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Publisher: FourFourTwo
Publisher: FourFourTwo
Germany has been a fairly popular destination for British footballers fancying a crack at the continental game over the years.
Here, we take a look at some of the most notable examples of Brits in the Bundesliga both before and after German reunification in 1990.
Without further ado, lets get to the list!
Born in England, Eric Dier grew up in Portugal and started his professional career with Sporting Lisbon from where Tottenham signed him at the age of 20.
After almost a decade at Spurs, the versatile England centre-back moved to Bayern Munich on loan, completing a permanent switch to the perennial Bundesliga champions in the summer of 2024.
Liverpool-born Wales winger Rabbi Matondo began his senior career at Schalke, joining the club from Manchester City as an 18-year-old.
He featured 32 times overall for Die Knappen before loan spells at Stoke City and Belgiums Cercle Brugge, followed by a permanent switch to Rangers ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Sunderland and Manchester City great Dave Watson had a short but eventful spell at Werder Bremen in 1979.
The 65-cap England defender was sent off in just his second game for shoving an opponent, earning himself an eight-week ban by the German FA.
Watson then found himself in the bad books again, refusing to travel to an away match at Schalke due to injury only to report for international duty
Oliver Burke won some of his early Scotland caps while playing for RB Leipzig, who he joined for a Scottish-record fee of around �13m from Nottingham Forest in 2016 to the outrage of Forest supporters.
The Fife-born forward made 26 appearances for Leipzig before leaving for West Brom breaking his own record by completing a �15m move back to England.
He returned to Germany in the summer of 2022, though, signing for Werder Bremen following their promotion to the Bundesliga.
A striker who scored well over 200 career goals, Mark McGhee swapped Aberdeen where he had won the 1982/83 Cup Winners Cup under Alex Ferguson for Hamburg in 1984.
Injuries disrupted McGhees time in the Bundesliga, but he did find the net 10 times in 38 outings for Die Rothosen.
Hoping to regain form after a disappointing debut season at Barcelona, Welsh legend Mark Hughes spent the 1987/88 campaign with Bayern Munich on loan.
During that stint, Sparky featured in two competitive games on the same day: he represented his country in a European Championship qualifier in Czechoslovakia, before flying to West Germany and coming off the bench for Bayern in a cup tie against Borussia Monchengladbach (would never happen today!).
Former Scotland midfielder Brian ONeil played 50 Bundesliga games for Wolfsburg between 1998 and 2000, having signed from Aberdeen.
During his time there, ONeil who also turned out for, among others, Celtic and Preston North End helped Die Wolfe clinch European qualification for the first time in their history and featured for them in the UEFA Cup.
Following stints with hometown side Ayr United, Celtic and Aston Villa, Alan McInally spent four years at Bayern Munich.
The eight-time Scotland international (and future Soccer Saturday reporter, of course) netted 10 times in 31 league appearances to help Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 1989/90, his first campaign in Germany.
A defensive midfielder who represented Scotland on 20 occasions from 1985 to 1991, Murdo MacLeod racked up more than 100 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
Arriving from hometown club Celtic in 1987, the versatile MacLeod helped the Black and Yellows to 1988/89 DFB-Pokal (German Cup) success playing at centre-half in the final against Werder Bremen.
An English and European champion as part of Brian Cloughs legendary Nottingham Forest side, striker Tony Woodcock arrived at Koln in the summer of 1979 and notched 28 Bundesliga goals over the course of three campaigns.
Following a four-year stint back in England with Arsenal, Woodcock returned for a second spell at Koln then finished his career in the same city at Fortuna Koln.
In between spells with Motherwell and Celtic, Paul Lambert spent a season-and-a-half at Borussia Dortmund.
The 40-cap Scotland midfielders time in Germany was a successful one: he starred in Dortmunds 1996/97 Champions League triumph, doing a fine man-marking job on Zinedine Zidane en route to victory over Juventus in the final in Munich.
Jadon Sancho spent time in the Watford and Manchester City youth systems but ultimately made his professional debut in Germany, after joining Borussia Dortmund from City in 2017.
Included in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 Bundesliga Teams of the Season, the winger earned his first England cap while playing for BVB who he left for Manchester United in 2021 for �73m.
After falling out with United boss Erik ten Hag, Sancho re-joined Dortmund on loan in January 2024.
When Owen Hargreaves made his England debut in 2001, he became just the second player to represent the Three Lions having never previously played English club football.
At the time, the tenacious defensive midfielder who was named Englands 2006 Player of the Year was plying his trade for Bayern Munich, where he won four Bundesliga titles and the 2000/01 Champions League.
Already a superstar by his late teens, Jude Bellingham represented England at three major tournaments without ever having kicked a ball in the Premier League.
Having proved his prodigy at boyhood club Birmingham City, the young midfield maestro joined Borussia Dortmund for �25m in 2020 making him the most expensive 17-year-old of all time.
He went on to feature 132 times for the Black and Yellows, scoring 24 goals and winning the DFB-Pokal, before Real Madrid came calling in 2023.
A matter of months after becoming Tottenhams all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich.
The England captain became the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history by completing an �82m move to Bavaria, and he marked his debut season with 54 goals in 54 games securing him the 2023/24 European Golden Shoe.
Having lifted numerous major trophies during a legendary spell at Liverpool, Kevin Keegan headed to West Germany for a new challenge in 1977.
And it didnt take the England skipper long to gain hero status at Hamburg who he helped to the 1978/79 Bundesliga title and 1979/80 European Cup final, scooping successive Ballons dOr in doing so.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
