Ranking the Best British Football Exports of the 21st Century
From Gareth Bale to Jadon Sancho, a look at the top British footballers who have thrived abroad since 2000.
British footballers once viewed moves abroad as exotic adventures, but now playing overseas is commonplace, with eight of England's recent World Cup squad based outside the Premier League and Scotland having even more players abroad, mostly in Serie A. A new ranking assesses the best British exports since the turn of the century.
Gareth Bale tops the list after a nine-year Real Madrid spell in which he won five Champions League titles—more than the rest of the top 10 combined—scoring 106 goals in 258 games, including three in Champions League finals. He later added an MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield with LAFC.
Steve McManaman ranks second, having moved from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999. He won two Champions League and two La Liga titles, scoring in the 2000 final, yet his England career ended before his second European triumph. Harry Kane is third, with 101 Bundesliga goals in 98 games and 152 in 154 overall for Bayern Munich, plus two Bundesliga titles and a German Cup.
Jude Bellingham, fourth, won the Champions League with Real Madrid after starring at Borussia Dortmund, becoming the fourth British player to win the competition with a foreign club. Owen Hargreaves, fifth, won it with Bayern Munich in 2001, while Scott McTominay's 12 goals fired Napoli to a fourth Scudetto and earned him Serie A MVP.
David Beckham, seventh, boosted MLS with LA Galaxy and also played for Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG. Jadon Sancho, eighth, scored 50 goals and made 64 assists for Dortmund, helping pave the way for young British talent abroad. Fikayo Tomori won Serie A with AC Milan in 2021-22, and Kieran Trippier claimed La Liga with Atletico Madrid.
Supporters may debate the order, with some arguing Bellingham's European crown or Kane's scoring feats deserve higher billing. The ranking reflects a growing trend of British players seeking opportunities beyond the UK.
