Junior Kroupi confirms his choice for France despite Portuguese and Ivorian eligibility

Junior Kroupi leaves no room for doubt: the Bournemouth striker, eligible for France, Portugal and Côte d’Ivoire, has confirmed his definitive choice in favour of the Blues. At 20 years old, the Lorient-born player speaks unambiguously about his international future.

“We all agreed on it. I’ve always played in French youth teams, I was born in France, I started playing football in France… I don’t see myself going to a culture I don’t know. So obviously, the French national team is the objective,” the player said.

His record in French selection speaks for itself: Kroupi has worn the blue shirt at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 level, and has five caps and three goals with the U23s. Son of Ivorian international Elie Kroupi, he could have opted for Côte d’Ivoire or, through his mother, for Portugal. The choice is now made.

On the club front, Kroupi’s first Premier League season had made an impression: 13 goals in 33 matches with Bournemouth, figures that quickly caught the attention of European observers. The current season has started without him, however: a foot injury sustained during summer preparation has kept him sidelined. A return to the Bournemouth squad is expected soon.

For the French national team, Zinédine Zidane now has one more certainty for his future squad lists. The November call-up, expected in less than two weeks, may come too soon given his injury, but Kroupi is clearly part of the manager’s medium-term plans.