The Top English Footballers Playing Outside of the Premier League

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British Passports with Map of Europe

For many years it was exceedingly rare for British footballers to play abroad. There were exceptions, going back all the way to Herbert Kilpin, who played for AC Milan in 1899! Kilpin, in fact, was the player-manager, and in full “write the theme tune, sing the theme tune” style, he is also credited as one of the founders of the great club.

More recently players such as Leeds-then-Juve legend John Charles have sampled life beyond these shores, as well as Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne, David Platt, Chris Waddle and more recently still, David Beckham. However, the best players from the UK have generally stayed put and played in the UK, mainly in England. But over the past five to 10 years there has been a marked increase in the number of very good Premier League players trying their hand at clubs across Europe.

There are a range of reasons for this, including globalisation in general, an increasing desire to experience different cultures, and the limited opportunities young players are granted in the Premier League due to the spending power of the top English teams. It seems almost certain that another top English footballer will be playing overseas in 2025/26, with news emerging that Liverpool and England player Trent Alexander-Arnold will sign for Real Madrid.

The Liverpool native, lauded as “one of our own” by Reds, and valued at around £80m, will leave on a free transfer once the current season has ended. Out of contract in the summer, the 26-year-old will be a big loss to Liverpool and fans may well wonder how this situation has been allowed to occur. It is not a done deal yet but reputable sources are suggesting that the defender, capped 33 times by England, has all-but signed the contract to join Los Blancos.

England’s Finest Opt to Play Outside the Premier League

If “Trent” does leave the club he has been at since the age of six, he will join possibly England’s best player at Real Madrid. Jude – clearly no last names are needed – signed for Real in June 2023 but of course he did not move from a PL club, but a Bundesliga one.

Bellingham (ah, he does have a surname!) is highly unusual in having played for England without ever appearing in the Premier League. He left Birmingham at the age of just 17 to sign for Borussia Dortmund in July 2020, the Germans having paid an age-record fee of £25m for the versatile midfielder, with add-ons potentially taking that sum much higher.

Dortmund, no stranger to promising English talent, made a healthy profit on the young Lion, however, and sold him for a fee that could rise as high as €134m. He made a good start to life in La Liga and it remains to be seen whether he will play out his career there or make a return to English football and a debut in the Premier League.

England’s other huge star to currently play abroad is skipper Harry Kane. Bayern Munich paid a huge sum for the former Spurs man, who would surely have broken the PL goals record had he stayed in English football. He may return and still do that but for now silverware, at last, beckons, with his goals sure to guide the Munich giants to glory this term.

Other Oversees England Players

George Cross on England Flag

Jordan Henderson was a surprise name in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad and he currently plays for Ajax in the Netherlands. Henderson went from Liverpool, via a brief stint in Saudi Arabia, to the Dutch Eredivisie. Henderson won just about everything there was to in with Liverpool and boasts 83 England caps. Now 34, his ability to get around the pitch may be waning, but his leadership and organisation are huge parts of his game.

Another England old-stager to be playing abroad at the moment is Kyle Walker. Though he officially remains a Man City player; he has been on loan with Milan since the start of 2025, and a permanent move to Italy seems almost certain, with Walker out of contract in the summer.

A number of other players with England experience, or in the running for future squads, are also currently playing for elite clubs beyond these shores. Here are just some of them…

Jamie Gittens, Borussia Dortmund

Winger Gittens has played for England at most age-group levels and if he continues on his current trajectory the 20-year-old will get a senior cap soon enough. Born in Reading, he was snapped up by Man City’s academy but left in 2020 to join Dortmund. In the 2024/25 campaign he has played regularly, scoring 11 times in 40 matches up to the international break in March.

In addition to Gittens, Eric Dier plays for Bayern Munich, whilst Chukwuemeka is also at Dortmund, on loan from Chelsea.

Conor Gallagher, Atletico Madrid

Gallagher, who only turned 25 in February, joined Atleti from Chelsea in August 2024. The permanent transfer cost the Madrid outfit over £30m. The combative midfielder has won 21 caps for England and has made a decent start in Spain, appearing 37 times thus far and netting three times.

Several with England Experience Call Italy Home

As well as Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham and Dele Alli all ply their trade in Serie A. All have played for England and, of course, Alli for a long time looked like he would go on to be a true legend.

Personal issues away from football have probably prevented him from playing at the top again but he has been given yet another chance to show he still has what it takes with Cesc Fabregas’ Como. Tomori, Loftus-Cheek and Abraham probably all still harbour hopes of playing for England and are three more players who have been, one might say, chewed up and spat out by Chelsea’s strategy of buying a vast squad.

Young Flourish in France

There are some exciting young players currently trying to improve in France’s Ligue 1 too, with Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Charlie Cresswell all playing for French clubs. Greenwood is almost certain never to play for England again but has one cap. He has scored 16 goals in 28 games for Marseille this term.

Gomes, another youngster who left Man United and ended up in France, will hope to play for England again, whilst Cresswell left Leeds United for the sunnier climes of Toulouse in the summer of 2024. The central defender has 19 U21 caps for England and could yet make the step up.