Ex-England Under-21s Star To Make International Debut Aged 38 With Sierra Leone

Curtis Davies is set to make his international debut this week – aged 38.

The ex-Aston Villa and Derby defender, who currently plays for League One Cheltenham Town, was called up to the Sierra Leone squad for their upcoming fixtures in Morocco.

Davies is expected to finally play international football

The West African country will face Benin and Somalia as they prepare for the World Cup qualifiers in November.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to announce his call-up, Davies wrote: “I’m delighted to formally announce that I will be joining the Sierra Leone national team for their upcoming friendlies.

“I thought the opportunity to represent the country of my father’s birth had passed but I feel very proud and humbled to have received the call.

“It will be a proud moment for me to pull on the shirt of The Leone Stars and make my family in Sierra Leone proud but most of all my dad. He did everything in his power to give me the best chance to become a footballer, so I dedicate this all to him.

“Looking forward to getting going.”

Born in Leytonstone, Davies made three appearances for England’s Under-21s between 2006 and 2007.

He was also called up to the men’s senior team. First, Fabio Capello named him in his first provisional squad in January 2008.

He was then called up to face Germany later that year, but didn’t get any minutes.

Davies had made eight appearances for Cheltenham this season

He was also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland and the FAI reportedly contacted him regarding a call-up due to his grandmother being born in Ireland. However, he firmly dismissed the idea, highlighting his lack of connection with the country.

Instead, he told the media he would want to represent Sierra Leone, with family on his dad’s side still living there, if he couldn’t make the England squad.

Ireland legend Roy Keane wasn’t convinced the then-Hull star would’ve been good enough for the Three Lions, though, stating then-Tigers boss Steve Bruce had had ‘a beer’ when tipping him for an international call-up.

Speaking about the situation in 2014, he said: “I’ve had contact with [Sierra Leone] before but before I retire, if I haven’t managed to live my dream and play for England, then I’ll definitely consider going over and playing for Sierra Leone.”

Now, nine years on, that can become a reality.