Spain has approved a new procedure allowing former professional footballers who began their careers before 1980 to receive or increase their state pensions. This concerns 93 athletes who previously could not count on full payments due to specific rules about employment history: before 1980, their contributions went not to the Seguridad Social system, but to a separate Mutualidad de Futbolistas Españoles. Now, a special mechanism has been created for them to eliminate this gap.
What has changed for footballers
Before 1980, footballers’ contributions were only considered in the event of death or loss of a breadwinner, and this employment period was not counted towards calculating old-age pensions. Even after transitioning to the general regime in 1987, the situation did not change: periods worked before 1980 still did not affect pension amounts. As a result, some veterans could not retire or received only minimum payments.
According to a new royal decree initiated by the Asociación de Futbolistas Españoles (AFE), employment history accumulated in the Mutualidad de Futbolistas Españoles before 1980 can now be included when calculating pensions. To do this, individuals must confirm their employment periods through AFE and submit an application to the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social. Only after these steps can the pension be recalculated or granted.
Financial details and payment procedure
A key feature of the scheme is that it does not place any additional burden on the state pension fund. As noted by elEconomista.es, the compensation costs are covered by the Asociación de Futbolistas Españoles: the organization must make a one-time payment to the Seguridad Social equivalent to the value of the missing employment periods. Until AFE makes this payment, there is no entitlement to a pension or its review.
According to estimates, the total amount of payments will reach 1.6 million euros. On average, each former footballer can expect an increase in their pension of 2,183 euros per year, although for some the amount will rise to 12,964 euros annually. The minimum increase will be 51 euros per year. To apply for the recalculation, it is necessary to submit an application along with supporting documents from the AFE.
Who will be affected by the new measure
Among the 93 affected by the new provision, 68 are already retired and 25 are not yet receiving benefits. Pensioners will have their payments recalculated to include the new qualifying years, while for the others the missing years will be added when their pension is assigned. In case of early retirement, standard reduction coefficients will apply. The total amount AFE will have to transfer for the retirees is 1.2 million euros, and 0.4 million for the rest.
Administrative costs for the state are minimal: it is estimated that about 2,000 euros will be needed to process the applications, with half of the submissions expected to be made electronically.
Context and comparison with other payments
The issue of qualifying years and access to pensions in Spain is not limited to athletes. For example, there is a special payment scheme for women without official employment history, which is described in detail in the article about pensions for homemakers. The new measure for footballers is yet another example of how the state adjusts its rules for specific groups to address historical gaps in the social protection system.
