By Kieran Gill for MailOnline Follow @@kie1410 For some, playing for England means everything. An honour, a duty, a reward, call it what you will. Cy Goddard, however, is a 17-year-old youth product of Tottenham Hotspur who disagrees, having pledged his allegiance to Japan after politely declining advances from England scouts. The half-Japanese, half-English attacking midfielder has grown up admiring the Samurai Blue way while learning his trade at Tottenham, a club that prides itself on nurturing players of flair. Citizenship in football often sparks debates - as it did with Belgium's Adnan Januzaj - yet for Goddard, who takes Japanese lessons twice a week, it’s as simple a decision as they come.
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Cy Goddard bravely turned down  England and represented Japan's Under-16s after being called up in 2013 - despite not knowing the language
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The Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder grew up in south London and now takes Japanese lessons twice a week after training sessions
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The 17-year-old has been on Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund's radar and hopes to represent Japan at a major tournament in the near future
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Goddard reveals it's not uncommon for youth players eligible to look elsewhere to snub England as the Three Lions aren't particularly admired
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Belgium's Adnan Januzaj, Nigeria's Victor Moses and Germany's Lewis Holtby are among others that could have represented England
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‘Always my mindset was that I wanted to play for @placeholder.