How the 5 Englishmen Fared at Real Madrid After Jude Bellingham Transfer

• Real Madrid have completed the signing of Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham
• The England superstar has penned a six-year deal with the Spanish giants
• Sports Brief takes a look at the previous five English stars to play for the Spanish giants

Jude Bellingham is set to become just the sixth Englishman to play for Real Madrid after completing a £115million switch from Borussia Dortmund.

The England superstar has penned a six-year deal with the Spanish giants and becomes the most expensive British player in history.

Following his move to the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham has joined a select few England stars to have represented the famous Spanish club.

According to the Sun, Bellingham will be the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid in 16 years when he pulls on the famous white shirt.

Sports Brief looks at how the previous five English players to play for Madrid fared in the Spanish capital.

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Laurie Cunningham

Cunningham joined Real Madrid from West Brom in 1979, becoming the first English player to play for the Spanish club.

Cunningham, a dynamic winger with quick feet and a keen eye for goal, scored twice on his debut and assisted the Spanish powerhouse in capturing the league and cup double in his rookie campaign.

Cunningham, known as the "Black Pearl" in Madrid, won over the crowds with his flamboyance, but his total impact was diminished by injuries and a dedication to experiencing Madrid's nightlife.

Cunningham departed the team in 1983, and six years later, he sadly lost his life in an automobile accident. He was only 33 years old at the time.

Steve McManaman

The fact that McManaman spent time at Real Madrid emphasizes the idea that thr\e player's talent is sometimes underappreciated these days.

McManaman, who had performed well for Liverpool and England, moved to Spain on a free transfer in 1999 and won the Champions League in his first season, earning man-of-the-match honours during the 3-0 victory over Valencia in the final.

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His playing time was cut short by Luis Figo's arrival, and Real declared McManaman surplus to requirements. He persisted though, and continued to be a vital team player, scoring in the 2002 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.

Many people were won over by his perseverance and attitude, and McManaman is still highly regarded by Madrid supporters.

David Beckham

Beckham was signed for £25 million in the summer of 2003, right beneath Barcelona's nose.

The ex-England captain's move to Spain undoubtedly increased shirt sales, but during his first three seasons there, no silverware was won, as different managers failed to make the most of the exceptional attacking talent available.

Fabio Capello underutilized Beckham in 2006–07, but the midfielder was able to fight his way back into the starting lineup as Real won the La Liga championship that year.

Beckham notched 20 goals in 155 outings before departing for LA Galaxy in 2007.

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Michael Owen

Beckham shared the locker room with another Englishman in the form of Owen, of whom plenty was expected. However, in his sole campaign, he didn’t make much of an impression, despite scoring 16 times.

Despite the short stay, Owen was often complimentary of his time there. In his autobiography Reboot – My Life, My Time, Owen said via Daily Mail:

“As strange and perhaps defeatist as this might sound, almost as soon as we arrived in Spain, I instinctively had this sense that my time there was going to be short.

“From mid-August, the club put us up in a hotel while we tried to find a house. The two of us existing in one room, with a young daughter who was at the age where she needed to be entertained, would have been difficult enough for one month. But one month became two, and then two became four.”

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Jonathan Woodgate

A bad debut and not much else – Woodgate’s time at Real Madrid was disastrous.

The centre-back had to wait a year to make an appearance following injury problems, and proceeded to mark the occasion with an own goal and red card.

That’s where the story usually ends, but Woodgate did establish himself in the first team during the 2005-06 season, only for injuries to strike again. He moved to boyhood club Middlesbrough in 2006.

In 2007, he was voted the worst signing of the 21st century by readers of Marca, Spain’s leading sports daily newspaper.