MLS player Mohamed Farsi was born and raised in Montreal to Algerian parents.
But despite spending most of his life in Canada, the Columbus Crew right-back, who won the 2023 MLS Cup, would rather play for Algeria if given the chance.
Like many soccer stars with international aspirations, Farsi is a citizen of two countries. In a recent interview with Algerian publication La Gazette du Fennec, the 24-year-old explained his reasoning for the preference.
“I was born here [Canada], I lived here, it’s a country that I hold in high regard,” he said in French. “But to be honest, Algeria is my No. 1 choice, it is my heart’s choice that I would like to represent. It was hard to decide, it took time.”
Along with having roots in the African nation, Farsi revealed that he recently had a pleasant conversation with Algeria’s governing body of football.
“I received a call last week from a senior person in the [Algerian Football Federation]. I really appreciated that, especially because I play in the MLS, a league not very closely followed in Algeria compared to the European leagues.”
Farsi, who saw a brief stint with a club in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 back in 2019, was also approached by Canada Soccer recently, but on a less personal level.
“Canada talked to my agent, while Algeria contacted me personally […]” he added. “That was heartwarming.”
Both nations boast similar placements on FIFA’s official world ranking, with Algeria in 43rd and the Canadian Men’s National team in 50th.
Last year, Team Canada invited Farsi to participate in the Gold Cup (CONCACAF), which he ultimately refused. He also declined an invitation to Canada’s preliminary rosters ahead of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.
Since joining the MLS in 2022, Farsi has netted two goals over 54 total appearances.
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