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While a footballer plays for one of the top clubs in the world, frequent touring and traveling become a part of the entire system as seen with multiple teams from a myriad of countries taking part in tournaments, it becomes obvious being on the road half of the time.
While traveling from a country to another may not be a big deal for most of the big teams, immigration surely becomes a minor setback. No matter how famous or accomplished a football player is, a small reason could stop him from entering a country or disallow him from playing for his club. Such cases have been common in recent years as with increased security and the tightening of parameters, work permits and visas aren't given out easily, even to the biggest names in the sport.
Four such football players who have faced the burden of being denied a work visa by a country will be considered here. Be it the eligibility criteria or a minor criminal conviction, it is only a surprise to see such big names not being allowed to enter a country.
#4 Angel Di Maria - Paris Saint Germain
The Argentine is considered as one of the most versatile forwards in the world, who has the ability to score from any kind of attacking position. Di Maria, while climbing the ranks as a teenager back in 2006 caught the attention of former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who then decided to sign him almost immediately. However, due to an extremely bizarre work permit rule, Di Maria was not granted a work permit to England. The reasons had much to do with his eligibility as a football player.
The Argentine then moved to Portugal where he played for Benfica and later moved on to Real Madrid. However, in 2014, he was granted a work permit by the UK government as he was allowed to play for Manchester United without any immigration problems.
#3 Sebastian Leto - Emirates Club
After much speculation, the Argentine forward was signed by Rafa Benitez from Lanus back in 2007 and was expected to do big things for the Merseysiders. However, his journey with the Liverpool side didn't really end in the manner that it should've ended, as he was not given a work permit in order to completely play for the English giants.
Strangely enough, he did play for 4 official games out of which two were in the Champions League. However, his EU eligibility was never taken seriously by the Premier League and his days at Anfield were halted. In addition, Leto somehow managed to get his hands on an Italian passport, but after it was canceled officially, he ended up with the Greek giants Olympiacos. He currently plays for the Emirates Club in UAE, and can only imagine how life would've been in the Premier League.
#2 Yaya Toure - Olympiacos
Toure is widely regarded as one of the most versatile midfielders of the modern era, as his ability to play both as a defensive and a central midfielder has earned him some of the most important titles both with Barcelona and Manchester City. His leadership qualities and tactical vision have earned him comparisons with the likes of Claude Makelele and Frank Rijkaard, legends in their own right.
While Patrick Viera was the first choice defensive midfielder for Arsenal back in 2003, Toure was brought in as a backup and already had an agreement with the Gunners. However, due to documentation errors, Toure was denied a work permit to the United Kingdom and was sent to the backwaters of football in Ukraine. Unfortunate enough for Arsene Wenger, he later went on to become a star player for Barcelona and Manchester City. Had he stayed with the Gunners, Wenger wouldn't have drowned in regret.
#1 Wellington Silva - Internacional
Well, Silva's case was slightly different from every other player in this list, as Arsenal did sign him back in 2011 from Brazilian side Fluminense, but the immigration rules being extremely tight, he was not eligible to have a work permit for reasons that had something to do with his eligibility as a football player.
However, in order to have an EU Passport, Arsenal loaned him to several Spanish clubs in order to get a Spanish passport. He did, however, get what he wanted back in 2015, grabbed his work permit but had only dropped down in quality as a football player in over four years, and as a result of this, he was then loaned to Bolton Wanderers in the 2015/16 season where the faced the humiliating Championship relegation in that very year. Silva currently plays for the Serie A club Internacional as a first-team player.
