Bellingham, Beckham & Co – English players with the most non-PL top-5 league goal contributions

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Six of top 10 currently abroad 

©TM/IMAGO

The Premier League is one of the most admired divisions in world football. Players flock from every corner of the world to try and make it in the English top-flight. It has meant in the past that most English players haven’t had to travel far to play for a top quality team, and have often preferred to have the creature comforts of playing in the country they represent internationally. During the Three Lions so called ‘golden generation’ all of the stars (perhaps excluding David Beckham) spent the bulk of their prime career playing in the Premier League. At the 2010 World Cup, every player in England’s squad played in the Premier League. The only other nations who could say the same, in that their entire squad played in their own domestic league, were Italy and Germany. 

Nowadays things are different. Some of England’s top talents have been lured to foreign shores. Jude Bellingham, one of the world’s most valuable player at €180m, has spent the last five seasons outside of the British isles, representing Borussia Dortmund and now Real Madrid. Harry Kane traded Tottenham for Bayern Munich, and many other Englishmen are following suit. But this century, which English players have had the biggest impact on the continent?

At Transfermarkt, we have calculated the English players with the most goal contributions (goals and assists) in the the other top-five leagues, excluding the Premier League, since 2000. So that’s their numbers in LaLiga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. Surprisingly, emphasising the shift in English player’s attitudes of late, six of the top ten across the last 25 years are currently playing abroad in Europe’s top-five leagues. Only league statistics are taken into account.

The player leading the way with the most goals and assists in the top-five leagues outside of the Premier League since 2000, is in fact Jadon Sancho, whom registered as many as 91 goal contributions in just 118 games across his two spells at Borussia Dortmund. The winger shone in the Bundesliga but has struggled upon returning to the Premier League. In second place is Kane – the England captain has already managed 73 goal contributions in just 53 games for Bayern Munich. Third place goes to Bellingham, who has 66 goals and assists from midfield in 140 games for Dortmund and Real Madrid.

In fourth place is the legendary Beckham, who amassed 63 goal contributions in 155 games for Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG. Behind him in fifth is Tammy Abraham who has 37 goal contributions in Serie A for Roma and AC Milan. Sixth place goes to Stephy Mavididi, now of Leicester, who provided 32 goal contributions during his time at Juventus, Dijon and Montpellier. Seventh is Mason Greenwood, with 31 goal contributions at Getafe and Marseille. Eighth place goes to former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who amassed 21 goal contributions in 145 games for Bayern Munich. Borussia Dortmund’s bright young winger Jamie Gittens, who could be in line for his first ever England call up this March, is ninth with 20 goals and assists in 67 matches in the Bundesliga. Completing the top 10 is midfielder Angel Gomes who has 20 Ligue 1 goal contributions for Lille.