The Stade Rennais striker explains his choice to join the Algerian selection just a few weeks after playing in the U20 Euro with the Blues.
This is the end of a long series. Courted for several months by the Algerian selection, Amine Gouiri decided this fall to join the Fennecs. A choice that the Stade Rennais striker explains in the columns of L’Equipe.
“I thought a lot during the summer, with my agents, my friends, my entouragesays the player trained at OL. I weighed the pros and cons and came to this decision. There were many things that tipped the scales for Algeria. These are my origins, the country of my family… It’s a country that I know well since I have been there regularly since I was little. It’s also a selection that I followed a lot, and I have always loved this passion that there is for football. I wanted to represent all of that. »
Gouiri wants to have some great adventures with Algeria, having seen other dual nationals flourish by joining an African selection. “It’s true that when I saw Morocco at the World Cup, it made me think, confirms the player. I said to myself: ‘Why not me with Algeria?’ Africa is a continent that is progressing and I think it will get even better in the years to come. There is ambition and more simply for the African Cup of Nations (CAN), but also for the World Cup from now on. »
It is therefore a decision which comes from a long reflection. But Gouiri assures him, even if he has compiled numerous selections with the French youth teams (74 caps since the U16), he had not yet made his choice when he wore the Bleuets jersey during the ‘Euro hopes this summer. “I hadn’t made my decision otherwise I would have announced it well before, he assures, to respond to this little controversy. There were indeed contacts established in the past but I was not yet ready to make my decision. I had important deadlines to meet. »
