Goal takes a look at the best of English players who plied their trade outside England…
It has always been a rare sight to see English footballers plying their trade outside the Premier League.
There are hardly a few top players in every generation who receive offers from other top European leagues and move out of England to make a career.
A few of the prominent English players who decided to leave the Premier League at some point in their careers are David Beckham, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen and Paul Gascoigne.
Both Beckham and Owen played for Real Madrid in the mid-2000s. Beckham even played for AC Milan, LA Galaxy and PSG. Lineker and Gascoigne, on the other hand, played for FC Barcelona and Lazio.
Among the current crop of players, Jadon Sancho began his professional career with Borussia Dortmund before moving to Manchester United in the 2021/22 season. His former teammate Jude Bellingham is currently plying his trade with the Bundesliga side.
GettyDavid Beckham
Overseas clubs: Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy, PSG
Titles: LaLiga (1), Supercopa de Espana (1), MLS Cup (2), Ligue 1 (1)
One of the greatest English footballers of all time, David Beckham joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 and played there for four seasons. In 2007, he moved to MLS side LA Galaxy where he spent the next five seasons of his career. In between, he had two short loan spells at AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. He finally ended his career in 2013 after spending six months at PSG.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMichael Owen
Overseas club: Real Madrid
Trophies: None
Following his England teammate David Beckham's footsteps, Michael Owen joined Real Madrid in 2004, a year after Beckham's arrival at Los Blancos. Unfortunately his stay was shortlived. He was plagued with too many injuries and he left the club after just one season to return to England.
Gary Lineker
Overseas clubs: FC Barcelona, Nagoya Grampus
Trophies: European Cup Winners' Cup (1), Copa del Rey (1)
The former England international forward moved to Spain to join FC Barcelona from Everton in 1986 and played for three seasons at the club. After returning from Barcelona, he spent three years at Tottenham before ending his career at Japanese club Nagoya Grampus.
Getty ImagesPaul Gascoigne
Overseas Club: Lazio, Gansu Tianma
Trophy: None
The English attacker joined Serie A side Lazio from Tottenham Hotspur in 1992 and played for three seasons before moving to Scotland and joining Rangers. Later in his career, he even played for Chinese club Gansu Tianma for a year in 1993.