Les Bleus were scouting the Serie A-based defender, completely unwitting to the fact that he could no longer play for them, but the 24-year-old has seen the funny side
Kalidou Koulibaly has admitted he was surprised when he heard that France boss Didier Deschamps was continuing to track his progress – because the Napoli centre-back has turned out five times for Senegal.
The defender was born in eastern France but has elected to play for the country of his parents, only someone neglected to tell Deschamps that before he appeared on Canal+ on Sunday and said he was still monitoring the player’s progress.
"I had seen that Deschamps had spoken about me and I was surprised. I think he must have missed something," the 24-year-old told RMC. "I am not annoyed at him, though."
"I heard that a member of the French national team’s scouting team came to watch Napoli against Empoli recently but I thought it was for [Empoli’s Vincent] Laurini who is also French. "When I arrived at Napoli, I knew that there would be an opening. I waited for a long time for my chance [with France] and I decided to play for Senegal. It was a choice from the heart and I’ve no regrets."
- Goal