I always thought international football was about the best players from one country pitting themselves against the best players from another country. But this is a fantastical idealistic notion. The cosmopolitan nature of the world in general, and the easy, frequent movement of large numbers of people from country to country in modern times has made the globe a smaller place. At the weekend, Italy's equaliser against Bulgaria was scored by a Brazilian, Eder, who first arrived in Italy when he was 16. He has admitted he doesn't know the words to the Italian national anthem. An Argentina-born striker, Franco Vasquez, is also in Antonio Conte's squad.National teams increasingly field players born outside their countrySpain's Diego Costa and Italy's Eder were both born in BrazilArgentina-born striker, Franco Vasquez, is also in Antonio Conte's squadRaheem Sterling was born in Jamaica but has lived in England for 15 yearsBut Matt Ritchie hadn't been to Scotland before debut last week
_ and Spain are stretching credibility with their foreign internationals.