KEY POINTS:
A-League soccer team Wellington Phoenix have added another New Zealander to their playing roster, but he's not a new signing.
Daniel Cortes was born and raised in Brazil but he's now officially a New Zealander after gaining citizenship on Monday.
The 29-year-old midfielder, who joined the Phoenix for their inaugural A-League campaign in 2007-08, has his sights set on representing his adopted country at international level.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to play for the All Whites in the future," Cortes said today.
"It has taken time to do all the paperwork to get citizenship and I'm very happy that it's finally been sorted out."
His All Whites aspirations now rest with soccer's world governing body, Fifa, with varying opinions about how long he will have to wait to become eligible.
"I'm not sure how long the stand down period will be. But it's more important for me to have my New Zealand passport now and then wait and see what happens."
- NZPA
