TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD is set to become just the seventh Englishman to play for Real Madrid in the professional era.
The Liverpool full-back, 26, has agreed terms with the Spanish giants.
Alexander-Arnold has reportedly sealed a five-year contract worth £240,000 a week.
The England star will link up with international team-mate Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital
Over the last four years playing for the Three Lions together, the duo have forged a strong friendship.
So they will be thrilled to team up at club level for arguably the biggest team in the world.
Prior to the professional era, Englishmen Charles Wallace, Guillermo Linney and Arthur Johnson played for Los Blancos.
While a further trio – Lindsey, Stampher and Vickerstaff – also played for Real Madrid in the club’s early years, although their first names are not known.
The six England stars to have played for Real Madrid in the modern era have had mixed fortunes.
Ahead of Alexander-Arnold’s blockbuster free transfer, SunSport takes a look at how each of his English Real Madrid predecessors have fared.
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Real Madrid splashed out £950,000 to sign Cunningham from West Brom in 1979.
As one of the “Three Degrees” alongside Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson, Cunningham had left an unforgettable mark at the Hawthorns.
The left winger became an instant hit in the Spanish capital, scoring twice on his debut.
Cunningham helped his side to the LaLiga title in 1980, and played in the European Cup final against Liverpool the following year.
Following a loan spell with Manchester United, Cunningham moved to Marseille in 1984.
Having played for Leicester, Charleroi and Wimbledon, Cunningham returned to Madrid with Rayo Vallecano in 1988.
The following year he tragically died in a car crash in the city aged just 33.
Like Alexander-Arnold is set to, McManaman left boyhood club Liverpool for the bright lights of Madrid in 1999.
A silky winger, McManaman proved to be a hit in Madrid.
The Bernabeu crowd immediately took to their new English hero, with his floppy hair and nonchalant flair.
McManaman helped Real win six trophies in four years, and scored his side’s second goal in their victorious 2000 Champions League final.
He went on to leave Madrid in 2003, spending the final two years of his career with Manchester City.
After hanging up his boots, McManaman worked as a pundit for Setanta Sports, BT Sport and ESPN.
Now 53, he can regularly be seen on TNT Sports‘ football coverage, especially when Liverpool or Real Madrid are playing.
In 2003, Real Madrid made Manchester United superstar Beckham their latest Galactico.
Golden Balls joined a squad boasting the likes of Ronaldo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos in the Spanish capital.
Despite his love for high-end fashion and the celebrity lifestyle, Beckham became much beloved in Spain for his incredible work rate, professionalism and of course, quality.
Despite boasting a star-studded squad, the fabled La Decima – a tenth Champions League triumph – eluded Real Madrid during his four-year stint.
He didn’t leave empty-handed, however, winning the LaLiga title in 2007 before leaving for LA Galaxy.
Since Beckham hung up his boots in 2013 he has continued to have several endorsement deals; including the likes of Adidas, Armani, Pepsi and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Beckham, 49, also owns MLS side Inter Miami, and played a big role in their groundbreaking deal for Lionel Messi in 2023.
Like McManaman before him, Owen quit Liverpool for Real Madrid.
But the former Ballon d’Or winner endured a frustrating season at the Bernabeu, finding himself stuck behind Ronaldo and Raul.
Twelve months on from Owen’s £8million switch, Real Madrid doubled their money by flogging him to Newcastle.
Owen then spent three years with Liverpool’s rivals Man Utd, before one final year at Stoke.
Immediately after hanging up his boots, Owen signed up to be BT Sport’s primary co-commentator upon the channel’s launch.
In addition to his punditry work, the former striker has enjoyed several other ventures.
Owen, 45, has his own clothing range with Peacocks, while he also appeared on The Masked Singer.
Woodgate endured one of the most infamous debuts of all time after switching Newcastle for Real Madrid in 2004.
The luckless defender went through injury hell following the £13.4m transfer, having to wait 17 months before playing his first game.
Just 25 minutes in, the England international headed into his own net. Things then got even worse when he was sent off just after the hour mark.
Woodgate played just 14 times that season, before a loan move to Middlesbrough effectively ended his Real Madrid career.
After signing permanently for Boro, Woody earned a move to Tottenham in January 2008. He won the League Cup barely a month later, and remains the last Spurs player to score a winning goal in a cup final.
Following spells with Stoke and back at Middlesbrough, Woodgate retired in 2016.
He has since gone into coaching, managing Boro and Bournemouth.
Woodgate, 45, returned to Middlesbrough once again in 2022, where he works as a first team coach under Michael Carrick.
England superstar Bellingham sealed a blockbuster £115m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023.
The move has been a resounding success, with the midfielder immediately excelling in Spain.
Bellingham scored on his debut, and went on net five times in his first four LaLiga matches.
The image of the 21-year-old with his arms outstretched has quickly become an iconic one.
Birmingham‘s finest has already won LaLiga and the Champions League during his young career.
And with Alexander-Arnold soon to be alongside him, Bellingham will feel that he can add plenty more to his already impressive trophy tally.
LOVE Island bombshell Lucy Graybill has unveiled her new boyfriend.
The Scottish retail boss, 27, was previously in a three-year relationship with Celebs Go Dating star Connor McGhee before signing up to the show last year.
They were spotted cosying up just days before she went into Casa Amor – and set her sights on Wil Anderson.
Despite catching his eye, Lucy didn’t make it into the main villa, but has since found love with someone new.
She shared his picture with fans for the first time online as they enjoyed a romantic trip to Paris.
Replying to snaps on her Instagram of her new fella, a fan wrote: “And that’ll be the end of the soft launch xx”.
She responded: “The face card is too good to hide.”
Travis Comery is a senior investment manager who lives out in Dubai, according to his social media.
Lucy captioned the post “my favourite activity” as she posed with a glass of red wine at dinner.
In the series of pics she shared, Lucy included one of Travis – her date at the other side of the table. They are yet to post a snap together.
Lucy was left disappointed when Love Island 2024 star Wil decided to stick with Uma Jammeh after Casa Amor despite their “connection”.
The pair locked lips a number of times and shared a bed together.
But during the Casa Amor recoupling, Wil shocked Lucy by choosing Uma.
Later, Uma was heartbroken when she found out what happened, and things were made worse during Movie Night when she saw what he was up to.
Fans accused him of being “a villain” and gas lighting her.
When Uma was picked by a bombshell, Wil was dumped from the island and she quit the show to follow him out.
They are still in a relationship almost a year on from meeting each other in the villa.
Lucy’s fresh relationship follows her split from her on/off ex Conor.
The Scots marine engineer dated supermodel Lottie Moss, 26, and reality star Chloe Burrows, 28, on Celebs Go Dating.
TYSON FURY will come out of retirement to fight Anthony Joshua so long as the money is right, it’s been predicted.
The Gypsy King seemingly put the final nail in the coffin of the long-overdue Battle of Britain in January when he announced his fifth retirement following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Team AJ haven’t given up hope of the mammoth melee coming to fruition but are starting to explore other options for the Olympian’s next fight.
Former super-middleweight champ Carl Froch reckons a £100million cheque from Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalashikh will prompt Fury to lace up his gloves for one last punch-up.
But he also believes he’ll fight again because he still has plenty of tread left on the tyres, telling the Action Network: “I just think Tyson Fury had a bit more left in the tank and could’ve tried harder [against Usyk].
“He’s the bigger man and is heavier. Maybe Fury is feeling let down by himself, and that might bring him out of retirement one last time.
“The fight with Anthony Joshua is still huge.
“As much as I think it’s not as big as it could have been and isn’t as exciting without a title — if he gets offered £100m, he’ll take the fight.”
Fury, 35, was irate as he made his way backstage after his second straight loss to Usyk last December, insisting the judges had once again robbed him of victory.
And Froch claims the Wythenshawe warrior is still seething, so much so that he could actually stick to his latest retirement.
He said: “When he digs his heels in, similar to me, he’ll double down on it. A lot of boxers are like that.
“He retired because, deep down, he probably knows he’s past his best.
“He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, and I know personally that he is p****d.
“I spoke to someone close to his team and he’s really frustrated and p*** off that he lost the rematch.
“But he did lose, and he lost fair and square.
“It was a close fight, but it wasn’t very entertaining, not like the first one, which had moments of excitement.
“In the rematch, not a lot happened, but I think Usyk did enough to win.”
Fury’s cousin, Andy Lee, recently claimed the former two-time heavyweight champion can no longer “be f****d” with boxing.
But Fury’s apparent disdain for the sport isn’t stopping AJ from dreaming of sharing the ring with him later this year.
During a recent interview with iFL TV, he said of the domestic dust-up: “I feel like it’s the best fight [for me].
“People might say [Joseph] Parker, people might say – I don’t know.
“But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense.
“You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving.
“And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up.
“And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser.
“And there’s going to be bloodshed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”
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