Turning his back on England to play for Uruguay was an easy decision for midfielder Diego Poyet.
The 20-year-old is in Dunedin with the Uruguayan under-20 team preparing for its Fifa Under-20 World Cup opener against Serbia at Otago Stadium on Sunday.
Poyet, who plays with All Whites defender Winston Reid for West Ham United in the English Premier League, has captained the England under-16 and 17 teams in the past.
However, the son of former Uruguayan and Chelsea midfielder Gustavo Poyet, recently decided he wanted to play for the South American nation.
He played for the under-20 side in friendlies against Uzbekistan and Portugal at the end of March, and was picked for the tournament in New Zealand.
Poyet, who grew up in London after his father signed with Chelsea in 1997, said he would have played for Uruguay earlier if he could have.
''At that time, to be honest, I hadn't had much contact with Uruguay. But the contact I did have I couldn't come,'' he said.
''I was still at school doing exams. It wasn't right to fly back and forth. So, I didn't have much choice. I wasn't going to say no to England.
''It was good to play for the country and for my club and everyone that helped me there, but as soon as I grew up, my family and friends knew I was going to play for Uruguay when I got the call-up.''
Poyet and the rest of the team trained at the Caledonian Ground in cold, wet conditions yesterday afternoon in preparation for Uruguay's match against Serbia on Sunday.
Players were wrapped up in an attempt to stay warm during the hour-long session, which concluded with the side working on its set piece.
Uruguay boasts a rich history in football, including World Cups in 1930 and 1950 for its senior team, and Poyet believes this year's under-20 team is capable of going deep into the tournament.
''Uruguay, touch wood, always seem to do quite well in the big tournaments,'' he said.
''We fancy our chances, but we will have to wait and see. The first game will be a big hint and show whether we have got a chance or not. So we will try and start well and kick on from there.''
After playing Serbia on Sunday, Uruguay will play one of its other two group matches in Dunedin, against Mexico on June 2.
If it wins group D, it will also play a round-of-16 elimination match at Otago Stadium on June 10.
This is not Poyet's first visit to New Zealand. He was here last July with West Ham for pre-season games against the Wellington Phoenix and Sydney in Auckland and Wellington.
He had limited opportunities in his first season with the Hammers, but he knows that he has time on his side to work his way into the first team.
''It's been a tough year. We have a good squad, so it's been hard sometimes to break into the team. But I knew the first year was always going to be like that,'' he said.
Uruguay's match against Serbia is the second of two matches at Otago Stadium on Sunday, and kicks off at 4pm. Mali and Mexico play at 1pm.
