A country could possibly make you entirely who you are, or a majority of who you are. That is possible. But it is almost always never entirely the case.
Everything, and nothing, make up you who you are.
BUT, if you want to use the theory that a country, does in fact, make you who you are, then, well, doesn't playing in Serie A, which is IN the Republic of Italy, kind of make you who you are too? I mean you're living there. You're getting trained by Italian technicians. You're eating Italian food, speaking Italian, and supporting the economy. And again, you're LIVING there. You are alive, there. You are making new memories, there. So doesn't that make you who you are too? I think so. So that argument sort of cancels it self out, before you would even reach my initial theory of "everything and nothing" make up you who you are.
But I'll go further.
We are headed into a new generation as a global society. Things are going to be much, much different in just 10 years, compared back to even the 1980s. The 2000s decade was the grey area for Post-Modernism (as the 50s was the grey area leading into Post-Modernism). 2010 and onward, Hyper Modernism some are calling it, is going to consist of a new global generation that is going to be very, very different from the lifestyle that we think/know/were taught growing up in the 80s, 90s, 2000s (I'm assuming most, if not all, of the users on this forum were born in between 1977 and 1992--which is the internet's "consensus" of what Gen Y is).
I digress--our new society is very different, and with change, comes new rules. I'm not saying open the hatch for anyone to join any national team at any time, nor am I saying marijuana should be legalized and everyone should be high at all given times, at every second of the day. It should be legalized, but obviously treated responsibly. I'm not saying everyone should not have kids and only adopt. We have enough humans on this planet, let's work on fixing a life for the future, but if you're ****ingly adamant on having your own kids, after thoroughly thinking through adopting a child, then sure, go ahead.
There's a certain social climate out there, and before you make a change, assess the situation, and make the appropriate adjustment.
If there were too many non-natives crowding national teams, that don't spend much time in the country they want to play for, then Id' say "Okay boys, national teams are not accurately represented by the players selected, lets take a look at this, and apply some new rules". But that hasn't happened yet. Having 3 or 4 players, that aren't Italian natives, but actually play their football in Italy--I can't see what the problem is.
My point is, I completely defend, and, support the notion that you can select someone that "isn't" Italian, or any nation rather, to play for a nation other than their native land. It's a progression. It's evolution. And no, being born in Argentina, or wherever, doesn't make you who you are. Every, single, moment, asleep or conscious, makes up who you are. All 24 hours, of all 7 days, in all 52 weeks, of all the years you've been alive, make up, just who you are. That is what makes you up. Yes, your nation, and its customs, the geographic climate, food, etc... yes, that of course has a lot play in what makes you who you are, but again, it's your experiences that make you who you are. Your dreams while you're asleep make you who you are. Some people even rebel against the governments of their country; so what's to be said of that then?
If you pledge allegiance to Italy, and not Argentina, or where ever, and you have an Italian passport, there's no justifiable or rational reason to deny someone that right to play for Italy, or vice versa. It's just not progressively logical.
The point of me bringing up generational gaps, is that, even though Gen Y, and Gen Z, and onward, will be more liberal than Gen X and Baby Boomers before them, there of course will still be conservative people that slip through the cracks and carry out an old-world mindset. I'm not saying anyone here is out-right an old man inside a younger man's body, but, it is an old-world mentality to be all like "this person wasn't BORN and/or RAISED in Italy, so they should not represent their national team". That's the type of xenophobia our parents have about gays, and, some people in Italy have about having black people play on the national team.
What about people born in a plane? What about those people you meet, where they're part of a family where their parents keep getting jobs in different countries around the world and they're always moving? Then what? They don't really have a home country. Should they play for the national team of Earth?
You can never fully acquire 23 players that have spent, with exception of vacation, all their time and life in Italy, with Italian parents, practicing the culture they're "supposed" to be practicing, which by the way, change as newer generations germinate.
But let's be serious for a second, what the **** do I know...
Edit: One last thing, regarding ToniSamp's comment about the nation producing too much talent and having no room--great point.
What then? What if that person can't make it on to their respective national team, but they have ties to a different nation, which they do genuinely have substantial feelings for that would make it rationally acceptable for them to play for. What's wrong with that?
