7 English Players Playing Abroad Who Faced Domestic Opposition in the Champions League
Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho joined an exclusive Champions League club this week, as he became the seventh Englishman in history to line up against an English opponent while playing for a team from abroad.
The 18-year-old's rise to stardom has accelerated in recent months following a sensational start to the Bundesliga campaign, with Sancho's continued impressive form earning him plaudits from all around the country, as well as international recognition in Gareth Southgate's England setup.
His side may have been outclassed by Tottenham at Wembley, but Sancho did join an elite group of players to play against English opposition in European football's premier competition. Here, we take a look at the illustrious company he has joined.
Steve McManaman
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The Premier League has been graced with an abundance of foreign talent over the past 25 years, but the move in the other direction has very seldom been made, let alone achieved successfully.
One of the first players to take the plunge and get anything out of it was former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman. He, perhaps surprisingly, moved to Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999 and it wasn't long before he was facing English opposition once more; lining up against Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
Real won the tie after sealing a memorable 3-2 win at Old Trafford, going on to beat Valencia in the final - a game that McManaman scored in.
Owen Hargreaves
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You do wonder what Hargreaves may have been able to achieve in his career had he not been blighted with serious injury problems.
Although he never realised his full potential, he did play in some pretty big games - most notably during his seven-year stay with Bayern Munich. Hargreaves broke into Die Roten's midfield setup aged just 21, and became a regular during the 2001/02 season.
It was then that he came up against future employers Manchester United, playing in both group games against the Red Devils.
David Beckham
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After enjoying a decade of success at Manchester United, Beckham followed McManaman's lead by joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.
England's then skipper had already lifted the Champions League crown back in 1999, and he harboured hopes of doing so once more after moving to Spain. That dream never materialised though, with Real undergoing somewhat of a slump during Beckham's time with the club.
He did return to British shores though to face Arsenal in the last 16 of the 2005/06 competition, with the Gunners triumphing over Los Blancos 1-0 on aggregate.
Jonathan Woodgate
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Same game, same team and same result - with Woodgate's appearance for Real Madrid against Arsenal one of just 14 appearances he made for Los Blancos during a two-year injury nightmare.
The towering centre-back, signed from Newcastle for a fee of £13.4m in the summer of 2004, could never catch a break during his time at the club - with his only future Champions League appearance coming for Tottenham five years later against AC Milan.
Ashley Cole
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You may be thinking to yourself, when on earth did Cole come up against English opposition? Well for those of you that have forgotten, he spent two years with Roma in Serie A after departing Chelsea in 2014.
He was soon back on English shores taking on Manchester City for his new club, with I Giallorossi claiming a creditable draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Reiss Nelson
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Arsenal are renowned for farming players out on loan, with most ultimately failing to break into the Gunners' first-team setup upon your return.
One player who may buck that trend is young winger Reiss Nelson, who is currently enjoying a red-hot loan spell at Bundesliga outfit TSG Hoffenheim. His exposure to first-team football has afforded him the opportunity to play at the highest level too - with appearances against Manchester City in the Champions League now under his belt.
Jadon Sancho
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Many, many young English talents have been hyped up and portrayed as the next world beaters. But in Sancho, we may have a genuine world class talent on our hands.
His abilities were quickly noticed by Borussia Dortmund and sensing an opportunity to fast-track him into their first team, BVB pounced to land Sancho from Manchester City for a paltry sum of £8m just 18 months ago.
Sancho's value is around ten times that now, with his appearance against Tottenham at Wembley highlighting just what the Premier League may be missing.
