Mezian Mesloub moves to Portugal: Could Algeria have competed?

Mezian Mesloub, who was overaged with Portugal's U21 team, has decided to represent Portugal, the country of his maternal roots, instead of Algeria or France. Having been an international for Portugal at the U16 level and becoming the youngest starter for Portugal's U23s in September, he has been involved with Portuguese youth teams for years. The Algerian Football Federation contacted his father Walid Mesloub in September to discuss his international future, but Mezian appears to favor Portugal, which offers him a clear development path.