Beguiling research from Casino.org shows 81 of the 736 players in this World Cup were born outside the country they are playing for.
Top names including England’s Raheem Sterling, Spain striker Diego Costa and French defender Samuel Umtiti were all raised outside their respective World Cup nations, as well as a vast number of other names.
You can find the full map of every player representing a different nation this summer here – a gripping piece from Casino.org.
I will be looking at, with help from the given research, some of the star-studded names with backgrounds outside their World Cup-bound sides.
Raheem Sterling (England) – born in Jamaica
Raheem Sterling wouldn’t be in Russia if he opted to wear Jamaica colours at international level.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Sterling spent five years in the Caribbean before leaving for the United Kingdom.
The Manchester City winger, who has enjoyed his most successful season in Sky Blue, had a troubled early life in Jamaica, hence why he emigrated to England at the age of five.
His father, not a part of his life in his infancy, was murdered in Jamaica at the age of two, one of the key reasons Sterling defended the tattoo of a gun draped down his right leg.
It was that horrific childhood that drove the attacker to prosper in English football, and in this World Cup he, hopefully, will be a useful outlet for the Three Lions.
Much of his life has been spent in England, and Sterling understandably chose them over Jamaica.
This is his second World Cup competition, after the Three Lions’ failure to get out of the group four years ago. Sterling has matured impressively since then, and his eye-opening campaign at Manchester City heightens the anticipation ahead of the tournament.
Diego Costa (Spain) – born in Brazil
One of the most contentious switches, Costa had already played two senior friendlies for Brazil before he gained Spanish citizenship in 2013.
It quickly emerged that Brazilian supporters hadn’t forgiven the Atletico Madrid striker, as he was booed for much of the World Cup four years ago.
Perhaps the fact Costa had already pulled on the Selecao shirt before choosing Spain made it a more controversial decision, however he has been key for Spain down the years.
He has scored nine goals in his 21 appearances for the Spaniards.
Samuel Umtiti (France) – born in Cameroon
African Cup of Nations champions Cameroon aren’t at the World Cup this summer, which means Umtiti wouldn’t be either if he went for the Africans.
He spent his first two years in Cameroon, and the FA of the nation were so keen on having him amongst their ranks, legend Roger Milla met with the Barcelona centre half to try and entice him.
It didn’t work, though, as he chose France.
Still only 24 years of age, Umtiti has much of his career ahead of him and already looks a bright prospect at club and country level.
Next: What have we learned from the opening days of the World Cup?
Can you blame any of the players listed for their choices?