The Real deal: English players who paved the way for Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham continues to flourish at Real Madrid — but he is far from the first Englishman to catch the eye at the Bernabeu and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be the latest to join him at the club. 

From Laurie Cunningham to Steve McManaman, David Beckham to Michael Owen, Bellingham is just the latest star from England to shine brightly for the Spanish giants.

As Real eye a record-extending sixth FIFA Club World Cup title, DAZN News highlights how Madrid has been a happy home for English exports over the years.

There is something about the glitz and glamour of playing for Los Blancos that continues to lure some of English football’s finest talents to the Spanish capital.

Laurie Cunningham (1979-84)

The winger was a pioneer throughout his career as the first Briton to join Real Madrid in the modern era and one of the very first black players to represent England. 

Cunningham created history when he joined Los Blancos for £950,000 from West Brom in 1979.

He enjoyed two successful seasons in Madrid, winning a league and cup double before a serious knee injury suffered in training lessened his impact somewhere.

Nevertheless, Cunningham’s 44 appearances in the famous white jersey harvested 21 goals before he left permanently in 1984.

Cunningham married a Spanish woman and returned to play for Rayo Vallecano but died in a car accident in 1989 in Madrid.

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Steve McManaman (1999-2003)

The Liverpudlian winger, a boyhood Evertonian, signed for Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999 and became the first Englishman to win a European Cup for a foreign team.

McManaman immersed himself in the culture and learned Spanish quickly to help settle in his new surroundings.

His wife Victoria took a job at Madrid University lecturing in English Law, putting her own career as a barrister on hold.

On the pitch McManaman was a success, too, scoring a goal in the Champions League final to help Madrid lift the trophy at Valencia’s expense, in his first season with the club.

He won two La Liga and Champions League titles and maintains close ties to the club to this day.

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David Beckham (2003-07)

When he arrived from Manchester United in the summer of 2003, Beckham joined Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Raul in a team of galacticos.

Beckham’s arrival encouraged hopes of a new era of Madrid dominance but he left after four years with a solitary La Liga title and no European honours.

Like McManaman, Beckham was popular with his team-mates, who saw beyond the brand and shirt sales, for his work ethic mixed with incredible ability.

The decision to let him leave at the end of the 2006-07 season came early, allowing Beckham to make arrangements to head to MLS.

He was out of the team and expecting to end his time in Madrid as a spectator, only for Fabio Capello to bring him back to help a resurgent team win the league title.

 

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Michael Owen (2004-05)

There was a solitary season for Owen in Madrid after joining from Liverpool, where he burst onto the scene as a teenage boy wonder.

Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, by his own admission struggled to cope with the intensity of playing for Madrid.

He was never a regular after his £8m move from Anfield, but still managed 16 goals in 45 appearances at a goals-to-minute ratio that surpassed anyone else in the country.

He notched the fourth in a victory over Barcelona but did not settle and was sold to Newcastle in the summer for double what Madrid paid.

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Jonathan Woodgate (2004-07)

The former Leeds Unites star joined Madrid from Newcastle for £13.4m but is not remembered for the right reasons.

Injuries meant he did not make a single appearance in his first season and on his belated debut, against Athletic Bilbao, a year later, he scored an own goal and was sent off.

That was one of nine league appearances for the club. He was voted the worst signing La Liga signing of the 21st century in a Marca poll.

Two years after joining, he left for Middlesbrough on loan, making the deal permanent in 2007.

On the upside, he did learn Spanish and would go on to be an international scout for Liverpool in Spain and Portugal.

Woodgate, who became close friends with Brazilian striker Ronaldo, said: “I went there as a kid and came back as a man.”

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