Yo juego para Inglaterra!

I don't know how seriously Capello is taking the idea of picking Almunia as England's goalkeeper, but it does highlight the intricacies (one might say, absurdities) of the current rules relating to eligibility to play for a country - particularly here in Great Britain which somewhat bizarrely for most sporting purposes is treated as three separate countries - England, Scotland and Wales, each with their own borders, despite it being one nation with a common nationality, passport and so on. So just what are the rules? As far as I have been able to find out, you are eligible to play for a country (1) if you were born there (2) if any of your parents or grandparents were born there (3) if you are married to someone born there, or (4) if you have lived there for five years or more and become a naturalised citizen. All this is subject to you not having ever played for any other country. Almunia potentially comes (or will shortly) under the five year rule. Of course, the question is, if he becomes naturalised (which would be as a Brit, not an Englishman) and therefore eligible to play for England, would the Scots, Welsh or even perhaps the Northern Irish also have any claim on him? All a bit daft, isn't it?