When Daniel Sturridge headed in the winner against Denmark at Wembley a few weeks ago and Raheem Sterling was named England’s man of the match, I found myself thinking – Jamaica.
The reason? Well, Sturridge and Sterling are both very proud to play for England, but they are also – maybe equally – proud to have Jamaican roots.
The very next day I picked up my biro and sat with a pad jotting down the names of the current players in the Premier League that had Jamaican heritage. It made a hugely impressive list. So I thought, hey – let’s put this together as a team… BritJamXI was born.
BritJamXI is a bit of fun. It isn’t about claiming these players should really be representing Jamaica. It isn’t suggesting the current Reggae Boyz need to step aside for the British brigade. And it certainly won’t change how any of the players feel about the country they play for with pride.
What I hope it does, is shine a light on the humungous contribution this tiny island is making to British football. Go on, have a think about an equivalent relationship between other nations and the UK in football? In fact, it’s an open challenge – I’ll put my BritJamXI up against any Brit(AddNation) challenger out there.
The team is frighteningly good – and speaking honestly, I’m sure there are a few top, top players looking through the team wondering why they didn’t get a shout. The truth is it wasn’t easy finding out who had Jamaican roots – and identity can be a very private thing, so I didn’t want to be stepping into sensitive areas, when the idea was BritJamXI was a lighthearted exercise.
Interestingly, a few days after my BritJamXI brainwave the Jamaican Gleaner ran a front page with sprint king Usain Bolt hinting that he could be tempted to jump into the Reggae Boyz team in the future. It’s a fun thought, but one I could never see happening. His brother told me he’s a decent baller, but a better cricketer, so if it’s third on his list – surely it would be a step too far. Right?
However, if Usain fancies it as my assistant manager – he should give me a buzz. Sadly, finding a BritJamXI managerial team will be a real mission impossible at the moment.
HOLLA AT ME:
#BritJamXI is a bit of fun… Is there someone I’ve missed out? If so who? Get at me on Twitter – @Leon_Mann