Vinicius Junior: Real Madrid free up non-EU spot thanks to Spanish passport

Real Madrid have confirmed that winger Vinicius Junior has received his Spanish passport, freeing up a non-EU space in the squad.

La Liga clubs are allowed to have five players in their squad who were born outside the EU – with just three permitted to be named in any matchday squad – and Vinicius had taken one of those spots every year since his arrival in 2018.

Now, however, he has obtained a Spanish passport, which means he is no longer seen as a non-EU player.

That means Real now have one free non-EU spot in their squad to go alongside fellow Brazilians Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes.

The limited squad space is rumoured to have impacted Real’s transfer business this summer, with interest in Gabriel Jesus ultimately leading to nothing amid concerns that the Brazilian would not be able to be registered.

That issue will no longer be a problem for Real as Vinicius’ new passport means Los Blancos do not need to worry about breaching La Liga squad rules with any new signing.