FC Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o has been granted Spanish citizenship, freeing up a place in the Catalan team's squad for another non-EU player.
Barcelona said on its website that Eto'o had sworn allegiance to the country's constitution on Wednesday.
With Ronaldinho and Mexican forward Giovanni Dos Santos having gained citizenship in August, Barcelona's only non-EU player is Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure, allowing the team two vacancies for a non-European under Spanish league rules.
However, the Spanish soccer federation's announcement earlier this month that it intends to consider Africans as EU players may render the change of status by Eto'o unnecessary and allow Toure to benefit too.
This follows the Spanish parliament's ratification in April last year of the Cotonou Accord, which was signed in 2000 and agrees to treat workers from 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific nations as guest workers under European Union designation.
Eto'o, who is expected to be sidelined until December after undergoing surgery on an injured tendon in his right thigh, joined Barcelona from Mallorca in 2004 and helped the team win the Champions League in 2006 and the Spanish league in 2005 and 2006.
The 26-year-old began his career with Real Madrid and had loan spells with Leganes and Espanyol. He has been voted Africa's top player three times.
Barcelona, which visits Villarreal on Saturday, is second in the Spanish league after seven games, two points behind Real Madrid. - Sapa-AP