Jude Bellingham has joined a select group of British players in signing for Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old England international has agreed a six-year deal to move to the Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the male players from these shores to have played for the Spanish giants.
Laurie Cunningham
England international Cunningham was the trailblazer for those that followed him after becoming the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid after signing from West Brom in 1979. The left winger brought plenty of excitement to the fans and after scoring on his debut, went on to win the league and cup double in his first season. His time at the Bernabeu was hampered by injuries and he left to join Marseille in 1984, having scored 20 goals in 66 appearances. He was sadly killed six years later in a car crash, aged just 33, while playing for Raya Vallecano.
Steve McManaman (1999-2003)
Twenty years after Cunningham, Steve McManaman followed as he joined from Liverpool. The floppy-haired winger played in one of the great Madrid teams alongside the likes of Raul, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane, winning two LaLiga titles and two Champions League titles, scoring in the 2000 final against Valencia. He made over 150 appearances and moved to Manchester City in 2003, where he spent two years before retiring in 2005.
David Beckham (2003-2007)
Already a global superstar, David Beckham’s footballing image went to the next level when he signed for Madrid in 2003. Although his time in the Spanish capital was not the silverware haul he enjoyed at Manchester United, winning just one league title, he was a fan favourite. He made 155 appearances, scored 20 goals and notched 59 assists before moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.
Michael Owen (2005-2006)
Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.
Dortmund confirmed in a statement last week that Real have agreed to pay an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) to land Bellingham, who moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020.
Now both clubs have announced the deal for the 19-year-old has been finalised, with Real adding that he will be unveiled in the Spanish capital on Thursday.
“Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund have agreed on the transfer of the player Jude Bellingham, who will remain linked to our club for the next six seasons,” a Real statement read.
“Tomorrow, Thursday, June 15, at 12:00 noon at Real Madrid City, the presentation ceremony for Jude Bellingham as a new Real Madrid player will take place.
“After, Jude Bellingham will appear before the media.”
Bellingham was recently named Bundesliga player of the season after his starring role for Dortmund, who missed out on the title in agonising fashion on the final day of the campaign.
He scored his first England goal in their World Cup win over Iran but is absent from the squad to face Malta and North Macedonia in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers due to injury.
He has long dreamt of a move to the 14-time European champions and recently told the PA news agency that he sees the Champions League as “the biggest stage”.
“The goal has always been winning,” he told PA last month.
“When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that.
“You know, everyone should have that goal, I feel like, as professional footballers.”
Jude Bellingham has praised England manager Gareth Southgate for the “amazing job” he has done in easing him into the set-up and aiding the ascension of fellow young stars.
With talent and maturity that belies his tender years, the nascent 19-year-old midfielder has established himself as a key player for the national team and has two major tournaments under his belt.
Bellingham has won 24 caps under Southgate and only a knee injury has prevented the England star from adding to that tally in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualification double-header against Malta and North Macedonia.
“I think Gareth has done an amazing job in easing me in,” Bellingham told the PA news agency.
Jude Bellingham says he is harnessing the pain of England’s near misses as the talented teenager homes in on European Championship glory next summer.
The national team are in the midst of their most successful period since Sir Alf Ramsey led Bobby Moore’s heroes to World Cup glory in 1966.
The surprising run to the 2018 semi-finals in Russia was followed by manager Gareth Southgate leading England to a first European Championship final two years ago.
Bellingham’s first tournament ended in an agonising shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley and his maiden World Cup ended in a galling quarter-final exit to France in December.
But now attention turns to their quest for Euros glory in Germany next summer – a tournament England will take a giant step towards by winning June’s qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Bellingham, who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after Borussia Dortmund accepted their offer, will play no part in those matches due to a knee injury, yet he still reported to St George’s Park as he continues rehabilitation.
“We’ve got to attack the qualifiers with the same mentality as we attack major tournaments,” Bellingham recently told the PA news agency.
“The last three (tournaments), I’d say, we’ve been pretty successful. The last one was a bit disappointing, but we probably played a harder opponent than the previous ones.
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“The way we went out was disappointing, but you take confidence in the fact that you can go toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in Europe.
“It stands you in good stead when you know there’s not many better teams on paper – you’d like to think – that are better than us.
“So, you take that confidence and you take the experience that we’ve gained from the last few.
“The goal is always to try and win it. That should be the goal for all of us going into it and that’s what we’ll try and do.”
Bellingham does not lack confidence and nor should he given England’s performances in Qatar.
A narrow defeat to eventual finalists and Euro 2024 favourites France did for Southgate’s side in the desert, where the midfielder says their progress was no mirage.
“I felt so confident going into that France game that we’d get a result,” said Bellingham, speaking in his role as ambassador for McDonald’s Fun Football programme – which provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.
“I think probably we fell short in the big moments for their goals and obviously the penalties and moments like that.
“The majority of the game we didn’t have clear chances, but when we did, we could have been a bit more decisive maybe. But, like I said, it’s an experience to take into the next ones.
“I just really enjoyed the experience as a whole – relishing being away, playing in such a good team, having that pressure on me and on the team. It’s something that I really enjoyed.”
Bellingham underlined his place as one of the greatest talents in the world in Qatar, flourishing in England’s midfield after a restricted but valuable role at Euro 2020.
Aged 17 he became the youngest English player to feature in a major tournament, making three substitute appearances in a crash course summer of learning.
“It was a bit of weird one for me because I didn’t play (much),” Bellingham said. “It was my first major tournament and I didn’t play too much.
“But I was still like a sponge while I was there, trying to learn from everything that was going on around me, having it in England as well.
“You could see the pressure up close almost and you went to the games and the atmosphere was incredible. We fell short at the final hurdle, so you take a lot of experience from that.
“But there’s also a level of…not regret but motivation that you can take from the tournament.
“I think, for me, the pain that I felt after that final and after the World Cup will definitely drive me in the tournaments to come.”
You certainly would not back against ambitious Bellingham and his talented England team-mates as they look to finally land silverware in Germany.
“I’d just say stick with us, really,” the 24-cap teenager said when asked what his message to supporters would be.
“England fans can feel it themselves, They’re ambitious, but they’re not stupid. There’s a reason for the kind of expectation and the hype around the team at the minute.
“The truth is that we are delivering. We’d like to deliver a trophy and a tournament win, of course, but I think there’s steps to doing that.
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“A lot of the great international teams in the past didn’t win straight away. They had to build for years before they managed to get over the line.
“I think that there’s something similar happening with this England team now. I wouldn’t say patience is the word but just stick with us because we’ll deliver.”
:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football.
Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk have been ruled out of England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Real Madrid-bound Bellingham is still suffering with the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Borussia Dortmund’s heart-breaking season finale, when they let slip the Bundesliga title by drawing 2-2 at home to Mainz.
The 19-year-old midfielder will report to St George’s Park to receive further treatment, but will play no part in either match, a team statement confirmed.
Brighton defender Dunk has withdrawn from the squad through injury and will not travel to the national football centre – the only player from Gareth Southgate’s original 25-man squad who is not now due to join up.
England players began to gather at St George’s Park on Sunday, preparing for Friday’s trip to face Malta in Ta’ Qali and Monday’s fixture against North Macedonia at Old Trafford.
West Ham’s Declan Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in midweek, will join in the coming days, as will the five players from Manchester City’s Champions League-winning squad.
Jack Grealish, John Stones, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are all expected to be part of City’s bus parade in Manchester on Monday before reporting for duty.
In a video posted on England’s social media accounts on Sunday, Southgate said: “We’ve a little less training than we would have liked but today was an important session in terms of players getting back into their football movements.
“They all keep themselves in good shape but you’re not training with the team in that period and you have to adapt your body back to the rhythm…
“We’ll get the players through today so they’re ready to go tomorrow and then we start the more tactical preparation for the game with Malta.
“I think what we’ve shown in the last few months is that we’re a team who now can take on some of the best teams in the world.
“We showed that in the World Cup and we definitely showed that by winning in Naples (the 2-1 win over Italy in March), which was a really important game for us not only in terms of qualification but in terms of our confidence and setting some markers for what we are as a team.
“If you’re a really big team you nail those big games and then you don’t slip up with the teams you are expected to beat and that’s the challenge for us now.
“We’re at the end of the season, we’ve had a lot of different distractions. There’s any number of reasons or excuses if you search for them but we can’t have a team looking for excuses.
“We want to consistently perform at a high level and we have to start that from the minute the players arrive.”
Jude Bellingham looks set to become a Real Madrid player after the Spanish club agreed an £88.5million fee with Borussia Dortmund.
The England international will join a small but esteemed set of British players to play for Los Blancos.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at those players from these shores to have played at the Bernabeu.
Laurie Cunningham
England international Cunningham was the trailblazer for those that followed him after becoming the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid after signing from West Brom in 1979. The left winger brought plenty of excitement to the fans and after scoring on his debut, went on to win the league and cup double in his first season. His time at the Bernabeu was hampered by injuries and he left to join Marseille in 1984, having scored 20 goals in 66 appearances. He was sadly killed six years later in a car crash, aged just 33, while playing for Raya Vallecano.
Steve McManaman (1999-2003)
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Twenty years after Cunningham, Steve McManaman followed as he joined from Liverpool. The floppy-haired winger played in one of the great Madrid teams alongside the likes of Raul, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane, winning two LaLiga titles and two Champions League titles, scoring in the 2000 final against Valencia. He made over 150 appearances and moved to Manchester City in 2003, where he spent two years before retiring in 2005.
David Beckham (2003-2007)
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Already a global superstar, David Beckham’s footballing image went to the next level when he signed for Madrid in 2003. Although his time in the Spanish capital was not the silverware haul he enjoyed at Manchester United, winning just one league title, he was a fan favourite. He made 155 appearances, scored 20 goals and notched 59 assists before moving to LA Galaxy in 2007.
Michael Owen (2005-2006)
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Given Michael Owen’s relationship with Beckham for the England national team, an £8million move for the striker seemed good business in 2005. But Owen never really took off in Madrid and spent the majority of his one season at the club on the bench. He was able to score when he was on the pitch, most memorably a fine goal in a 4-2 win over Barcelona. He left for Newcastle in 2006.
Jonathan Woodgate (2005-07)
The fact that Woodgate has been voted as Real Madrid’s worst signing of the 21st century by readers of a Spanish newspaper tells you how his time at the club went. He joined Owen in swapping England for Spain in the summer of 2004 but was injured at the time and did not make an appearance until September 2005. That went about as well as expected as he scored an own goal and was sent off. He managed just 14 appearances in three years due to more injury woe and he left the Bernabeu being remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Gareth Bale (2013-2022)
Bale was the hottest property in Europe when he joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 and his career at the Bernabeu speaks for itself. He won four Champions League titles, one LaLiga title, one Copa Del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups and three European Super Cups. He scored 106 goals in 258 appearances, often vying for the spotlight with Cristiano Ronaldo, before it turned sour at the end of his stay, where his relationship with boss Zinedine Zidane and the fans was frosty at best.
Caroline Weir (2022-Present)
Weir became the first British woman – and first Scot – to play for Real Madrid when she signed on a free transfer from Manchester City last summer. The attacker enjoyed a successful debut season in the Spanish capital, scoring 15 goals, while also knocking her former side out of the Women’s Champions League.
Jude Bellingham is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after the Spanish side struck a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth an initial £88.5million.
The 19-year-old moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020 and has long dreamt of moving to the LaLiga giants.
England star Bellingham is now on the cusp of completing his move to Madrid.
Dortmund confirmed in a statement that the Spanish side have agreed to pay 103m euros (£88.5m), with an additional amount of around 30 per cent of that fixed fee agreed.
If those add-ons are achieved, the deal could reach 133.9m euros (£115m).
Jude Bellingham has been named the Bundesliga’s player of the season.
The England midfielder won the award just two days after his club Borussia Dortmund missed out on the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich on goal difference.
Bellingham has made more than 130 appearances since joining Dortmund from Birmingham for just over £20million three years ago.
“Every year or half year that I’ve played at the club, my responsibility in the team has increased,” Bellingham was quoted as saying on the official Bundesliga website.
“I have to continue to be everywhere on the pitch and try my best to contribute going forwards and backwards and try and control games, try to dominate the midfield.
“My teammates, the coaches and the staff have helped me to develop.
“I came to the club as a talented lad, but I have added elements to my game that have taken it to the next level and I think that’s down to them, mainly.”
Bellingham, who turns 20 next month, captained Dortmund this season to become the club’s youngest-ever skipper and scored 14 goals in all competitions.
He has been strongly linked to a move away from Germany this summer, with Real Madrid reportedly leading the race for his signature.
England international Jude Bellingham scored twice as Borussia Dortmund hammered Wolfsburg 6-0 to stay firmly in the Bundesliga title race.
Bellingham bagged both of his goals in the second half as Dortmund moved to within a point of Bayern Munich at the top of the table.
Karim Adeyemi also scored a brace, with Sebastian Haller and Donyell Malen getting on the scoresheet in the first half.
Napoli showed no after-effects of their wild Serie A title celebrations as they beat Fiorentina 1-0.
Luciano Spalletti’s side sealed their first title success in 33 years in midweek and the celebrations were long, but Victor Osimhen’s 74th-minute penalty ensured there was no hangover.
They remain 17 points clear of Juventus, who strengthened their second-place hopes with a 2-0 win over Atalanta.
Second-half goals from Samuel Iling-Junior and Dusan Vlahovic moved them two points ahead of third-placed Lazio with four games of the season to go.
Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of England and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to reports.
The 19-year-old has been a target for a number of top European clubs but it appears Real are now winning the race to land the former Birmingham man.
Bellingham has scored 21 goals in 130 appearances for Dortmund and has been a major part of the team challenging for the Bundesliga title this season.
He has also been linked with Manchester City, while a potential move to Liverpool seemed to be curtailed by the finances involved in a deal for the highly-rated teenager.
“We don’t speak about players we sign or do not sign, so we don’t now speak about this kind of speculation. There is nothing to say about it,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said when asked about Bellingham last month.
“It is not about Jude Bellingham, my answer now, but I never understood why we talk about things we theoretically cannot have. We cannot have six players in a summer, everyone for £100million. Everyone would say that is clear.
“You have to realise what you can do and then work with it. That is your job. We are not children. When you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they tell you, I don’t know, a
Ferrari, you wouldn’t say that’s a good idea, you would say that is too expensive and anyway you cannot drive it.
“If this kid then was really unhappy because he didn’t get a Ferrari, it would be a really sad life.”
Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham in 2020 and has established himself as a key player for England during his time in the Bundesliga.
Reports claim personal terms are all-but agreed between Bellingham and Real, with negotiations with Dortmund said to be progressing.
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