Rising Soccer Star Tarik Radi Chooses Algeria Over Morocco and Belgium

After long postponing the choice of the national team with which he will start his international career, the 18-year-old striker Tarik Radi has finally decided. If for him the choice was difficult, it is because he had to choose between his country of birth and that of his roots. For some, Belgium should have been the legitimate choice. But Tarik Radi could not get rid of his Maghreb origins.

Born in Belgium, to Maghreb parents, the young player spends most of his life there. There, he has his professional career with his club KRC Genk, his family and his friends. And yet, when it came time to choose the nation he wishes to defend, he chose Algeria, reports the daily Fennec Football. He explained that he remains very attached to Belgium but that he has always wanted to defend the jersey of the Algerian national football team.

Given his exceptional career, the leaders of the Red Devils had tried to convince him, but in vain. Tarik Radi also acknowledged having had a discussion with the Moroccan Football Federation. "I was recently approached by the FRMF’s supervisor, with a view to a call-up to the under-twenty (20) national team." A proposal rejected by the player, whose heart beats only for the Algerian selection. "The FRMF has been insistent about the origins of my two parents. But I have confirmed to them that I am 100% Algerian. I would like to point out that for the moment I have not been approached by the Algerian Football Federation."