Chelsea's Koulibaly explains choosing Senegal over France

The center-back who this summer joined

from

was born in France but because his parents are from Senegal he also could play for them at the international level.

In an interview with Chelsea’s website, Koulibaly revealed why decided to pick Senegal over France.

"It was a big, big choice, because I could have played with the French national team, but at 23 or 24 years old I decided to play for Senegal, because they were waiting for me,"

he told Chelsea's website.

"I spoke with the coach, he gave me good motivation and good reasons to come, and I also spoke with my family. The most important people were my parents – they told me that I have to do what I want, but when I told them that I wanted to play for the Senegal national team, I saw the light in their eyes and I knew it was a good choice.

"When I arrived and I saw the other players, it was like they were my family, because we were all used to eating the same things at home, to speaking the same language at home, so for me it was like I was home! I said to myself: 'Why didn’t I come before? They are like my brothers'."

The 31-year-old

spend seven years at Napoli and won the Coppa Italia in 2020. Koulibaly who is Senegal’s captain has made 62 appearances and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.

Senegal has qualified for the World Cup in Qatar and is in Group A with the Netherlands, Ecuador, and Qatar.

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