According to Spanish sports newspaper Marca, Jude Bellingham is set to receive an Irish passport in the coming weeks.
The English international is awaiting confirmation from the Irish embassy that he has received an Irish passport so he doesn't have to register for a non-EU position in the Real Madrid squad
🚨💣 JUST IN: Jude Bellingham is set to recieve an IRISH passport. He will NOT be non-EU. @marca pic.twitter.com/ZiGblLuplw
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) July 28, 2023
How does Jude Bellingham qualify for Irish citizenship?
Many fans are unaware that Bellingham has very close ties to Ireland. His father Mark Bellingham's parents are from Ireland and grew up there.
This was made public knowledge when Mark shared a message of pride on twitter when his son made his debut for Borussia Dortmund back in 2020, after completing a transfer to the German giants from Birmingham City.
Jude Bellingham's dad tweeted ...
This half Irish kid [Mark] is going to go online and watch his mixed-race England U21 international son [Jude] make his competitive debut in the German Cup.
Anyway, it's been enjoyable but this half Irish kid is going to go online and watch his mixed race England u21 International son make his competitive debut in the German Cup.
— Mark Bellingham (@Bello1966) September 14, 2020
Read Here: Jude Bellingham: England Midfielder's Irish Links Explained
Why does Real Madrid want Jude Bellingham to get his Irish Passport?
Last summer, Real Madrid encountered quite the trouble when Vinicius JR, Militao and Rodrygo all occupied a non-EU position in the squad, this meant that they couldn't register any more players who did not have European citizenship.
In La Liga, each club is only allowed five non-EU players, but are only allowed to name three non-EU players in each matchday squad. The term 'non-EU' refers to a player whose country of citizenship is outside of the European Union, this now includes Britain because of Brexit.
By getting Bellingham to apply for Irish citizenship, Madrid will avoid any future problems with Bellingham not being an EU citizen if he is successful with obtaining dual citizenship.
When Bellingham obtains his Irish passport, he will no longer occupy a non-EU position in the squad.
Has Bellingham ever played for Ireland?
Unlike his fellow Irish-qualified England midfielders Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, Bellingham never lined out for any Irish underage teams, but it's clear that his heritage was a part of his upbringing given the photo of him in an Ireland jersey as a child.
Although he's English, this is what we could have had.
Best midfielder in the world right now, Jude Bellingham. Picture from the #JB22 short documentary #COYBIG #Ireland @KennysKids pic.twitter.com/uAP7SSd5rS— Robbie Gorman (@GormanR) September 26, 2022
Can Bellingham Represent Ireland now?
Sadly, Jude Bellingham is no longer eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland on the international stage after representing England at senior level 24 times including Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Under the current FIFA regulations, FIFA allows players to switch national teams, even if they have played in an official competition for the first nation (unless the match was in the tournament phases of the World Cup or a continental competition), provided they played in three or fewer competitive matches and the appearance(s) occurred before the player turned 21.
The ship has sadly sailed for Bellingham with the Republic of Ireland, but it seems likely there'll be one footballer with an Irish passport at the Bernebeu next season.
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