Chelsea’s missed chance as Svilar remains barred from Belgium

Mile Svilar has seen his second attempt to switch international allegiance blocked by FIFA, leaving the 27‑year‑old Roma goalkeeper unable to represent Belgium despite Chelsea’s earlier interest.

International eligibility deadlock

Born in Belgium, Svilar was also eligible for Serbia through his father, a former Yugoslavia international. He played for Belgium at youth level before making his senior debut for Serbia in September 2021, featuring in a friendly against Qatar at the age of 22.

A month later he received another call‑up, but then changed his mind and applied to switch back to Belgium. FIFA rules allow a change only if a player has fewer than three caps earned at 21 or under. Because Svilar was capped at 22, his solitary friendly appearance disqualifies him, and the governing body has again rejected his request.

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Serbia have since stopped considering him for selection, despite his outstanding form for Roma. The rules were expanded in 2020 to cover all matches outside major tournaments, but the age restriction remains unchanged.

Roma form defies the stalemate

Svilar’s club performances have been spectacular. Since the start of the 2024/25 season he has kept 37 Serie A clean sheets in 81 appearances, conceding just 69 goals. His consistency earned him the Serie A goalkeeper of the year award for two consecutive seasons.

He joined Roma from Benfica in 2022 after beginning his career with Anderlecht, and was rewarded with a new five‑year contract last summer. Chelsea showed transfer interest in June, with a £42.5million bid was turned down by Roma. Instead, the Blues signed Emiliano Martinez as their first‑choice goalkeeper.