January 16, 2018 By Sahr Morris Jnr
Davies still keen on Leone Stars call
Derby County defender, Curtis Davies, has again dropped another big hint that he would like to play for the Sierra Leone national team, Leone Stars- before he retires from football.
The 32-year-old defender in April 2014 first expressed his desire to represent the West African nation after it was established that he was eligible to play for Sierra Leone through his father.
In his recent interview with Michael Butler of the Guardian newspaper in United Kingdom, the former Hull City man said: ““I’ve thought about representing my dad’s country but the timing was wrong.”
“The team was banned from travelling to certain games because of Ebola. I remember there was a game against Seychelles that was cancelled a few years ago. There were fears anybody – a kit man or bus driver – could have passed on the disease. I would like to represent Sierra Leone before I retire but I don’t want to put my club career on the line – even if I went to the Africa Cup of Nations, I could lose my place at Derby,” he said.
Davies has been included in England squads but has never capped, with no hopes of such opportunity which left him still eligible to play for Sierra Leone. The defender could see his wish possibly come true after the Leone Stars technical team admitted they will consider having more players to help the team secure Nations Cup qualifications berth.
Davies was born in Leytonstone, London, to an English mother and a Sierra Leonean father. He started his football career with Wimbledon as a trainee at the age of 15. A year later, he was released. He wrote to every club in the local area, including Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall asking for a trial. Colchester United responded first, two weeks before any other club, and a trial was offered; after a couple of trial matches he was released. Luton Town was the next to offer him a trial. During the trial, he scored two goals in three matches and was handed a scholarship straight away. He made his first-team debut in 2003.
He made six appearances in the league during the 2003–04 seasons, with the away performance at QPR particularly good. During the next season, Davies achieved his first promotion as he appeared in 44 league matches for the Hatters, scoring his first senior goal in the title-clinching win at Wrexham. As well as winning Luton Town’s Young Player of the Year award, Davies was named League One Player of the Year, and was selected alongside five Luton teammates in the League One PFA Team of the Year.