Most English footballers still prefer playing at home to moving abroad.
While it is much more common for players from overseas to travel, comparatively few footballers from England have chosen that path.
There have been a few over the years, though, and some of those have made their mark in European competitions.
Here, a look at some of the English players who scored for foreign clubs in the European Cup or the Champions League…
Brian Deane (Benfica)
Brian Deane scored the Premier League’s first-ever goal at Sheffield United in August 1992 and later, the former England international was one of several British players signed by Graeme Souness at Benfica.
Deane only spent nine months with the Lisbon club, scoring seven times in the Portuguese league in that time. He also netted in a Champions League qualifier against Beitar Jerusalam as Benfica won 6-0 at the Estádio da Luz in August 1998.
Michael Owen (Real Madrid)
Michael Owen’s sole season at Real Madrid in 2004/05 was somewhat underwhelming, with 16 goals in 45 appearances and no trophies.
The former Liverpool and England striker scored once in the Champions League, netting the winner against Dynamo Kyiv in the group stages at the Santiago Bernabéu in October 2004.
Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund)
After leaving Manchester City in 2020, Jamie Gittens started his professional career at Borussia Dortmund and made his Bundesliga debut in April 2022.
The winger’s first Champions League goal came in a 3-1 win away to AC Milan in November 2023. After appearing as a late substitute in the final as Dortmund lost to Real Madrid, Gittens came off the bench to score twice in a 3-0 win at Club Brugge in the opening game of the 2024/25 campaign. He also scored against Real Madrid and Dinamo Zagreb in the league phase.
Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
AC Milan finished bottom of their Champions League group in a forgettable European campaign in the 2021/22 season.
Fikayo Tomori scored an own goal as the Rossoneri lost 3-2 to Liverpool at Anfield in September. The England defender netted at the right end in the return at San Siro in December, but Milan still lost the game 2-1.
Marcus Edwards (Sporting CP)
Marcus Edwards scored Sporting CP’s opening Champions League goal in a 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2022 and also netted in a 1-1 draw away to former club Tottenham the following month.
On target with a penalty in the Europa League quarter-finals later in the season, the winger scored against Atalanta in the competition again in November 2023.
David Beckham (Real Madrid)
David Beckham scored twice in the Champions League in his four seasons at Real Madrid and both goals were from free-kicks.
The former England captain scored in a 2-1 win away to Marseille in November 2003 and then again in a 4-1 victory at home to Rosenborg in October 2005.
Angel Gomes (Lille)
After starting his career at Manchester United, Angel Gomes spent a season on loan at Boavista and later established himself in Ligue 1 with Lille.
The midfielder scored in a 3-1 win at Wolfsburg in the Champions League group stages in December 2021 and was on target again in a 6-1 thrashing of Feyenoord in January 2025. He also netted twice in the Europa Conference League in 2023/24.
Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund thrashed Atlético Madrid 4-0 at the Signal Iduna Park in the Champions League group stages in October 2018 and Jadon Sancho scored BVB’s third goal on the night.
It was the England forward’s first Champions League goal and he added four more at Dortmund over the next two seasons before signing for Manchester United in the summer of 2021.
Chris Waddle (Marseille)
Chris Waddle spent three seasons at Olympique Marseille between 1989 and 1992, helping the French club to the European Cup final in 1991.
En route to the final, Marseille beat AC Milan 2-1 on aggregate in the last eight and Waddle scored the winner in the second leg after a 1-1 draw at the San Siro. In total, the former Tottenham winger scored four times in the European Cup for the French outfit.
Laurie Cunningham (Real Madrid)
A talented left winger who played for Real Madrid between 1979 and 1982, Laurie Cunningham scored six goals in European matches for Los Blancos.
On target three times as Madrid reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1979/80, Cunningham scored twice en route to the final the following season and netted another in the UEFA Cup in 1981/82. The winger returned to Madrid later in his career with Rayo Vallecano and tragically passed away in a car accident in the Spanish capital at the age of just 33 in 1989.
Conor Gallagher (Atlético Madrid)
Conor Gallagher scored inside a minute for Atlético Madrid against Real Madrid in the teams’ Champions League last-16 second leg match in March 2025.
The England midfielder’s first-ever Champions League goal levelled the tie at 2-2, but the Rojiblancos later lost on penalties after the controversial decision to disallow a Julián Álvarez spot-kick as the Argentine was adjudged to have touched the ball twice.
Tammy Abraham (AC Milan)
Tammy Abraham was instrumental in Roma’s Europa Conference League win in 2021/22, scoring nine times en route to the title. The following season, the England international netted once as the Giallorossi went all the way to the final, losing out to Sevilla.
On loan to AC Milan for the 2024/25 season, Abraham scored important goals in narrow Champions League wins against Slovan Bratislava and Red Star Belgrade in the league phase.
Kevin Keegan (Hamburg)
Kevin Keegan spent three seasons at Hamburg between 1977 and 1980 and the former England striker won the Ballon d’Or twice in that time.
Keegan helped Hamburg to the Bundesliga title in 1978/79 and to the European Cup final the following season, scoring twice against Dinamo Tbilisi in the second round, with HSV beaten by Nottingham Forest in the final. Keegan also scored twice in the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the German side.
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid)
Jude Bellingham became one of the youngest scorers in Champions League history when he netted for Borussia Dortmund against Manchester City at the age of 17 years and 289 days in April 2021.
At Real Madrid, the England midfielder scored four times in the group stages in his debut season, netting winners against Union Berlin and Braga as well as goals home and away to Napoli. Los Blancos went on to win the competition. In 2024/25, he was on target against Atalanta and Brest in the league phase, before netting in stoppage time in the first leg of Madrid’s knockout round play-off win at Manchester City.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
After leaving Tottenham for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, Harry Kane scored eight Champions League goals in his debut season with the Bavarian club.
The England captain netted three times over two legs as Bayern beat Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout round to reach double figures in the continental competition in 2024/25, having hit four in a 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb back in October.
Steve McManaman (Real Madrid)
A two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Steve McManaman scored Los Blancos’ second goal in a 3-0 victory over Valencia in the 2000 final.
McManaman’s scissor-kick volley earned him the nickname “Karate Kid” in Spain. He also scored twice en route to the title again in 2002, including a second Madrid goal in a 2-0 win against Barcelona at Camp Nou, and both in a 2-2 draw with AEK Athens the following October.
