Soccer: An eligible batch of talent

Michael McGlinchey was born in Wellington and despite representing Scotland at junior level, is delighted to now be an All White. Photo / Getty Images

Players changing international allegiance is a big reason behind this All Whites team being the best ever - and is part of the reason why this World Cup is so even.

Last year Fifa changed the eligibility rules so those who had represented one country at age-group level could play for another at senior level.

That yielded Rory Fallon, who played for England as a teenager, Michael McGlinchey (Scotland), Tommy Smith (England) and Winston Reid (Denmark) for New Zealand.

It's also good news for Fifa, with international football more competitive.

The biggest winner is Africa. Algeria's squad includes nine players who represented French junior teams, while Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana all have players who represented European countries as teenagers.

These include Tottenham's Sebastien Bassong (France to Cameroon) and Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng (Germany to Ghana).

It's not just the men's game benefiting. Four years ago, New Zealand Football was alerted to the availability of American-born and raised Stanford University student Ali Riley, whose father is a Kiwi.

Riley, who has been a Football Ferns fixture ever since, was this year named Oceania Player of the Year and is turning out for FC Gold Pride in Women's Professional Soccer.

Switching international sides helped McGlinchey reverse his flagging fortunes. He made his Scottish Premier League debut for Celtic in 2005 at just 18. He was part of the Archie Gemmill-coached Scotland side at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup.

But McGlinchey failed to build on this promising start and his career reached a low ebb when Celtic released him last year. Born in Wellington when his father was playing for Lower Hutt, McGlinchey hadn't returned to New Zealand since his family moved back to Scotland when he was a baby.

But he looked Down Under to resurrect his career. McGlinchey earned a two-year contract with the Central Coast Mariners and made his All Whites debut against Jordan last September.

When the A-League regular season finished in February, he moved on loan to Motherwell, playing eight games in the Scottish Premier League more than four years after his first.

"Ever since they changed the rules, I was desperate to be involved," says McGlinchey. "I went to the A-League club first and I was at that end of the world so it was easy for me to go to the campaign. It's the best thing that's happened to me."

McGlinchey believes he and the other arrivals have improved the All Whites squad.

"We've got a midfielder, a striker and two defenders, which gives strength in more positions. Man for man, they tell me the team is getting stronger and that four years ago to now, it's a lot stronger. Hopefully it can continue."

New Zealand's return to the world stage will encourage others to declare availability.

There are five Wellington Phoenix players in the New Zealand squad in South Africa. By the next World Cup, the club may provide other less obvious contenders for selection.

In two or three years, Brazilian import Daniel and several of the club's Australians will be eligible to represent New Zealand if still at the Phoenix.

To represent a country, a player, or one of his parents or grandparents must have been born there, or he must have lived there at least five years. The residency requirement used to be only two years but was extended by Fifa in 2008.

So Daniel and Vince Lia will be eligible in 2012, followed by Andrew Durante and Troy Hearfield in 2013. Lia and Durante extended their Phoenix contracts last year to 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Durante was named in the Australian squad for an Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia in February but didn't play, so he could still switch, should he not represent the Socceroos in the next three years.