Foreigners ù how many and what kind ù present an important and controversial issue in leagues around the world.
It’s not new, having men from one country play for clubs in another.
The first Argentine moved to Italy about 1925.
By 1930, Italian clubs sent recruiters to Rio and lured 39 Brazilians in 1931.
Paraguayans migrated to Argentina in 1932 to raise money for their nation’s Chaco War with Bolivia, and Arsenio Erico stayed to become the league’s greatest scorer ù and had a tango named after him.
Moves weren’t always money-inspired. German keeper Bernd Trautmann landed in England as a World War II prisoner. He stayed to play soccer, became known as Bert and was England’s Player of the Year in 1956.
During the NASL’s heyday, circa 1977, teams had to field two domestic players, a reversal of most the world’s rules. Bobby Smith said, when his Cosmos fielded three Americans, “Jeez, one of us actually belongs here. … Which one of us is it?”
When NASL placed greater limits on foreigners, it may have flooded itself with unprepared Americans. Across the Atlantic, leagues could still restrict their clubs to two or three foreign players. Such limits are gone, because of European Union labor laws.
Now 40 percent of English League players are non-British, and more than half of the Bundesliga doesn’t have German passports. Spain has 191 extranjeros from 37 countries. And national team coaches complain regularly.
In the March 27 issue of SA, you’ll read about eight Dutchmen playing for Spain’s Catalan club; a Spanish club that paid an English club $35.7 million for a Frenchman; and a French coach predicting a Japanese player invasion of Europe.
There’s also MLS’s new regulations ù in addition to the green-card reality ù that increase the league’s foreign flavor. This season, it’s proving quite enticing. But stay tuned. Controversy may not be far behind.