Why does Manuel da Costa play for Morocco?

Born in Saint-Max, France · Citizenship: France, Morocco, Portugal

Short answer

Manuel da Costa represents Morocco even though he was born in France. FIFA rules allow a player to represent any country whose nationality he holds, provided he has a family or residency connection to it; he committed to Morocco at senior level (first senior call-up on record: 2014).

Birthplace and citizenship

Manuel da Costa was born in Saint-Max, France; holds France, Morocco and Portugal citizenship.

Being born in France normally gives a player the right to represent France too, if he holds that nationality. Representing Morocco instead usually means a parent or grandparent was born there, or that the player lived there long enough to qualify through residency. Public records do not state which connection applied to Manuel da Costa, so we do not guess.

International career path

His international pathway, as recorded on Wikidata:

He only played youth football for Portugal Olympic, Portugal U20 and Portugal U21. Youth caps do not tie a player to a country, so he was free to choose Morocco for senior football.

Portugal U20 — under-20 level, 2006 (3 matches, 0 goals)
Portugal U21 — under-21 level, 2006–2008 (22 matches, 2 goals)
Portugal Olympic — under-23 level, 2006–2008 (1 match, 0 goals)
Morocco — senior level, 2014–2019 (37 matches, 1 goal)

The rules in brief

A player can represent a country if they hold its nationality and have a genuine link to it: birth on its territory, a parent or grandparent born there, or several years of residency. Youth matches do not tie a player to a country. Since 2020, FIFA also lets a player switch once after a small number of senior appearances (no more than three, all before turning 21, none at a World Cup or continental finals) after a three-year wait.