European Dream

A look at why a host of players are now leaving British shores to find success on the continent.

European Dream

Watching Rasmus Hojlund score a brace for Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, with both goals assisted by the equally rejuvinated Kevin De Bruyne, was a wonderful sight to see given the travails the young striker endured over the last few seasons.

The Dane arrived at Manchester United after a successful, if not spectacular, season at Atalanta but immediately had huge pressure put upon him due to the state of desperation that the Red Devils are currently in. Like many before and after him, it didn’t really work out, with his needs not being catered for and his game suffering badly. His story of too much pressure coming too soon is not a solitary one.

De Bruyne was one of the Premier League’s best players, winning multiple trophies for Manchester City, but after a couple of seasons plagued by injuries he found himself no longer central to Pep Guardiola’s plans for a new look team. Like many others, he found himself surplus to requirements but not ready to give up on being a star.

Both men required a fresh start and Napoli came calling. Thought about alongside recent examples of many British players succeeding there, it also put the question in my mind as to whether Serie A now really is the go to place to revitalise, or indeed kickstart, a career.

Another member of the Napoli team, Scott McTominay, may well agree. Not even the most diehard of Manchester United fans would ever have pegged the Scot for a Ballon D’Or nomination during his spell at Old Trafford, but that was the case this year. And well deserved it was after an excellent season where he drove his team forward to the Serie A title.

He was aided in his quest by another international teammate, Billy Gilmour, who travelled to Italy in search of more regular opportunities. Although he has played 32 matches for the Neapolitans, unlike McTominay who made himself an integral part of the staring XI, Gilmour has only made one start. However, he is still averaging over 40 minutes per game so is by no means just a bit part player.

It seems that as well as being a place for those aiming to boost a career, Serie A is also being viewed as a something of a proving ground by other young British players. Carrying on with the Scots, Aaron Hickey travelled over at just 18, enjoying great success in two years at Bologna before earning a move to the Premier League with Brentford.

As Hickey left the city known as ‘La Rossa’ after its distinctive red tiled roofs, Lewis Ferguson arrived, leading Bologna to the Champions League as club captain before injuries derailed his progress a little. He did return and resume his role as captain as Bologna won the Coppa Italia last season though, their first major trophy for 51 years.

Josh Doig is another Scottish youngster to have tried his hand in Serie A, firstly with Hellas Verona and now with Sussuolo whilst Che Adams is finding redemption at Torino after a somewhat unfulfilling 5 years at Southampton. He scored 9 goals in his first season in Italy, a decent feat in what is still a tough, defensive league.

It’s not just the Scots either. Former Chelsea graduates Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all found success wearing the famous red and black of AC Milan (Abraham also won the Europa Conference League with Roma) and others such as Chris Smalling and Ben Godfrey have also found success. These players haven’t necessarily found consistent joy at top level English or Scottish clubs but are taking the opportunity to succeed abroad.

At the other end of the scale, this season Jamie Vardy has jetted over for one last hurrah with Cremonese. Although he has only made one appearance so far, his new side have made a promising start, going unbeaten in their first five matches. Vardy has reportedly picked up a minor injury, but he will be hoping to nail a regular first team a spot when he is ready.

British players heading across to enjoy the Italian lifestyle is nothing new. In the heyday of the 80s, the likes of Liam Brady, Graeme Souness and Ray Wilkins all graced Serie A pitches. When Channel 4 started broadcasting Italian matches in the 90s, fans could tune in to watch Gazza, David Platt, Des Walker and Paul Ince.

During those decades, Serie A was seen as the best, and most challenging, league in the world and the globe’s greatest players flocked there to challenge themselves against the best. Platini, Matthaus, Ronaldo, Zidane, Gullit, Rijkaard and Van Basten all starred and won trophies whilst in Italy.

Since then, Serie A has arguably lost its place as the most revered league on the planet. This has been down to a number of factors including corruption scandals, broadcasters moving games all across the weekend taking away the traditional Sunday afternoon slot, and the rise of other leagues. Players still want to play in Italy, and as noted above many British players are finding their way there, but there is perhaps even more lure to play elsewhere.

For British players at the peak of their powers, the biggest draw now seems to be Spain. Jude Bellingham has become a global superstar since joining Real Madrid, becoming the heartbeat of their team for a period of time and his success there has also drawn his international teammate and friend Trent Alexander-Arnold to join him. In the past, other stars such as Steve McManaman, Gareth Bale and David Beckham were also drawn to the multi-time European champions.

Barcelona has not been quite as popular an option for British players (with the Catalan club often more likely to promote homegrown stars or find wonders from South America) but Marcus Rashford is finding a new lease of life on loan there at the moment, joining the legacy of Steve Archibald and Gary Lineker from the 80s. To play home games at the Nou Camp must be a dream for any player.

Other players have also recently found success in Spain including Kieran Trippier and Conor Gallagher at Atletico Madrid and Oliver Burke at Alaves. With Spain being one of the more popular destinations for British expats, as well as being a league doused in history, it is no surprise that it is tempting for players from our shores.

In the late 1970s Kevin Keegan ran rampant across the Bundesliga, and Europe, with Hamburg and it seems that the top German league is once again proving a good hunting ground for British players. The big name is obviously Harry Kane who finally won some silverware with Bayern Munich last season but there are also a host of youngsters using the Bundesliga to make their name.

Jadon Sancho made waves when moving to Borussia Dortmund at a young age, shunning the idea of fighting through the (often thick) glass ceiling at Manchester City to try and guarantee himself a better chance of top class first team football. His plan worked out incredibly well and he became a top player and won trophies during his time in the Rhineland.

So successful was Sancho, that Dortmund has since become a haven for young English talent with Jude Bellingham following suit before his move to Madrid, followed by his brother Jobe as well as others such as Jamie Gittens and Carney Chukwuemeka. The fact that such talented youngsters are now seeing moving abroad as a good opportunity says a lot about the chances, or lack thereof, that homegrown players trying to break through feel that they are given in the Premier League.

France, Turkey and the Netherlands are among other players where the new revolution of Brits abroad is taking place. This week both Eric Dier and Mason Greenwood scored in the Champions League for French teams, bringing back memories of Hoddle and Waddle starring for Ligue 1 teams in the past. Jordan Henderson captained Ajax before moving back to the Premier League with Brentford whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tammy Abraham have spent time in Turkey.

For a period of time there seemed to be a real lack of desire for most British players to travel, or a lack of want for top European teams to sign them. From the dawn of the Premier League, British players, perhaps understandably, wanted to be a success in what quickly became the biggest league in the world. There were the odd exceptions like McManaman, Beckham and Michael Owen, but in reality, home comforts seemed to win out.

However, Brits weren’t the only ones who wanted to play on our shores as, like with Serie A in previous decades, the best players from across the world wanted to come. This led to fewer opportunities for young British players coming through and therefore other avenues have had to be found. Playing abroad now seems to be a genuine option as youngsters are seeing the successes of their peers and older players are seeing the opportunity to find something new.

Serie A has taken the headlines recently as a place for British players, alongside those of other nationalities like Hojlund and De Bruyne, from the Premier League to find success again, but in reality movement is bigger than that.

The impact that this will have may take a while to be truly seen. In terms of international football it can only be a good thing for the likes of Scotland and England to have players getting consistent game time in different European leagues, allowing them to bring diverse experiences to a squad. Players getting game time is always a good thing after all.

It will also be interesting to see if there is a lasting impact on development and academies as players may begin to seek opportunities further afield at an increasingly young age, just like Sancho, or even the great Lionel Messi many years ago.

Right now though, it is lovely to see players that may not have been provided the opportunity at home or have struggled in the Premier League to find the joy in playing football again. After all, first and foremost, games are meant to be an enjoyable endeavour.