The trend is like that, because to play at the European level they need to compete fiercely with other players and the exposure they get may be less, whereas when they choose to represent their ancestral nations, it can give them a better position and it can also directly help the country they defend to improve the quality of play and give them the opportunity to serve their country. Especially now that African countries such as Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, and several other countries are trying to improve the quality of their national teams.. the presence of players of African descent might be able to reshape African national teams and make them even more qualified.
Indeed, choosing a country of descent can give a player the opportunity to help their chosen country compete in the World Cup. This also helps maximize their potential. However, this can also be a mistake, such as several naturalized Indonesian national team players who lack playing time in the main squad. They have sacrificed their citizenship for Indonesia, but cannot make the starting eleven. How do these players feel? There will be disappointment for sure. This means it's not just about trends, but also the player's readiness to choose their country as their new citizenship; they must accept the risks too.
All of that must have been carefully considered before they decided to defend a national team - because not all players who decide to defend a national team will have the opportunity to get into the core squad - their skills also need to be considered to be able to get the position. And in the case of the Indonesian national team, there have been many names of naturalized players who were removed from the core team because their performance did not meet the requirements, the most recent example is Rafael Struick who was removed from the core squad by Patrick Kluivert because his performance was inconsistent. So these risks are definitely there, and they have to be ready to accept those risks.
Everyone sees the news about
bloodlines or
European experience, but people forget: football is ruthless. Indonesia brought in almost a full XI of European-trained lads, but fast-forward to this year, half of them are out of contract, including Struick. Guy scored one in ten at Brisbane, struggled for minutes, and suddenly, your national hero is club-less and dropped by Kluivert. Nobody is giving out international careers for sentimental value. You do not perform, you are out, no matter how fancy your CV or how loud the fans are. You see, Indonesia's model is all about eligibility, but what happens when your
European imports cannot find a club? You end up with a core that is unstable and a coach in crisis mode, just like now. Harsh, but that is football.