The acute need for a defender in Sierra Leone led to the recall of 38-year-old English defender Curtis Davies.
When Davies was 28 years old, Sierra Leone called him up to the national squad for the first time, but he repeatedly turned them down.
Ten years later, the nation contacted him about joining Leone Stars, and this time, the English defender—who presently plays for Cheltenham Town in the Championship—accepted the offer.
Curtis Davies told the BBC that his response to Sierra Leone’s invitation to rejoin the national squad was that he “was like, ‘You know I’m 38, right?'”
Curtis Davies, an English player who has represented West Africa, stated he “didn’t think the opportunity would come again” to play for the nation. Davies has played for Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Hull City, and West Bromwich Albion.
The 38-year-old defender might play in his first international match for Sierra Leone on Tuesday against Somalia in Morocco if he can finish his international clearance in time.
Davies explained, “When I first got the call, I was trying to get promotion back to the Premier League – that was my focus,” as to why he turned down Sierra Leone ten years prior.
“I was attempting to remain in the Premier League with Hull the following time.” In terms of my club career, I found it a little challenging to decide.”
The team needed a center-back, which is what led to Curtis Davies’ call-up, according to Amidu Karim, the new head coach of Sierra Leone.
Additionally, he emphasized that age is not the primary determining factor for who represents the nation, emphasizing that Davis would undoubtedly play for his team if he was healthy and capable.
“We should give him a try as long as he’s playing regularly for his club,” Karim stated to the BBC.
In these friendlies, he and the others will be put to the test to determine if they can fit our playing style. We need to try [Davies] to see if we can obtain stability because the center-back position is one area where we are struggling.
“Age is only a number to me. As long as he is capable of delivering and is fit, I don’t see any issues.
