Why have Jack Grealish and Declan Rice played for both England and Ireland?

England made an impressive start to life under interim head coach Lee Carsley on Saturday, surging to a 2-0 lead against the Republic of Ireland within the first 25 minutes. The goals were scored by Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, two players with their own histories with Ireland.

The two England internationals were the subject of boos from the first whistle at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. Both Rice and Grealish had previously represented Ireland, before opting to make the switch to the English national team.

In general there is no movement between national teams but FIFA’s eligibility rules do allow players with dual nationality a degree of flexibility, particularly at the youth level.

Why did Jack Grealish used to play for Ireland?

The Manchester City man is known as a Birmingham native who rose to fame with his hometown team, Aston Villa. However he has both English and Irish ancestry, making him eligible to feature for both national teams.

As a youth player, Grealish represented the Republic of Ireland up to the Under-21 level. In April 2021 he announced his decision to switch allegiance to England and played his first Game for the Three Lions U-21 side in May of that year. He has since gone to represent England’s senior team at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Grealish was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024 in Germany but he was returned to the starting XI for Carsley’s first Game in charge.

Why did Declan Rice used to play for Ireland?

Another who received a tough reception from the Dublin crowd, Rice’s ties to the Irish national team go even further. Not only did he represent the Republic of Ireland at youth levels, Rice made three appearances for the senior team but was still allowed to change allegiance.

Rice’s paternal grandparents are from Douglas, County Cork and he was named Ireland’s U-17 Player of the Year in 2017. Later that year, just days after his Premier League debut for West Ham United, Rice was called up to the senior team. He made his senior international debut in March 2018, featuring in a 1-0 loss to Turkey.

Rice went on to play three Games for Ireland’s senior side but was entitled to switch allegiance because they all took place in friendly matches. He submitted a written request to FIFA, asking for his registration to be transferred to England. That request was approved and Rice has gone on to become a regular for England in recent years.