England star Jude Bellingham applies for Irish passport to exploit La Liga’s non-EU squad rules – reports
Jude Bellingham made his Real Madrid debut this week.
A still taken from a documentary on Bellingham's career thus far. Photo: Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid’s recent signing Jude Bellingham has reportedly applied for an Irish passport so he can register as an EU citizen and avoid the Spanish league’s non-EU community rule.
Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund and the €103m signing scored against Manchester United in a friendly on Thursday.
In La Liga, squads are only allowed a maximum of five non-EU players and a maximum of three non-EU players in any matchday squad.
Given Bellingham is a British national, he would have occupied one of the valuable non-EU squad positions but it’s now being reported that Bellingham has applied for an Irish passport so he can register as an EU citizen.
The Athletic are reporting that Real Madrid received the necessary documentation today and he now qualifies as an EU player.
Bellingham was eligible to play for Ireland as his paternal grandmother is Irish and he was famously pictured in a full Irish kit as a child.
If he does register with Real Madrid for the upcoming season as an Irish and EU citizen, it would be a clever exploitation of the ‘granny rule’ that has seen many international players line out for the Republic of Ireland.
Bellingham joined Real Madrid after months of speculation that he was to return to the UK and join Liverpool but a deal never materialised and the 20-year-old signed with the Madrid club in June.
