THE name Adrian Mariappa may not be well known to Jamaican fans, but in England and Fiji, it’s a name wanted on their team list.

Mariappa, a 25-year-old centre-half who is eligible to represent three countries, chose Jamaica while he was on the verge of being swiped away from his club, Watford, by Premier League teams Arsenal, Newcastle and Wigan United.

Mariappa, who was born in London, England of a Jamaican mother and a Fijian father, was in late 2010 named by the Fiji Football Association in their 50-member training squad to prepare for the 2011 Pacific Games — an offer the player refused.

“From the three countries, Fiji is not a big nation in football; Jamaica has a great heritage in football and has been to the World Cup before, and some great names have played for Jamaica, so it is definitely a more high-profile country,” explained Mariappa at a ‘meet and greet’ gathering of the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) office in New Kingston ysterday.

Mariappa has been included in the Reggae Boyz squad for the international friendly against Guyana on May 18 and is expected to make his debut.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to come and play international football with the possibility to make the World Cup in Brazil in two years. That’s the only thing that matters to me and it is a great honour for me to be here and be involved,” Mariappa noted.

The central defender who made his debut for Watford in 2005 and played both full-back positions was the subject of several transfer bids from English Premier League clubs.

According to BBC Sports, Championship outfit Watord rejected a £2.25m bid from Wigan in the January transfer window and £1.5m from Newcastle.

Meanwhile, the Sun newspaper reported January on 30 that Arsene Wenger was preparing a bid to shore-up Arsenal’s leaking backline.

So Jamaicans can rest assure that their lastest recruit is a quality defender.

Mariappa has also been voted Watford’s Players Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

“I work very hard for the team and I will put my body on the line. I will try and use the experience that I have and bring it to this team,” said the Watford vice-captain.

The youngster, who stands at 5 ft 10 inches and has made 216 appearances for Watford, scoring four goals, knows he will not walk into Jamaica’s starting XI quite so easily.

“It will be difficult because there are household names in the team at the moment, but I always believe in myself and working hard is something that I have always done.

“My aim is to work hard and get in the squad first and foremost, then get myself in the starting XI,” said Mariappa prior to the squad’s departure for their training base at Braco Resorts in Trelawny.

The country’s Road to Rio campaign officially starts on June 8 against Guatemala in Kingston. The Reggae Boyz are drawn alongside the United States and Antigua and Barbuda in Group A.

“I don’t think any game of football is easy… on paper it looks easy. But I have looked at the teams involved and if we can get the right results, then the opportunity is there to make the World Cup,” Mariappa noted.

The highly-rated defender who captained Watford Under-18s and has picked up just two red cards since his debut in 2005 is bursting at the seams to rub shoulders with his national teammates.

“I can’t wait to get out and train, first and foremost. I haven’t trained with the boys yet and I look forward to… get to know the boys. I’m looking forward to it and getting selected and play well,” he added.

Quizzed as to the time factor needed to get to know his teammates before the World Cup qualifiers kick-off, Mariappa foresees no problem.

“I know quite a few of the players here now and some that will be coming later in the month by just playing against them,” he said.

“There are a good three weeks and three warm-up games, so I do believe there is enough time. I will definitely buy into the way we play and I will do my best and hopefully, we can gel quickly,” he added.