Beijing Guoan midfielder Nico Yennaris in action during a Chinese Super League game on April 28 Photo: IC

The announcement, which had already been widely reported by Chinese media outlets, that Nico Yennaris will be named in the first Chinese national team squad of Marcello Lippi's second stint as head coach has made history.

Yennaris goes by the Chinese name Li Ke, one that has come to the fore since he signed for Beijing Guoan from English Championship side Brentford ahead of the 2019 Chinese Super League (CSL) season. The former Arsenal trainee, who played four times for the Gunners before heading to Griffin Park, became one of the first naturalized Chinese footballers, alongside Beijing teammate John Hou Saeter, a Norway-born midfielder who is also known by the Chinese name Hou Yongyong.

The pair were eligible to take up Chinese nationality because of ancestry on their mother's sides of the family. Saeter became the first naturalized player to feature in Chinese football when he played for the Chinese FA Cup winners against CSL Champions Shanghai SIPG in the season-opening Super Cup. Yennaris has since become the first such player to score in the CSL.

Now, it appears that Yennaris will also become the first of this new breed of Chinese players to represent the national side.

It might seem a new process but it has been going on for at least 80 years. Rules as they were back then meant that players could play for two nations during their careers and some of the biggest names in football including Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Laszlo Kubala did just that after becoming Spanish citizens.

In recent years, it seems that naturization by residency rather than for ancestral reasons has become an ever more common occurence, especially with players such as Yennaris and Saeter who are eligible under FIFA rules to play for more than one country. That's not unusual. Look at Declan Rice and Wilfried Zaha playing friendly games for one country and then choosing to represent another - friendly games do not count as binding for FIFA's nationality purposes.

But there is another path towards eligibility. There are those that think China testing the waters with Yennaris will open the doors for them to pursue players who could be naturalized on residency grounds. Shanghai SIPG's Elkeson - the second highest scorer in CSL history and top-scoring foreigner - has been mentioned, as has Ricardo Goulart who has just returned to Guangzhou ­Evergrande from Palmeiras. Longer term, Chongqing Lifan's Fernandinho and Alan Carvalho at Tianjin Tianhai have been mentioned  as possibilities too.

Not everyone is for the idea. In 2010, then FIFA president Sepp Blatter spoke out against countries naturalising players, pointing the finger at Brazilians. "If we don't take care about the invaders from Brazil," he said, "then at the next World Cups, we will have 16 teams full of Brazilian players. It's a danger, a real, real, danger."

There are those opposed in China, too, who see it as a damning indictment on the country's own ability to produce elite footballers. A recent poll online asked users whether they thought that China could qualify for the World Cup if they naturalized Elkeson and Goulart. The prospect hardly inspired confidence with the vote split 48-52 to the tune of the Brazilians not being able to lift the team to the World Cup.

That said, China needs all the help they can get and with the next World Cup staying at 32 teams rather than being expanded to 48 and having only qualified for one World Cup in their history. It is a fact that Lippi seems all too aware of and the possibility of naturalizing players to expand the talent pool has been reported to be a key part of the Chinese Football Association convincing him to come back.

There is evidence that bringing the boys from Brazil into the fold works.

Diego Costa

Born in Lagato, the burly hitman turned out for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side in 2013 when he played in friendlies against Italy in Switzerland and Russia in England. Later that year, Costa shocked Scolari and announced that he would prefer to represent Spain at international level. The Spanish were going into Brazil 2014 as the reigning world champions and they were among the favorites for the tournament. Sadly for the man who was eligible after spending six years at Atletico Madrid, the holders were sent packing in the groups.

Deco

The playmaker was expected to break into the Brazil squad ahead of the 2002 World Cup but in a front line that was packed with talent, the opportunity never arose and he missed out on their World Cup win in Japan and South Korea. Instead, Deco was offered the chance to play for Portugal, as he had become eligible in 2001. He scored on his debut, which came agaisnt Brazil. Deco played 75 times and led them to the 2006 World Cup semifinals.

Pepe

Another Brazilian-born Portugal international, Pepe moved to Europe as a teenager and six years later in 2007 became eligible for their national setup. That year he made his debut for Portugal and also made the move to Spain where he signed for Real Madrid. The oft controversial defender took Portugal to Euro 2016 glory.

Eduardo da Silva

Brought to Croatia as a teen in 1999, the Dinamo Zagreb player was turning out for his new home five years later. He played for a decade and averaged nearly a goal a game in those iconic kits. Dudu was retired by the time that Croatia reached the World Cup final last summer but remains much loved as the country's third top scorer. Retired after the 2014 World Cup.

Marcos Senna

The midfielder was a key part of Spain's Euro 2008 victory, the one that kick-started their dominance of world and European football. Senna joined the team in 2006 ahead of the World Cup, having become naturalized at Villareal, where he would go on to spend 11 years.