The Doué Brothers: A Family Story Divided Between France and Ivory Coast

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will witness a unique situation as it has been decided that brothers Désiré Doué and Guela Doué will represent different national teams despite growing up together in France.

Desiree, the Paris Saint-Germain star, will represent the French national team, while his older brother Gila has chosen to represent the Ivory Coast national team, their father's country.

The story brings to mind what previously happened with the brothers Jerome Boateng and Kevin-Prince Boateng, but the case of the Doué brothers is different because they have lived and grown up together their entire lives. The brothers were born in the city of Angers and progressed through the Rennes academy, even playing together for the first team on several occasions.

The entire family lives and breathes football, with their circle including other well-known names like Yann Gboho, as well as their relatives Marc Olivier Doué and Eddie Doué. Additionally, their uncle Noumandiez Désiré Doué is considered one of the prominent referees in Africa, having become the first Ivorian referee to officiate matches in the World Cup during the 2014 edition in Brazil.

As for the national teams, Gila made his decision early and chose to represent Côte d'Ivoire since 2024, and he already participated in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Désiré continued to shine with the French national team after his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain for 50 million euros.