Jude Bellingham Becomes Sixth Englishman to Play for Real Madrid
Real Madrid has announced that Jude Bellingham has completed his transfer from Borussia Dortmund for a record-breaking £115 million. The 19-year-old midfielder has signed a six-year deal with the Spanish giants, becoming the most expensive British player in history. Bellingham’s stellar performances for club and country have attracted interest from all over Europe, but it is Real Madrid who 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. His predecessors have experienced mixed fortunes during their stints in the Spanish capital. From a Champions League-winning hero to a defender who endured the worst debut EVER, Bellingham’s English predecessors have left varied impressions during their time at Real Madrid.
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.
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, 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’s nightmare Los Blancos debut has gone down in history. The defender 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 horror 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.
Conclusion
Jude Bellingham is set to become the sixth Englishman to play for Real Madrid. His predecessors have experienced mixed fortunes during their stints in the Spanish capital. From a Champions League-winning hero to a defender who endured the worst debut EVER, Bellingham’s English predecessors have left varied impressions during their time at Real Madrid. Despite this, Bellingham is expected to make a big impact at the Santiago Bernabeu and become a fan favourite in no time.