On-loan Everton striker Armando Broja could feature for Albania against England in their World Cup qualifier on Friday night, having rejected the chance to play for the Three Lions
Armando Broja wanted to stay true to his Albanian roots when opting to snub England internationally. The Chelsea forward, who is spending the season on loan at Everton, was born to Albanian parents in Slough but felt a strong pull due to his family’s connections to their hometown of Koplik.
Despite being eligible to don the Three Lions jersey, the 23-year-old striker made his intentions clear back in 2019; he was determined to represent Albania, leading him to turn down the opportunity to play for England’s Under-21 side.
Since making his senior international debut in 2020, he’s netted five times in 23 appearances and appeared at Euro 2024. As England prepare to welcome Albania to Wembley for their opening World Cup qualifier on Friday night, Broja poses a potential threat.
However, given his limited game time at Everton this term — just 261 minutes — he might well find himself starting from the bench. In a previous chat with Goal, Broja explained the thinking behind his decision.
“It is a big decision, of course, when you choose your country to play for. I went for it because I have got Albanian blood in me,” he said. “I am Albanian, my parents are Albanian, so it was an easy decision.
“I thought I would love to make the people there proud and make my parents proud. I wanted to lift Albania up as a country to get us to the World Cup or Euros. That’s the biggest thing for them.”
Broja realised his dream when Albania graced the European Championships for their second time last summer, finding themselves in a daunting group with Spain, Italy and Croatia. Reflecting on the prospect of World Cup qualification, he said: “If we got to the World Cup, it would be crazy and we would make history.
“We have never got there before so it would be something crazy as a country, you know. My parents are Albanian, I am Albanian and I have a lot of family in Albania. I visited there every year so it is really a big part of my life.”
Despite finishing at the bottom of their Euros group, Albania showed commendable spirit, narrowly losing 2-1 to then-champions Italy, succumbing 1-0 to the tournament’s eventual victors Spain, and securing a 2-2 draw against Croatia.
Their sights are now set on making their debut at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States next summer, with Latvia, Andorra, and Serbia also vying for a spot from their qualification group. On the club front, after four loan spells away from Chelsea, Broja is currently with the Toffees but has had a season marred by injuries.
He’s made just eight appearances this term, with his most recent goal for the Blues coming in January 2024 during a 4-0 triumph over Preston in the FA Cup.
