Mikel Arteta For England?
Mikel Arteta For England?
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
Mikel Arteta and his potential eligibility to play for England is one of the hottest topics buzzing around the English media at the moment.
Arteta has now resided in England for five years, after joining the Toffees in 2005, meaning he is now eligible to apply for British citizenship. He has never represented his native Spain at full international level, so a successful application for a British passport would make him available for selection by Fabio Capello. However, his potential inclusion in future England set-ups has been met with derision in some camps. The debate becomes most heated when discussing not whether he could play for England, but rather whether he should.
What riles many England fans is that they perceive Arteta to be Spanish, and not English – the England team should be for English players, not foreigners. There are many ways in which this argument can be rebuffed.
