Zelarayan’s Cup ties to Armenia
When the Football Federation of Armenia tweeted a video of Crew attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan announcing his eligibility to play for Armenia, there was surprise among fans, media and a lot of club staff.
How is the Argentinian playmaker eligible to play for a country he has never stepped foot in, and why did he do it?
Zelarayan said his last name is Armenian, giving him a connection through his father's side to family members who were born in Armenia. Though he and his father, Carlos, were born in Argentina, Zelarayan is eligible to represent Armenia under the FIFA guideline that states a player can represent a federation if his grandmother of grandfather was born in the country.
"Realistically I know I don't have much of a chance to make the Argentina national team,” Zelarayan said through a club interpreter. “This is a great opportunity because they're playing world cup qualifiers in UEFA, I'll be going up against some great players that I haven't had the opportunity to play against I think will just benefit me in the long
run.”
According to the Armenian ministry of foreign affairs website, citizens of Argentina
with a passport do not need a Visa to travel to Armenia. Zelarayan had not been called into the Argentinian national team before, so he did not need to go through a reclassification process with FIFA.
Zelarayan will be joining an Armenian side that is second place through six of 10 games in Group J of UEFA qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Armenia is four points behind Germany, and ahead of Romania, North Macedonia, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Next to attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who plays for Roma in Serie A in Italy and has played at Arsenal and Manchester United, Zelarayan will be one of the most talented players on Armenia.
Zelarayan has never been to Armenia, or even Europe, having played strictly in Argentina, Mexico and now the U.S. But having the chance to play in a World Cup and getting more highly competitive games against other competition was the main appeal for him choosing to represent Armenia.
“While it is because of the footbalistic side of things, there's also a real family connection in that sense,” Zelarayan said. “Being able to play against teams like Iceland and Germany ... I think that's going to make me a better player and in the long term is going to help me.”