Reyes de Inglaterra: As Trent Alexander-Arnold nears Spain, which English stars have lit up Real Madrid?
One of the longest-running transfer sagas of the season looks set to come to an imminent close, as Real Madrid reportedly close in on Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool right-back, one of the key faces for Arne Slot's side as they mount the charge for a Premier League crown this term, is out of contract in June.
Los Blancos have made no secret of their desire to bring him to Santiago Bernabeu, and with no new terms at Anfield set to be signed, are likely to land him on a free transfer.
Read more | I was the first British player to win the Champions League abroad before Bale, Bellingham or McManaman
It would mark the end of Alexander-Arnold's association with his boyhood club - but also would bring him into a select group of England players who have worn Madrid colours.
Here, DAZN News takes a look at the six other men to have represented one of the most successful clubs in the game, and how they each fared in the Spanish capital.
Laurie Cunningham (1979-84, 66 appearances, 20 goals)
Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham
Colorsport
A trailblazer in his playing days, the midfielder and winger made the move to Spain in 1979 after spells with Leyton Orient and West Bromwich Albion to make history.
Cunningham became the first Englishman to play professionally for Madrid, and helped them to La Liga in his first season, as well as double Copa del Rey success.
He was loaned to Manchester United and Sporting Gijón, leaving in 1984, and later won the FA Cup with Wimbledon in 1988 before his death in a car crash the following year.
Steve McManaman (1999-2003, 158 appearances, 14 goals)
The ex-Liverpool man has arguably been without an equal among English exports abroad until recent times, and he proved to be a sensational asset in a four-year spell.
Arriving in 1999, McManaman helped Madrid to major silverware in all of his seasons, alternating with two UEFA Champions League crowns and two triumphs in La Liga too.
He represented England at UEFA Euro 2000 while there, before he subsequently left at the end of the 2002-03 campaign, and spent his final career years with Manchester City.
David Beckham (2003-07, 155 appearances, 20 goals)
guti-zidane-beckham-raul-real-madrid-liga-football-soccer-20240920
Still arguably the definitive Englishman abroad, the former Manchester United favourite arrived as one of the Galácticos, world-famous stars with sky-high wages and expectations.
Across four years, Beckham was a mainstay for Madrid after he turned down rivals Barcelona to join them, but his tenure coincided with a surprisingly barren patch for the club too.
He secured a move to LA Galaxy at the start of 2007, but finished the term back in the starting XI as he won his only La Liga title of his tenure with a final-day victory over Mallorca.
Michael Owen (2004-05, 45 appearances, 16 goals)
Just one season at Madrid for the Liverpool favourite proved to be enough for both player and club, as the prolific attacker failed to cement his place as a regular starter in Spain.
With rivals like Raul and Ronaldo, it was always going to be a tall order for Owen, whose former club meanwhile clawed their way to the UEFA Champions League in his absence.
He was sold to Newcastle after one season, but nevertheless enjoyed one of the strongest minutes-per-goal returns in Europe that term as something of a super-sub player.
Jonathan Woodgate (2004-07, 14 appearances, 1 goal)
Despite being on the books at the club for three years, the former Newcastle defender managed barely more than a dozen games after injury kept him out for his first full season.
Woodgate subsequently struggled to breakthrough in his sophomore campaign, scoring an own goal on debut against Athletic Bilbao before he was duly sent off to boot as well.
After two years, he was loaned to Middlesbrough, then recently beaten UEFA Cup finalists, who would make the move permanent after the 2006-07 campaign to end his stint.
Jude Bellingham (2023-present, 81 apperances, 34 goals*)
Jude Bellingham_13042024
Jude Bellingham_13042024
Cristian Trujillo/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
No Englishman has arguably managed such an impact quite like the 21-year-old midfield maestro, a man on track to become the defining Three Lions player of a generation too.
Bellingham arrived from Borussia Dortmund almost two years ago with high expectations, but even by those standards, he obliterated them in his first year on the pitch for the club.
A La Liga-Champions Legaue double, plus a third-place finish in the Ballon d'Or and the La Liga Player of the Season award saw his stock go practically stratospheric.
If he has not quite lived up to those levels this year, he is still delivering at an astonishing rate, and will hope to fire Madrid to success ahead of Barcelona once again this term.
*as of March 15, 2025
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