Barry Hayles

Barry Hayles has pledged his future to Jamaica after revealing that he loved every minute of his international debut.

Hayles, who was called up to the Jamaican squad for the first time this month, made his debut against Trinidad & Tobago on 28th Feb just months after a failed attempt to play for the Cayman Islands.

The striker has also been linked with England in the past but says now he feels 100 per cent Jamaican! "Both my parents were born in Jamaica so it felt right," he said. "All I needed to do to play was get a passport, which I did, and then I went over and played against Trinidad and Tobago in a World Cup qualifier.

"We won 1-0 and I played for about 75 minutes. It was a decent standard, but the pitch wasn’t the best. There was a lot of tension because both teams are real local rivals.

There are six teams in our group and three qualify, so we've got a chance. It's very exciting for me." Having played in a World Cup match Hayles is now tied to Jamaica for the rest of his life and cannot play for another country.

"I'm happy about that," he said. "I don't think I was going to get in the England side, was I? I've always wanted to play international football and I'll do whatever I can to help Jamaica."

The Reggae Boyz next play on Mar 25 away against Mexico.