How English players have fared abroad as Bellingham makes Dortmund move
Jude Bellingham is the latest English star to opt to ply his trade abroad. German giants Borussia Dortmund have paid an initial £25m to Birmingham City for the 17-year-old and that fee could rise as the deal contains various performance-related add-ons too. In honour of Bellingham’s move to the Bundesliga, we’ve taken a look back at some other English stars, past and present, who played abroad.
David Beckham
Arguably the most famous Englishman to ever play abroad. On his tour of the world, David Beckham had spells with Real Madrid, Milan and LA Galaxy before ending his career with Paris Saint-Germain.
Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho has become something of a pioneer among young English players taking their careers abroad. He left Man City for Borussia Dortmund and hasn’t looked back since.
Kevin Keegan
Beckham may have been the most famous English man abroad, but Kevin Keegan is up there with his as the most successful. He won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards during his time with Hamburg.
Kieran Trippier
After falling out of favour at Tottenham, Kieran Trippier made a shock move to join Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. The defender has impressed so far, finding a new lease of life in Spain.
Michael Owen
Michael Owen spent a year in Spain with Real Madrid after leaving Liverpool, scoring 13 times during his time with the La Liga giants.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling has been one of the best defenders in Serie A this season after swapping Manchester for Rome.
Steve McManaman
Steve McManaman became a key figure for Real Madrid after leaving Liverpool on a free transfer. He won two league titles and lifted two Champions League trophies during a four-year stint in Spain.
Ronaldo Vieira
Ronaldo Vieira is a name to look out for in years to come after the young midfielder left Leeds United for Sampdoria back in 2018.
Gary Lineker
Terry Venables took Gary Lineker to Barcelona in 1986, where he would stay for three years, scoring 52 times before returning to England with Tottenham. The striker then finished his career with a short spell in Japan.
Ademola Lookman
Ademola Lookman completed a big-money move to join RB Leipzig from Everton back in 2019 after a successful loan spell in Germany.
David Platt
After leaving Aston Villa in 1991, David Platt would go on to spend four years in Italy. He enjoyed spells with Bari, Juventus and most famously Sampdoria, where he played alongside the likes of Ruud Gullit and Roberto Mancini.
Jonjoe Kenny
Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny caught the eye in the Bundesliga this season whilst on loan at Schalke at the German club are keen to keep him.
Jimmy Greaves
Between his incredible goalscoring heroics at Chelsea and Tottenham, Jimmy Greaves spent a single year with AC Milan, scoring an impressive nine times in 12 appearances.
Stephy Mavididi
After leaving Arsenal at a young age, Stephy Mavididi is currently playing his football in France for Dijon, on loan from Serie A giants Juventus.
Glenn Hoddle
Following his 12 years at Tottenham, Glenn Hoddle’s career took him to French football where he enjoyed four years with AS Monaco – who went on to win the league following his arrival.
Kemar Roofe
Former Leeds United striker Kemar Roofe is currently plying his trade for Belgian side Anderlecht.
Emile Heskey
Towards the end of his career, Emile Heskey enjoyed two years in Australia playing for the Newcastle Jets. The former Liverpool man would return to England in 2014 to finish his career with Bolton.
Chuba Akpom
Like Stephy Mavididi, Chuba Akpom left Arsenal for first-team opportunities and he has been getting just that with Greek side PAOK FC. He came up against Chelsea in their route to Europa League glory under Maurizio Sarri.
Chris Waddle
Like Glenn Hoddle, Chris Waddle made the move to France after leaving Tottenham. He joined Marseille and went on to make over 100 appearances for the club.
Lewis Baker
Chelsea’s Lewis Baker recently enjoyed a loan spell in the Bundesliga with Fortuna Dusseldorf and has previously spent time in the Eredivisie with Vitesse.
Jonathan Woodgate
Who could forget that nightmare debut at Real Madrid? Things didn’t go to plan for Jonathan Woodgate in Spain, as he made just nine appearances over two seasons.
Marcus Edwards
Marcus Edwards impressed in the Europa League this season with Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes. He was once viewed as the future of English football and is now playing regularly.
Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore had a very, very short spell in Spain before he announced his retirement at the age of 30. He spent just five weeks at Real Oviedo, making just a handful of appearances.
Max Clark
Linked with a move to Liverpool earlier this season, young Max Clark had been impressing with Vitesse in the Eredivisie after leaving Hull City before the Dutch season was ended prematurely.
Joey Barton
Another Englishman at Marseille, this time it’s Joey Barton. The Merseyside-born midfielder had a spell on loan with the Ligue 1 club but his most memorable moment was a very questionable French accent that he put on in for the media!
Reece Oxford
After failing to break through at West Ham on a regular basis, Oxford completed a permanent move to join Augsburg in Germany.
Luther Blissett
The great Luther Blissett enjoyed a spell in Milan during the 1983-84 season. Despite his goalscoring heroics for Watford, he could only score six times for the Italian giants.
Keanan Bennetts
Keanan Bennetts left Tottenham in a £2 million deal to sign for Borussia Monchengladbach, with Germany becoming a popular destination for the Premier League youngsters.
Lee Cattermole
Lee Cattermole is one of the oldest English players currently playing abroad, with the former Sunderland man playing for VVV-Venlo in the Eredivisie.
Jonathan Panzo
Promising England U21 international Jonathan Panzo left Chelsea to join Monaco in the search of first-team football. He is currently on loan at Cercle Brugge in Belgium,.
Ashley Young
Ashley Young ended his nine-year association with Manchester United earlier this year to join Inter Milan. The 34-year-old recently opened his goalscoring account for the Italian giants and has been a regular under Antonio Conte.
Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard spent two seasons in the USA after leaving Liverpool. He played for the LA Galaxy, scoring five goals in 38 games.
Frank Lampard
Like Gerrard, Frank Lampard also spent the final few years of his playing career in America, He scored 15 goals in 31 games for New York City
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