Real Madrid finally frees up non-EU spot after star player’s Spanish passport
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Vinicius Junior has been granted Spanish citizenship, which is a great advantage for both the player and the team. At Real Madrid, Vinicius has developed into one of the top players in all of football, scoring 22 goals and dishing out 20 assists in all competitions as Los Blancos won La Liga and the Champions League last season.
With his €46 million transfer from Flamengo in 2018, Vinicius joined a group of Brazilian colleagues that also includes Marcelo and Casemiro; the following year, Rodrygo followed his fellow countryman to Madrid.
Before departing for Olympiacos and Manchester United, respectively, this summer, Marcelo and Casemiro both held Spanish citizenship; Vinicius has since adopted the same status. “Real Madrid CF announces that our Brazilian player Vinicius Junior swore to the Spanish Constitution last Friday, September 2, so from that moment he also has Spanish nationality,” read an official statement on the European champions’ club website.
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What significance does Vinicius’ Spanish passport has on Real Madrid’s transfer strategy?
Real Madrid is limited to using three non-EU players per game according to La Liga rules. Rodrygo and Eder Militao’s inclusion in the squad along with Vinicius meant that their quota was filled to the brim. This contributed to the fact that Real missed out on acquiring Gabriel Jesus in June, who instead signed a €52 million deal to go from Manchester City to Arsenal.
Vinicius is now legally a Spanish citizen, therefore more Brazilians might move in. Endrick, a wonderkid for Palmeiras who scored seven goals in seven games in the Copa Sao Paulo de Futebol Junior in January, is reportedly still of interest to Real.
Although the 16-year-old attacker has two more years before he can travel to Europe, Real are keeping an eye on him, and it’s likely that Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Militao will all still be on staff if he signs. With Vinicius’s new passport, Real can deploy all four if necessary.
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