GOAL brings you the latest on the British players who are thriving away from home, as several stars choose to make a living in Europe and even beyond. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.
The grass isn't always greener, but plenty of Britain's footballing expats are enjoying themselves both across Europe and, in some cases, further afield. England's captain has found a new home over in Germany, while the Three Lions' most promising midfielder is a Galactico in Spain and Scotland's Ballon d'Or hero is a king in Italy. This weekend, there were several success stories, some of heartbreak and one notable case of football romanticism.
Every Monday this season, GOAL will bring you the definitive lowdown on British stars abroad, how they're doing, which of them are enjoying life away and who could do with coming home. Let's dive in…
Getty Images SportKane makes amends to extend Bayern's streak
Bayern Munich went into Saturday's match away at Union Berlin having won all 16 games to begin 2025-26. With their capital hosts firmly mid-table in the Bundesliga, Vincent Kompany's side were widely expected to run out victors again.
Yet Union threw a spanner in the works. After an opening goal from Ilyas Ansah was ruled out by VAR for offside, Manuel Neuer spilled a trickling shot from Danilho Doekhi over the line to ensure Bayern indeed fell behind in the first half. Only an incredible solo effort from Luis Diaz meant the visitors were able to go into the break on level terms.
Bayern pushed on to find a second goal, but found themselves scrambling for merely one point when Doekhi scored again on 83 minutes, with Kane's limp header from a free-kick turned in by the centre-back. The enigmatic Stadion An der Alten Forsterei thought it was going to see a famous Union win, until Kane went from zero to Bavarian hero. In the third minute of added time, Tom Bischof sent in a delicious cross, and the England captain pounced ahead of his marker to nod it in at the near post.
"It was a tough game. We expected a battle and a lot of long balls. Many decisions and small fouls went against us today," Kane bemoaned post-match. "It wasn't our best game, but we stayed focused and managed to equalise. That's football, there are games like today where things go against you. We'll take the point.
"Obviously it was my mistake for the second goal. So I was itching to get the chance at the end there and put it away, and thankfully Tom put a great ball in and I snuck it past the 'keeper. I've been playing football long enough to know, this is part of it, mistakes are going to happen. It's just nice to be able to help teams out."
Kane did, however, reserve special praise for fellow scorer Diaz, who has been a revelation at Bayern since joining from Liverpool over the summer. "Incredible to be honest," he said of the strike. "The way he kept the ball in and got past his defender and then score was, just a special goal, a really, really special goal. He's been pulling stuff out like that all season but I reckon that's probably his best."
AdvertisementAFPBellingham draws a blank
For some reason, the bourgeoisie of Real Madrid simply cannot buy a win away at working-class club Rayo Vallecano, who are situated on the edge of the Spanish capital. Their stadium, Vallecas, has only three stands and a capacity of under 15,000, yet it has a reputation as one of the toughest places to go in La Liga.
Madrid have now failed to win on any of their last four visits to Rayo, drawing three and losing one in that time. Their latest stalemate came on Sunday, with both sides cancelling each other out as it finished 0-0. Despite boasting all the star talent you could ever hope for, Xabi Alonso's men mustered a mere 0.98 expected goals from 21 shots.
That wasn't for the want of Jude Bellingham's trying, though. He saw two close-range efforts blocked and picked the Rayo lock on several occasions. It's hardly his fault that Madrid dropped points and failed to score for a second-successive game across all competitions, following their 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League in midweek.
"Always difficult in Vallecas but we take the point and move forward," Bellingham wrote on Instagram. "We have to stick together and prepare for another tough spell of games coming after the break. Hala Madrid."
Sandwiched between last week's matches at club level, Bellingham secured a return to the England squad having been left out of their last two camps. Head coach Thomas Tuchel has promised the Madrid man a "central role" given his unique skillset as an attacking midfielder who has the scoring instincts of a forward.
Getty Images SportRashford becomes La Liga's assist king
When you think of Marcus Rashford at full tilt, you think of one of the most ruthless ball-strikers and emphatic finishers in the game. You think of his electric pace and confidence to skip past defenders without hesitance. You don't really envisage him as a forward who would consider passing before shooting.
Maybe the ethos of Barcelona has overcome him. His tally of six assists is the most of any player in La Liga so far this season, and already the third-highest Rashford has recorded in a league campaign since turning professional, only bettered by sums of seven in 2019-20 and nine in 2020-21.
The headlines belonged to Robert Lewandowski after he bagged a hat-trick in Barca's 4-2 triumph at Celta Vigo on Sunday, but Rashford's two assists for the Pole didn't go unnoticed. The Manchester United loanee whipped in a delicious cross for Lewandowski to tap home to put the visitors 2-1 up towards the end of the first half, before delivering a corner that the No.9 headed up and in to round off the scoring late on.
Rashford's all-round performance earned special praise from Catalan outlet , who wrote: "Rashford contributed his excellent passing ability to the team and also greatly improved his pressing, which was key to Barcelona's victory in Vigo."
In less positive news for Rashford, Barca sporting director Deco has hinted the club will not be able to afford to trigger his £30.3 million (€35m/$39.9m) purchase clause until the summer, with a tight budget in place for the rest of the season.
Getty ImagesMcTominay loses in Serie A's battle of Scots
Napoli look far from the beast who romped their way to the Scudetto last season. An inauspicious start to 2025-26 has left Antonio Conte on the brink of another meltdown. The mood and vibes around Naples are through the floor, despite their beloved team sitting only two points off the top of the Serie A table.
Ballon d'Or nominee Scott McTominay also hasn't lived up to the same expectations of him this term either, scoring just once in the league since the opening day while battling with an ankle issue over recent weeks. A trip to Bologna on Sunday was a chance for Napoli and their star midfielder to claim a scalp and head into the international break on a high, but it's one they spectacularly squandered.
Conte's side mustered only four shots – two from McTominay himself – as they fell to a 2-0 defeat, with the hosts inspired by captain Lewis Ferguson, who appears to be over the worst of his injury struggles. Ex-Napoli striker Roberto Sosa has even suggested Conte has lost the dressing room and that showed in their performance, commenting: "It's the typical match you see when the players want to get rid of the coach. The players weren't even angry despite being two goals down, and I've said this before about other teams. Today, I have to say it about Napoli."
Meanwhile, have reported that McTominay has told Conte to make a fresh play for former United team-mate Kobbie Mainoo, who was linked with the Italian champions during the summer window after asking to leave Old Trafford. Whether or not Conte will actually be at the club come January remains to be seen.