Top 5 British Players who played for Real Madrid

In modern-day football, we very rarely hear a British player playing his football abroad. We have seen the likes of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Santi Carazola and César Azpilicueta some of the Spanish players who play their football abroad and they have been quite successful at it.

But such a phenomenon is not seen in the United Kingdom, but when Real Madrid make an offer to a player it is very hard to resist it and British players are no exception to it.

One of the reasons why Real Madrid are so successful is that they manage to sign the best players from any team in the world even their arch-rivals FC Barcelona are no exception to it. The infamous Luis Figo transfer from Camp Nou to Bernabeu is a prime example of it.

Real Madrid have a history of buying players from top British teams such as Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool.

Thus it is no wonder they have managed to sign some British players as well in the process and some of them have managed to leave their mark with Los Blancos.

Here we look at Top five British players who have played for Real Madrid.

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#5 Micheal Owen

Owen scored 17 goals in debut campaign despite being a second choice striker.

Micheal Owen joined Real Madrid in 2004 from his boyhood club Liverpool for a fee of £8 million and Anthony Nunez moved to the Anfield as a part of the deal.

When Owen moved to Real Madrid he was more of a second choice striker behind club legend Raul and Ronaldo Nazário.

He scored 17 goals for the Los Blancos in his debut and only season in Spain and moved back to Premier League with Newcastle the next season.

A 17-goal haul in a debut campaign should be considered a success despite the fact that he was the second choice and made most of his appearances from the bench.

Though the former Manchester United striker enjoyed life at Madrid, but things were not comfortable for his family.

Due to his personal problems and insufficient time on the pitch he was unable to replicate the same form he had for Liverpool and the Real Madrid board were made clear by Owen that he wants to move away.

Owen's move helped the Los Blancos to understand how players from British region find it to settle in Spain and help them understand how to improve things for them.

#4 Gareth Bale

Bale has won almost everything with Real Madrid

Gareth Bale joined the Los Blancos for a then world record transfer fee of £85.3 million and scored crucial goals for the Los Blancos in his first season in Copa Del Rey and Champions League final.

Since then he has been plagued with injuries and he has been struggling to replicate the same form. But many times in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo the former Tottenham winger has stepped for the Blancos.

During his time in Madrid, he has won three Champions League, one La Liga, one Copa Del Rey, three Club World Cups, one Supercopa De Espana and three UEFA Super Cups.

But he has been subject to constant boos at the Bernabeu, which have resulted in him being constantly linked with a move away from the Bernabeu.

Bale has scored more than 50 goals in La Liga and alongside Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, he is a part of one most feared front three in Europe known as the BBC.

#3 David Beckham

David Beckham was nothing like what Real Madrid expected him to be

David Beckham was the perfect galactico signing for Real Madrid, he was one of the best players at that time and due to his brand value, the money spent on his signing was easily recovered by the Los Blancos.

Beckham was one of the most industrious players for Madrid and he matched it with his quality on the ball.

During his four year stay in the Spanish capital, he only managed to win one La Liga and one Supercopa De Espana.

But his performances were always impressive for the Spanish giants. He also won the club's player of the year award in 2005.

The former Manchester United winger was also one of the fan favorites. When he came many insisted that he is here to sell shirts.

But he quickly won over the Real Madrid fans by scoring on his debut against Mallorca in Super Cup Espana. He also helped Madrid win their first match away to FC Barcelona in 20 years.

The reason why Madrid fans still love him is not because of his good looks but for him being a great footballer on the pitch.

They expected a pretty boy from England, but what they got was a proper fighter. He had no big player ego like other galacticos.

Despite being a star player he played out of position and so many times covered for his teammates as well.

#2 Laurie Cunningham

Laurie is the last Madrid player to get a standing ovation from the Camp Nou fans

Laurie Cunningham was the first British player ever to play for Real Madrid. He became the second most expensive player when in July 1979 when the Los Blancos signed him for £995,000. He had a debut season to remember as he won the La Liga and the Copa Del Rey.

His best moment in the Madrid jersey came when he received a standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd for his performance, where he tore apart the Catalan defense single handly.

Even till this day, he remains the last Madrid player to receive a standing ovation from the Camp Nou.

Despite his early success and talent, he could never really managed to achieve what was expected of him. Injuries and controversies surrounded his career and he was no longer the same player that he used to be.

But he is still regarded as a top player due to the fact that he became a symbol for black players in the game who at that time suffered from a lot of racial abuse. Laurie still remains an unsung hero for the game of football.

#1 Steve McManaman

McManaman is still loved by the Real Madrid fans.

Steve McManaman left boyhood Liverpool in 1999 to join Real Madrid. He was an instant hit with the fans scoring and setting up goals for his teammates.

He spent four years with the club winning two Champions League titles, two La Liga's, two Supercopa De Espana, one UEFA Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.

There is no doubt that the Englishmen is still loved by the Bernabeu. He joined the club at a time when the club was in managerial crisis.

Despite this, he worked hard for the club on the pitch. His natural position was on the right of the midfield but for the sake of the team, he would often play out of position.

Despite his success at the Bernabeu, his exit still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of many. The arrival of Florentino Perez meant the beginning of the galactico era for Real Madrid. In the summer of 2001, he was told that he is surplus to requirement due to the arrival of Luis Figo. But he was determined to work hard and win his place back in the team.

Due to his determination and desire, he still loved so much by the Los Blancos faithful. The highlight of his career with Real Madrid will always be his incredible volley against Valencia in the Champions League final in 2000.

By winning the Champions League with Real in 2000 he became the first Brit to win Champions League with a foreign club.