The transfer policy that Madrid has followed in the last five years has generated a problem with non-EU places. The arrival of Vinicius, Rodrygo, Militao, Kubo and Reinier in a stretch of just three years has caused some of them to have been forced to leave and, in addition, has forced the sports management to rule out the arrival of other ‘foreigners’ . However, that setback will have a prompt solution, or so they expect at the Bernabéu offices.
It should be remembered that, according to the law, in order to obtain a Spanish passport, a foreigner must legally reside in Spain for 10 years without interruption. Those born in any Latin American country, in Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines and Portugal have the advantage of having to do so only for two years to be able to apply. There are three Madrid footballers who already have it: Casemiro, Marcelo and Valverde (the latter received it in 2019).
Of those that remain pending, Vinicius will be the first to obtain nationality. ANDhe extreme case is dragging on longer than usual due to the pandemic. Processing began in July 2020, and was expected to take about a year. However, the bureaucracy is going very slowly. Both the club and the player’s environment remain calm and hope that it will be solved as soon as possible, but they are not aware of why the administrative part is taking so long since all the requirements to get it have been met. What is taken for granted is that he will have it before the end of this season.
The cases of Rodrygo and Militao go hand in hand. Both footballers landed in Spain in July 2019, so this summer they could already begin the process to be nationalized. In both cases, the first documents necessary to start the process have been delivered and they are awaiting new guidelines from the state agencies in charge of managing it. As AS has learned, both players are expected to have a Spanish passport for the beginning of next season in the best of cases. If it cannot be, the idea is that the process is completed by the end of 2022.
There are two players who are eagerly waiting for extra-community places to be available: Kubo and Reinier. Loaned in Mallorca and Dortmund respectively, they hope to enjoy their first opportunity in the first team from July. With the Japanese, the plan was for him to be part of it this year, but problems with Vinicius’s passport sabotaged him and hence options for a new departure were sought. It is more complicated for Reinier since, in addition, it is possible that there is no room for him if the cases of Rodrygo and Militao are delayed too much, his little role in Borussia reduces his options to wear white next year.
This management also reopens Madrid’s door to the South American market, where it has found great opportunities throughout the 21st century, especially in Brazil. With the head of international football, Juni Calafat, at the helm, it will be possible to try to find a new Vinicius.