Despite being born in Singapore to a French mother, and raised in San Diego and London, Cristiano Fitzgerald has long been certain where his allegiances lie.
With a Limerick man as a father, Fitzgerald is more than qualified to wear the Irish jersey, and in an interview with the Irish Mirror, he explains with a delightful anecdote how it has been his dream to pull on a green shirt since he was a young kid - a dream which he achieved when he made his debut for the Ireland U19s in 2021.
“I was texting one of my childhood friends that I grew up with in San Diego," began Fitzgerald.
I was five or six years old at the time when I was telling him that I wanted to play for the Irish national team. He sent me a text saying he remembered me telling him that.
For it to be something that I actually achieved was crazy to my friend.
Cristiano Fitzgerald Has Eyes On A Senior Ireland Cap
The Republic of Ireland U19s have just called up a player called Cristiano Fitzgerald. Absolutely glorious. pic.twitter.com/ozouRlgJr5
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) August 28, 2021
Fitzgerald recently signed a long-term contract with Primeira Liga club Boavista, who currently lie in 12th place in Portugal's top division.
While the young winger hasn't made any competitive appearances for the club just yet, he did feature in a first-team friendly against Bordeaux.
“But since I was five-years-old I never talked about France or any other country," continued Fitzgerald. "I always talked about Ireland. That’s just the way it is.
“My connections to Ireland are big. I saw my grandparents a few weeks ago, they came out here, and my godmother, my father’s sister, and my cousins. I do see them quite often.”
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