Real Madrid found a Jude Bellingham loophole with JJ Gabriel
According to a report from A.S. JJ Gabriel could have a similar path to Jude Bellingham when it comes to obtaining EU citizenship. Bellingham is not considered to be a non-EU player despite England being out of the European Union because of his Irish passport.
According to this report, Gabriel should be able to find a workaround for this because his mother holds Cypriot citizenship. If he is able to attain a Cypriot passport, there would be no problem in registering him as an EU citizen.
For those who don’t know, European clubs only allow three non-European players to be in the squad at one point in time. Even though this rule is very loose in terms of people finding ways to get around it, it is still a rule which people either have to follow or find a workaround for.
Real Madrid would have been able to register JJ Gabriel anyway, but this would give them some leeway
There have been many players who are currently on the squad who started as non-EU players but eventually got a Spanish passport to take themselves out of the list. Currently, Real Madrid have two non-EU players: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Endrick. Endrick is going to be able to get Spanish citizenship soon enough, which would leave Trent as the only player who would eventually be considered a non-EU player.
Franco Mastantuono, whenever he returns, if he returns to Real Madrid next season, will also be a non-EU player for now, but there will be a workaround ready for him eventually too. Similarly, Gabriel, even if he was to require Cypriot citizenship, would have space in this current squad. The fact that he doesn't is a very good thing for Real Madrid because they would be able to sign more non-EU players without having to worry about losing that last spot in the squad.
Even if Gabriel was to be taking up a spot in the non-EU list, he would have been able to get dual citizenship at some point in the next few years if a problem arose. That would’ve, in turn, given Real Madrid leeway to make decisions on the squad based on what they need and who's available.
Fortunately for them, they would not have to worry about that problem anymore. Right now, the deal is not fully completed, but he would need to have a passport soon enough. When it is announced or when the actual deal is complete are two different topics altogether, but it is a very good sign that the player can legally find a way to work around this rule and be available without taking up a spot in the non-EU list.
