British Footballers Who Have Played For Real Madrid As Trent Alexander-Arnold Looks Set To Join Jude Bellingham

Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to join a short list of British players to play for Real Madrid as he closes in on a move from Liverpool.

TalkSPORT have reported that the England international has agreed to join Real Madrid on a five-year deal worth £220,000-per-week.

Alexander-Arnold is a boyhood Liverpool fan and it would be a blow for the club to lose one of the best right-backs in world football.

You can click here to see five potential right-back options Liverpool could sign to replace Alexander-Arnold should he depart Anfield.

Below, SportsCasting takes a look at seven British footballers who have played for Real Madrid.

British Footballers Who Have Played For Real Madrid

Laurie Cunningham

Laurie Cunningham was the first British player to play for Real Madrid in the professional era, making the move in 1979.

Also known as the first black man to play a competitive game for Engand, Cunningham won one LaLiga title and two Copa del Reys for Los Blancos.

However, injuries limited him to just 44 appearances in five years. He later returned to Spain in 1988 with Rayo Vallecano but tragically died in a car crash in Madrid at the age of 33.

Laurie Cunningham is announced at the Bernabeu in 1979 becoming the first English player to play for Real Madrid #TDD #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/9ve33hpWxj

— Terrace Images (@TerraceImages) August 31, 2017

Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman joined Real Madrid in very similar circumstances to how Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to join becoming the second British player to have played for the club.

He joined Los Blancos on a free in the summer of 1999 and was a versatile player for Spanish giants.

During his four years at the Santiago Bernabeu, he clinched two LaLiga titles and two Champions League trophies.

McManaman scored a spectacular volley in the 2000 Champions League final victory against Valencia.

David Beckham

David Beckham joined Real Madrid at the height of their Galacticos era in 2003.

He joined the likes of Ronaldo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos at the Santiago Bernabeu.

An era of dominance was expected but Madrid failed to win the Champions League during Beckham’s four years at the club.

He fell out of favour under Fabio Capello during his last year at the club. However, Capello brought him back into a resurgent team to win his only LaLiga title.

Jonathan Woodgate

Jonathan Woodgate endured a horrible stint at Real Madrid after making a £13.5m move from Newcastle in 2004.

Injuries meant he did not make a single appearance for the club during his first year in Spain.

A year later, he scored an own goal and was sent off in his long-awaited debut.

He joined Middlesbrough on loan in 2006 before making the move permanent the following year.

It's 15 years since Jonathan Woodgate made his eagerly anticipated Real Madrid debut.

It didn't go to plan…pic.twitter.com/axyHK8uiyY

— The Blizzard (@blzzrd) September 22, 2020

Michael Owen

Michael Owen also joined Real Madrid for a cut-price £8m in the summer of 2004 from Liverpool.

The former England international struggled for starts against the likes of Ronaldo and Raul.

However, his 16 goals in 45 appearances was at the best goals-to-minutes ratio out of any player in LaLiga.

Owen struggled to settle in Madrid and wanted to re-join Liverpool after their Champions League success in 2005. However, they weren’t interested and he instead joined Newcastle.

Gareth Bale

Despite his declining popularity with Real Madrid fans in the latter years of his stint at the club, he was the most successful British player to ever play for the Spanish giants.

He joined Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £85m in 2013 and formed an incredible front-three alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Bale scored 106 goals in 258 appearances for Real Madrid – including a brace in their 2018 Champions League final triumph over Liverpool.

In total, he won 15 trophies with Real Madrid including three LaLiga titles and five Champions League trophies.

Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham is the most recent British player to have played for Real Madrid. He joined Los Blancos for an initial £88.5m from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2023.

He enjoyed a stunning first season at the Santiago Bernabeu netting 23 goals in 45 games – winning the LaLiga title and Champions League.

The Englishman has responded strongly after a slow start to the current season, with Madrid again favourites to win both the title and Champions League.

Bellingham could get a British teammate in the Madrid dressing-room next season, with Trent Alexander-Arnold looking set to join him.