Wolves youngster Hugo Bueno is set to make his international debut on Friday night for a nation that is not recognised by either FIFA or UEFA.
Throughout the 2023/24 season, many of Wolves’ first team have had their form recognised by their countries.
While many of the squad are already regular international players, multiple stars only recently made their debuts for their countries.
Toti Gomes and Jose Sa both made their first appearance for Portugal back in November. Joao Gomes also made his debut for Brazil in a 1-0 victory over England in March.
Now, it seems likely that Hugo Bueno will be added to this list. However, it is not for the nation you may have expected.
Hugo Bueno set to make international debut for Galicia
Hugo Bueno was born in Vigo, Spain. While this does make him eligible for the Spanish national team, it means he can also play for Galicia.
The Galicia national football team represents the region of Galicia, centred in the top left corner of Spain, just above Portugal.
Like many autonomous regions in the Mediterranean country, they have an official football team. However, this is not recognised by FIFA or UEFA therefore, they are only allowed to play friendly matches.
This is not uncommon in the footballing world, with regions such as the Basque Country and Catalonia also having sides.
Now, Hugo Bueno is set to be among a select few players to compete for a regional side. The wing-back has been called up by Galicia to face Panama in a friendly match on Friday night.
It will be Galicia’s sixth friendly since the turn of the century, with Hugo Bueno set to be the only Premier League representative for the side.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Wolves’ 2024 pre-season tour.
More great experience for Hugo Bueno
While the match may not be at the level of many of the international games taking place over the summer, it is still a great experience for the 21-year-old.
Panama are a decent national side and famously reached the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
He will also be sharing a dressing room with other players who have played internationally for Spain, most notably former Wolves player Jonny.
Hopefully, this will be another stepping stone for Hugo Bueno to help him reach his potential. The wing-back struggled in the 2023/24 season to make an impact.
However, now the summer break is back underway, the Spaniard has every chance of coming back stronger in the next campaign.