#Djankpata e il sogno azzurro: rifiuta due nazionali per l’Italiahttps://t.co/8mamNKhzSa
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 16, 2024