Following Diego Costa's decision to turn out for Spain despite having represented Brazil, Football411 looks at other players who have represented multiple nations.
There are a number of players who have played for newer, smaller states after a bigger country has been broken up, with the former Yugoslavia a prime example of this. The division of Germany also meant that some players turned out for Germany as well as East Germany or West Germany.
However, there are an 'elite' few who have managed to represent to completely different countries at senior level.
FIFA have tightened regulations on the matter in recent years, but there are a number of familiar names in history that have represented multiple countries.
Thiago Motta - Brazil and Italy
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was born in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil and turned out for Canarinho twice in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, he later held out for a spot with the Italian national team while turning out domestically for Inter Milan. In 2011, he got his wish and made his debut for the Azzurri against Germany and has since notched up 16 caps for his adopted country.
Alfredo di Stefano - Argentina and Spain
The Real Madrid legend is one the most high-profile names to have made a switch. The forward made his international debut for Argentina in 1947 and turned out for the South American nation six times before later representing Spain 31 times. He in fact played for three countries, although his four-match stint with Colombia in 1949 is not recongised by FIFA.
Michel Platini - France and Kuwait
The UEFA president played almost his entire career for France, the nation of his birth, notching up 41 goals in 72 appearances. However, having retired from international duty in 1987, Platini then represented Kuwait in an exhibition match the following year at the request of the Kuwaiti Emir.
Mehdi Carcela-González - Belgium and Morocco
Born in Belgium to a Moroccan mother and a Spanish father, Carcela-González had a number of options available when it came to pledging allegiance. The Standard Liège midfielder initially went with Belgium and represented the Rode Duivels twice before switching to Morocco in 2011.
Ferenc Puskás - Hungary and Spain
Like his Real Madrid team-mate Alfredo di Stefano, Puskás found the lure of playing for Spain too good to ignore. After representing Hungary on 85 occasions, scoring an amazing 84 goals, Puskás played for Spain in the 1962 World Cup. However, he was less prolific in front of goal for the Spaniards, failing to score in his four appearances for the nation.
Jose Altafini - Brazil and Italy
Altafini's case is an interesting one as not only did he represent two different countries, but he featured for each nation in successive World Cups. In the 1958 edition of the tournament he picked up a winner's medal with Brazil before turning out for Italy four years later. His second World Cup stint was less successful as Italy were knocked out in the group stages.
Jermaine Jones - Germany and USA
Jones turned out for Germany, the country of his birth, on three occasions in 2008 before deciding to throw his weight behind the USA, where both his parents hailed from. The Schalke midfielder has gone on to represent his adopted country 36 times.
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