Born in France in Ris-Orangis, Sébastien Haller decided it was time to give up on waiting for Didier Deschamps’ phone call and took up the opportunity of representing his mother’s country, Ivory Coast.
Called up for the first-time during the current international break, the West Ham striker didn’t take long to stamp his mark, starting both games and scoring one in a double header against Madagascar.
The call up will have been a breath of fresh air for Haller, who has found himself living through a difficult start to the campaign, starting just two games at London Stadium under David Moyes, coming in the last two fixtures against Liverpool and Fulham.
He’s only scored once, during a two minute cameo at the end of a 4-0 drubbing of Wolverhampton, just after he’d made his decision to turn his back on France when it comes to international football.
Speaking to RMC Sport, he explained how and when he made the choice: “[It happened] when I saw the national team manager after the game against Arsenal, just before lockdown. We chatted. I had a lot to think about afterwards, I spoke to those close to me then gave myself a deadline.
“I had a lot of calls from staff members and people in the Ivory Coast, and when you start to think about it too much, I think it says it all”.
He added: “I’ve always had it in a corner of my head, since I’m binational. It wasn’t simple because there’s different interpretations. I wanted to feel important on international duty. I got to talk with Patrice Beaumelle many times. He explained to me his vision of things.
“It appealed to me because I felt a real interest. I was also waiting to be ready mentally. I’m 26, I’ve got a certain maturity and I can make choices that would have been more complicated at 17 or 18 when a career is barely starting”.
Since joining West Ham in a £45m transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt, Haller has made 44 appearances in all competitions, scored 12 goals and assisted three others.
