From his years in Spain, Alves acquired Spanish citizenship, thus allowing him to bypass any non-EU quota restrictions and exempting him from needing a work permit to play in any EU countries.
Selama bertahun-tahun di Spanyol, ia juga memperoleh kewarganegaraan Spanyol, sehingga memungkinkan dia untuk memotong pembatasan kuota non-Uni Eropa dan membebaskan dia dari kebutuhan izin kerja untuk bermain di setiap negara Uni Eropa.