GOAL runs through the best and worst of British players plying their trade on foreign soil. Now more than ever, British players are finding that the grass can be greener elsewhere. The lure of the Premier League remains grand, but it's not the be-all and end-all. In fact, some of the home nations' biggest stars have decided to take their talents abroad to the mainland continent and beyond.
England's captain is in the Bundesliga, two of their other best players are at Santiago Bernabeu, and there's now even one at the rebuilt Camp Nou. With the 2025-26 European season now properly underway after the September international break, there have been contrasting fortunes for the Britons who are currently making a living away from home.
GOAL will be breaking down the winners and losers each week, and here's our latest round-up after a weekend that saw a host of heavyweight European teams make big statements of intent…
AFPWinner: Harry Kane
Fresh from scoring in England's thumping World Cup qualifying victory over Serbia, Kane continued his scintillating early-season form for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The 32-year-old hit a brace and notched an assist as the German champions thrashed Hamburg 5-0 at Allianz Arena.
Serge Gnabry opened the scoring before Aleksandar Pavlovic made it two inside 10 minutes, with Kane feeding a perfect pass through to the latter after some neat link-up play on the edge of the box. The England captain extended Bayern's lead with a trademark penalty and they went in at the interval 4-0 up thanks to a deflected Luis Diaz strike.
Vincent Kompany's side understandably took their foot off the gas in the second half, but Kane rounded off the comprehensive victory just after the hour mark, producing a sublime first touch to ghost past his marker before firing low into the net. That's now 11 goal contributions in his first five appearances across all competitions for Bayern this season, which is staggering when you consider he only really had one month's rest over the summer due to the club's exertions at the expanded Club World Cup.
Could it be that Kane is making an early play for the 2026 Ballon d'Or? He is too humble to ever admit such an ambition, but there is a real edge to his play at the moment, and Bayern will be genuine Champions League contenders if he can keep it up.
"This team suits me a lot: the way we play, the way we press, it gives me space and it gives me chances to get on the ball; I have runners in behind," Kane said after the game, which suggests Kompany's high-intensity system is now working at optimal capacity, and that could very well mean that Bayern's star striker soon becomes a Golden Ball favourite.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLoser: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold's dream move to Real Madrid is quickly turning into a nightmare. The ex-Liverpool star was dropped to the bench for the second time this season as Los Blancos battled to a vital 2-1 victory away at Real Sociedad, which maintained their perfect record in La Liga after four games.
Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler grabbed the goals for the visitors as Real secured all three points despite having to play the best part of 60 minutes with 10 men after Dean Huijsen's red card. Alexander-Arnold had very little to do with the final result, though, coming on in the 82nd minute as Xabi Alonso's team closed out the win.
Dani Carvajal once again got the nod at right-back over the England international, who is now being forced to face up to a bleak reality: he may not be a guaranteed starter under Alonso. "Whoever deserves it will play; it's going to be very repetitive all year," the Madrid boss said in the build-up to the game, but it's clear that right now, Carvajal is a better fit for his disciplined style of play.
With so much firepower up top already, Alexander-Arnold's playmaking qualities are not as important for Real as Carvajal's defensive nous. That all being said, the 26-year-old has time on his side to change the situation, and Carvajal's subpar performance against Sociedad will have doubtless aided his cause.
The Spain full-back recklessly gave away the penalty that got Sociedad back into the contest, and he is not as mobile as he once was at 33. If Alexander-Arnold can sharpen up off the ball and make the most of his opportunities, which will be more frequent once the Champions League kicks off, he can still become a key player for Real as they chase silverware across all fronts once again.
Winner: Marseille's ex-Man Utd duo
Marseille suffered a disappointing loss to Lyon before the international break, but bounced back impressively on Friday when welcoming Lorient to Stade Velodrome. The most decisive moment of the game came just nine minutes in, when Michael Murillo was hauled down in the box after brilliantly controlling a long pass to put himself in a clear goalscoring position.
Darlin Yongwa was sent off his clumsy challenge and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, with Mason Greenwood subsequently stepping up to calmly roll the ball into the net and put Marseille in front. The ex-Manchester United forward then turned provider, delivering a wicked in-swinging corner for Benjamin Pavard to head home the second goal for Roberto De Zerbi's side.
That was Pavard's first goal for Marseille since arriving on loan from Inter, and another summer signing put them out of sight in the 33rd minute. After a mis-hit clearance fell kindly to Angel Gomes, who joined the club on a free transfer after leaving Lille, the midfielder set himself before unleashing an unstoppable volley that flew into the top corner from 20 yards out.
Nayef Aguerd sealed a 4-0 win for Marseille late on, but the two United academy graduates took most of the plaudits, and rightly so. Greenwood will again be Marseille's chief goal threat as they bid to push Paris Saint-Germain closer this season, and De Zerbi will hope that Gomes can be similarly influential in the south of France.
"The club had a great transfer window, the team is strong, the players are very good," the Marseille coach told reporters. "We can think that this is our first league match since it is the first time our players played together. There is a lot of enthusiasm to wear the OM jersey." With Real Madrid up next in the Champions League, Marseille will need to maintain that "enthusiasm" across the pitch.
Getty Images SportLoser: Jobe Bellingham
“I like his attitude to his job. I like the passion he shows. As a 19-year-old, that’s not something to be taken for granted. He’s certainly very mature for his age," Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovac said of Jobe Bellingham in his first press conference after the international break. "He knows where he comes from, he knows where he is, and he also knows where he wants to go. You see that every day in our work with him."
They were strong words of praise for the former Sunderland star, who showed that "passion" when playing on after suffering a nasty head injury in Dortmund's 3-0 win over Union Berlin on August 31. Bellingham also scored for the England U21s in their European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan, which would have left him brimming with confidence upon his return to BVB.
But in a very surprising move, Kovac ended up leaving Bellingham out of his latest starting lineup, with Felix Nmecha and Pascal Gross selected in centre midfield against Heidenheim. Bellingham did come on for the final 25 minutes, but only when Dortmund were 2-0 up and cruising against the 10-man hosts, who saw their star striker Budu Zivzivadze pick up a red card in the first half for a dangerous tackle. Kovac may be impressed with the teenager's mentality, but it's obvious he doesn't yet fully trust him to deliver consistently strong performances.
With Marcel Sabitzer, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Salih Ozcan also vying for minutes in the middle of the park, Bellingham is fighting a tough battle to establish himself at Signal Iduna Park, especially given that Kovac has already pigeon-holed him as a specialist No.6. There is no need to panic just yet, but Bellingham will need to make a big impression in the coming matches to avoid becoming a backup player.