At the age of 17, Gedion Zelalem has made his UEFA Champions League debut for Premier League giants Arsenal.
The young midfielder, who grew up in Bethesda, Maryland before heading to the Gunners, came on at half time against Galatasaray as Arsenal led 3-0 in Istanbul.
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That is impressive enough from the teenager, but Zelalem is also at the center of an international tug of war as the German-born Ethiopian is close to to being eligible to play for the U.S. national team.
According to various reports, his father is set to become a U.S. citizen and if the necessary paperwork is filed while Zelalem is still 18, he will be able to play for the USA. Zelalem has already played for the German youth sides but is believed to have had plenty of contact from U.S. Soccer and with his formative years spent Stateside after being born in Berlin, there’s obviously plenty of thought going in to this decision.
Highly thought of by the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Zelalem was handed his debut for the north London side last season during their FA Cup win over Coventry City.
Let’s see if Jurgen Klinsmann and U.S. Soccer can work their magic and convince Zelalem to join the likes of Julian Green in representing the USA instead of the German national team.
