As United States national team fans found out Monday evening, sometimes the best Christmas presents come late.
According to a report from the Washington Post‘s Steve Goff, 17-year-old Arsenal starlet Gedion Zelalem, who spent his formative years in Maryland before making the move to the English Premier League giants, has gained US citizenship and is now eligible to represent the United States in international competition.
Zelalem is also eligible to represent Germany and Ethiopia, but Goff cited sources who said the teenager has told friends and U.S. officials that he plans on committing to the American cause. He moved to the US at age nine before jumping across the pond at 16 to join the Gunners.
On Tuesday morning, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati confirmed that Zelalem was now a U.S. citizen and said the federation had begun working to ensure his eligibility for the USMNT.
Should Zelalem receive FIFA approval, he would become one of the brightest young prospects in the American talent pool, with an opportunity to represent the US at the 2016 Olympic Games on the horizon as well as a looming introduction to Jurgen Klinsmann’s senior team.
Though he’s mostly played for Arsenal’s youth teams to go along with first-team cameos in the FA Cup and Champions League, Zelalem’s managed to build a reputation as one of the brightest attacking talents in Europe despite the lack of a league appearance.
That honor will come according to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who signed Zelalem to his first professional contract in March and says what the midfielder currently lacks in frame, he makes up for in technical ability and awareness.
“He is a player with a good eye and good technique and is very agile,” Wenger told SI.com in July. “He has the ambition to find the ball on the field. So he's the kind of player who could be of use to the United States. He's in some ways the type of player the U.S. was missing in the World Cup.”
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Zelalem will realize that vast potential, but after months of speculation about his international future, it seems US fans can rest easy knowing the talented teenager is set to wear red, white and blue.
