It’s fair to say that the pageantry and theatre of following the Lads has reached all four corners of the globe. Sunderland Association Football Club has cemented its place as a global institution within the game with the Club capturing the hearts of fans from every continent.
Whilst there are fans across the world, the same goes for international footballers with many different cultures and countries touching base on Wearside over the course of their careers.
As part of International Fans’ Day, Red & White celebrates and recognises the sole players who have donned the colours of Sunderland and are the only players from their country to do so…
Stéphane Sessègnon – Benin
A fans’ favourite during his time at the Club, Sessègnon got supporters on the edge of their seat with his outstanding dribbling skills, lightening quick speed and eye for goal.
After signing from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2011, the attacking midfielder came close to clocking up a century of appearances on Wearside featuring 97 times in all competitions and scoring 18 goals.
There were some outstanding finishes in his time with the pick of the bunch coming against Fulham at Craven Cottage but perhaps his most significant could been his derby-day goal against Newcastle United at St James’ Park in 2013.
A history maker for his country, Sessegnon holds the record for the most appearances and goals for Benin with 24 goals in 89 caps.
Lorik Cana – Albania
The midfielder might have only been on Wearside for one season, but it was enough time to capture the hearts of the fanbase. A hard-tackling Albanian icon oozing quality and leadership on and off the pitch, it didn’t take long for Cana to cement his importance in the team when signing in the summer of 2009.
He was quickly appointed Club captain in September and led the side to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League, to the last 16 of the EFL Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup. He made 35 appearances in all competitions.
Not only was he the first Albanian to feature for Sunderland, but he became the first to earn a Premier League appearance. Cana also sits top of the all-time caps list for his country.
Mart Poom – Estonia
The goalkeeper with one of the shortest names in football, there is nothing short about this man’s stature.
Having spent the majority of his playing career in England, Poom secured a move to Wearside in 2002, initially on loan before making the move permanent the following season. He went on to become a part of the squad that secured promotion to the Premier League in 2005.
In a moment etched into the history books, Poom kept forward for a late corner against his former side Derby County and slammed home a header in the 90th minute to score his only career goal. The commentator of the goal went on to dub the Estonian, ‘The Poominator’.
The stopper sits seventh in the list for all-time appearances for Estonia.
Ahmed Elmohamady – Egypt
Spending over a decade of his playing career in England, Elmohamady found his feet in the Premier League on Wearside, signing initially on loan in 2010.
He was deployed frequently a right-back throughout his career but could be used further up the pitch at right-midfield, Elmohamady’s work-rate and versatility became an effective tool used by former manager Steve Bruce. His only goal for the Club came in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
Making 61 appearances in total, the full-back went on continue his career with Hull City and Aston Villa.
He holds almost of century of caps for Egypt playing 92 times and scoring six goals.
Nazariy Rusyn – Ukraine
Signing in the summer of 2023, Rusyn’s work-rate, pace and strength have seen the Sunderland fanbase warm to his honest performances.
The 25-year-old has scored important goals this season for the Lads including a poacher’s finish in the New Year’s Day win over Preston North End, ending 2-0 on the day and a crucial strike in the 1-1 draw away to Middlesbrough.
Whilst he is yet to make a senior appearance for the national side, Rusyn will be hopeful of furthering his case over the forthcoming years after a call-up to the squad in October 2023.
Honourable Mentions
Ondřej Čelůstka – Czech Republic, Teemu Tanio – Finland, Wahbi Khazri – Tunisia, Tyias Browning (Jiang Guangtai) – China, Alim Ozturk – Turkey, Pascal Chimbonda – Guadeloupe,– Sebastián Coates - Uruguay, Costel Pantilimon – Romania, Didier Ndong – Gabon, Patrick Mboma – Cameroon, Stanislav Varga – Slovakia, Talal El Karkouri – Morocco, Danny Higginbotham – Gibraltar, Jurgen Macho – Austria, Valentin Roberge – Cyprus, Tal Ben Haim – Isreal, Arbenit Xhemajli – Kosovo, El-Hadji Ba – Mauritania, John Moore – Hong Kong,– Milton Núñez - Honduras