From worst debut EVER to becoming an honorary Brazilian.. how Englishmen fared at Real Madrid after Bellingham transfer
JUDE BELLINGHAM is set to become just the sixth Englishman to play for Real Madrid after completing a £115million switch from Borussia Dortmund.
The England superstar has penned a six-year deal with the Spanish giants and becomes the most expensive British player in history.
Bellingham, still just 19, attracted interest from all over Europe with his stellar performances for club and country.
But it is Real Madrid that have won the race for his highly-coveted signature.
The midfielder will be presented before fans at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow.
Bellingham will be the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid in 16 years when he pulls on the famous white shirt.
Those that have come before him have experienced mixed fortunes to say the least.
From a Champions League-winning hero to a defender who endured the worst debut EVER – Bellingham’s predecessors have left varied impressions during their stints in the Spanish capital.
While in the 2004-05 season, Real had three England stars all vying for minutes with the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Raul.
Following Bellingham’s switch, we take a look at how his English predecessors each fared at Real Madrid.
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LAURIE CUNNINGHAM (1979-1984)
English football legend Laurie Cunningham made history by becoming the first Brit to ever join Real Madrid in 1979.
After he reached superstar status at West Brom alongside Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson, Real forked out £950,000 for Cunningham’s services.
The left winger got off to a great start in the Spanish capital, scoring twice on his debut and helping his side to the LaLiga title during his first season.
His following campaigns with Real were spoiled by injury, however, although he did feature in the 1981 European Cup final against Liverpool, with his side going down 1-0.
Cunningham went on to leave Real for Marseille in 1984, but did return to the city for two spells with neighbours Rayo Vallecano.
He tragically died aged just 33 in 1989 following a car crash in Madrid.
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STEVE MCMANAMAN (1999-2003)
Silky winger Steve McManaman left boyhood club Liverpool for Real Madrid in 1999 – going on to become a hero at Santiago Bernabeu.
The Real faithful took McManaman into their hearts, admiring his outrageous talent and elegance on the ball.
McManaman, now 51, was a huge success at Real Madrid – helping them to six major trophies during his four years there.
His personal highlight came in 2000, when he scored his side’s second goal in a 3-0 Champions League final victory over Valencia.
He helped repeat the trick two years later, netting in the semi-finals against Barcelona before coming off the bench in the final triumph against Bayer Leverkusen.
McManaman also won two LaLiga titles, a Supercopa de Espana and Uefa Super Cup during his time in Madrid before returning to England with Manchester City in 2003.
DAVID BECKHAM (2003-2007)
Shortly before McManaman’s departure, Real Madrid signed arguably one of English football’s most iconic ever figures: David Beckham.
Golden Balls was a Galactico in every sense when he arrived from Manchester United; he had the looks, the price-tag and the superstar girlfriend.
Like McManaman, Becks gained admiration from the Real Madrid supporters, particularly for his work ethic, professionalism and incredible set-piece delivery.
Despite being part of an outrageously talented team that featured the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane and, erm, Thomas Gravesen, Beckham didn’t manage to grab the silverware in Spain that McManaman did.
The Champions League La Decima eluded the star-studded, if top heavy side – but Becks wouldn’t leave without at least one title, winning LaLiga in 2006-07.
Beckham was a hugely popular member of the dressing room, and was even dubbed an “honorary Brazilian” after developing a natural chemistry with the Samba Boys at the club.
MICHAEL OWEN (2004-2005)
England striker Michael Owen left Liverpool in 2004 to join up with Beckham and Co at the Bernabeu.
With Ronaldo and Raul ahead of him in the pecking order, however, Michael Owen often had to be content with a place on the bench.
Owen did manage 16 goals in all competitions, despite many of his appearances coming as a sub.
But having arrived for £8m, Owen was cashed in on just a year later, when Newcastle offered £16m for the former Ballon d’Or winner.
Despite knowing Becks from years of England duty, Owen later explained that he and the Three Lions skipper didn’t socialise together in Madrid.
Explaining this in his 2019 autobiography Reboot, Owen wrote: “This perhaps wasn’t a surprise given that, by the time we found ourselves in Madrid together, David and I had even less in common than we ever had.”
JONATHAN WOODGATE (2004-2007)
Defender Jonathan Woodgate signed for Real Madrid from Newcastle in a £13.4million deal in 2004.
Despite his obvious ability, injuries ruined Woodgate’s stint in Madrid.
Having arrived with an issue, the Middlesbrough-born ace didn’t make his debut until September 2005 – 17 months after his final Newcastle appearance.
It proved to be a nightmare first outing, with Woodgate planting a header into his own net after just 25 minutes.
Things went from bad to worse for the England international, when he was red carded 66 minutes into his long-awaited debut.
Woodgate made just 14 appearances in all competitions that season before being loaned out to Middlesbrough in 2006 – with the temporary deal made permanent a year later.