Born and bred in England, defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s dream was to play for the country of his birth.

The 27-year-old hails from Croydon, South London, and has played for England at junior level but also came close to playing for the English senior team when he was called up in 2019.

The 27-year-old hails from Croydon, South London, and has played for England at the junior level. He also came close to playing for the English senior team when he was called up in 2019.

“The aim is England. I am happy playing with England and representing England, so that is what I am going to continue doing,” Wan-Bissaka once said.

However, a back injury put paid to that dream, and six years later, a few months before his 28th birthday, the West Ham United right-back has accepted the call to represent the Democratic Republic of Congo to finally kickstart his senior international career.

Wan-Bissaka is of Congolese descent and is eligible to represent the Central African nation.

The former Manchester United defender has received a call-up to DR Congo’s squad to play Mali and Madagascar in international friendlies next month, to be played in France.

This was after Wan-Bissaka showed interest in representing DR Congo since 2024, and now a debut for his parents’ country of birth is beckoning.