Abdoulaye Doucoure has been selected to make his international debut for Mali, despite twice rejecting call ups to the team.
The 29-year-old has been included in the squad for the first time as the African national prepares to play important qualifiers for World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The French-born midfielder has represented France at every youth level, from under 17s straight through to under 21s, but has never received a full international call up for Les Bleus.
READ MORE: Frank Lampard facing Everton dilemma after six players ruled out
READ MORE: Frank Lampard has something Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez never did at Everton
Doucoure was first approached by the Mali FA to represent the country of his parents in March 2019, but he rejected the approach, preferring to try and force himself into the reckoning for the French national side.
Despite turning the Mali FA down, he left the door open to a future appearance but made it clear that he was targeting a place with France under Didier Deschamps.
With no call-up forthcoming, Mail returned in September 2020 in a bid to include him in their squad to face Iran and Turkey, but once again he declined the offer.
However, after negotiations with Mali FA President Baviuex Toure, Doucoure has finally decided to make the switch and will now concentrate his efforts on helping his new international team qualify for November's World Cup in Qatar.
Mali will face Tunisia at home on Friday, March 25 before playing the return fixture on March 29. Mali are currently top of African qualification Group E and are unbeaten after six matches.
Doucoure has made 23 appearances for Everton this season, scoring two goals.
