Diego Moreira, the 20-year-old footballer, had the rare opportunity to represent not just Portugal and Belgium, but also Germany and Guinea-Bissau at the international level.
He has already played for both Belgium and Portugal in youth football. Along with those two, he was also eligible to represent Germany or Guinea-Bissau on the senior stage. In the end, Moreira chose to prioritize his birthplace. The young left-back has now been named in Belgium’s squad for two World Cup qualifying matches next month.
FIFA officially cleared Moreira to represent Belgium on Monday. The following day, Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco included him in the 26-man squad for matches against North Macedonia and Wales.
Moreira previously featured for Belgium at the under-15 level, before switching to Portugal, where he played for the U16, U18, U19, U20, and U21 teams. It was Belgium coach Tedesco who convinced him to return and commit to the Belgian senior side.
Diego’s father, Almami Moreira, was also a footballer. He was born in Guinea-Bissau but held Portuguese citizenship. After representing Portugal in youth football, Almami went on to play six senior matches for Guinea-Bissau.
On his mother’s side, Diego has German heritage. His maternal grandfather, Helmut Graf, was born in Germany and played for a Belgian club between 1976 and 1982.
Diego Moreira began his professional career in 2020 in Lisbon, where his father had lived. He started in Benfica’s B team and made it to the senior squad in 2022. In July 2023, English club Chelsea signed him. He only made one appearance for the Premier League side, in the League Cup.
That September, Chelsea loaned him out to French club Lyon. In August of the following year, he moved on loan to another French club, Strasbourg, where he continues to play.
In the UEFA qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Belgium are in Group J. Their first match is away against North Macedonia on June 6, followed by a home fixture against Wales three days later.
