Naturalization nuttiness comes to world-class soccer, rugby
September is a big month for world cups, and given the nature of global sport that means it's a big month for naturalized players.
On Tuesday, former Brazilian Elkeson - now known as Ai Kesen - could become the first naturalized player without Chinese ancestry to lace on the boots for Team China in an international soccer match.
Irrespective of whether the 30-year-old striker - formerly known as Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso - plays against the Maldives in China's opening game of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, his eligibility cannot be questioned, as he has complied with FIFA's five-year residency rule. In fact, he's been playing in China for seven seasons - for Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG.
