GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. 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.
Most of Europe played their final matches before their winter breaks this weekend, with the rest of the continent not quite as receptive to the idea of festive football as they are in the United Kingdom. There were stellar performances from two of England's best players, while there is a cup final between two Scotsmen to be played on a different continent altogether.
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Kane skippers Bayern on landmark weekend
It feels like Harry Kane shatters a new record every weekend, but there was some significance to his antics on Sunday. The striker scored the final goal of Bayern Munich's 4-0 win away at Heidenheim, neatly bringing the ball under control before swivelling and firing in at the goalkeeper's near post.
That's par for the course for golf-fanatic Kane, but this was his 100th contribution in the Bundesliga – a split of 81 goals and 19 assists – in 78 games, becoming the quickest player to reach that milestone in the competition's history, while he ends 2025 with 60 goals in all competitions.
This performance also came off the back of being named German Footballing Personality of the Year for the first time. Kane was also handed the captain's armband for the first time at Bayern, with regular skippers Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich both sitting this match out. Bayern are halfway to an unbeaten domestic season and lead the Bundesliga by nine points from second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
"Ending the year on a high! Great performance today to round off a brilliant start to the season. On a personal note delighted to lead the boys out as captain and reach 100 goal contributions in the Bundesliga. Time to to recover over the winter break and go again in 2026," Kane wrote on Instagram post-match.
Regarding the win to ensure Bayern ended 2025 unbeaten on the road in the Bundesliga, Kane told the press: "We put in a good performance in the first half, scoring two goals and dominating the game. In the second half, we missed a lot of chances, and Heidenheim also had some good opportunities, where Jonas [Urbig] made a few good saves. We could have decided the game earlier – but in the end, it's an important win."
"I won my first team trophy in the summer, which was very special," he added, reflecting on 2025. "We also gained a lot of energy as a team at the Club World Cup, and that's hard to break. We're in a good position in every competition, so we'll see how far we can go, we'll try to continue as well as possible."
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Bellingham back among goals
Real Madrid were made to work by Sevilla for their 2-0 win in La Liga on Saturday, with an anxious Bernabeu crowd at least seeing their side take the three points as an early Christmas present. Los Blancos opened the scoring shortly before the half-time break when Rodrygo's whipped free-kick picked out Jude Bellingham, who rose highest to guide a header into the far corner and ease some of the tensions inside the stadium.
It was quite the slog to victory from there, however, with supporters getting on the back of several players, including Vinicius Jr, before Kylian Mbappe's 86th-minute penalty put daylight between the two sides. Marcao was sent off for Sevilla midway through the second half, while head coach Matias Almeyda was sent to the stands during the break on a heated evening in the Spanish capital.
Despite being the one to break the deadlock, Bellingham was merely an afterthought in the local press, with most of the focus surrounding Mbappe's Cristiano Ronaldo-like impact and tribute, as well as the potential exit of Vinicius amid a standoff in contract talks.
"Nice way to end 2025 but we have to be better in 2026," Bellingham said in an Instagram post after ending a run of seven games without a goal. "Madridistas, through the good and bad thank you for all your support this year!"
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Super-sub Gallagher keeps Atleti on track
Conor Gallagher has been in and out of the Atletico Madrid starting line up all season long, though it appears his most useful role is coming off the bench having now scored all three of his goals this term as a substitute. The midfielder's latest strike came in Atleti's 3-0 win at Girona to extend an impressive run to 11 wins in 13 games since they were thrashed in the Champions League by Arsenal in October.
described Gallagher, who replaced the injured Nico Gonzalez on the 28-minute mark, as 'omnipresent' in Atletico's attacks, crediting his forward-thinking performance despite the perception that Diego Simeone's substitution was a negative one. Though he found the net with a deflected strike from the edge of the box towards the end of the first half, Gallagher was hauled back off late in the second after "misplacing one of those balls that drive the man in the black suit crazy."
Nevertheless, this was still an impressive cameo for a man who is trying to do all he can to work his way back into Thomas Tuchel's thinking ahead of England's World Cup campaign. Links to Manchester United are refusing to subside, and a return to his home country could be on the cards this January.
Though Atletico and Real won this weekend, both Madrid clubs still trail La Liga leaders Barcelona by nine and four points, respectively, after the reigning champions beat Villarreal on Sunday.
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Ferguson & Rowe set up Supercoppa showdown with McTominay
There'll be a particularly British flavour to Monday's Suppercoppa Italiana final between Napoli and Bologna, with Scott McTominay's Serie A champions facing the Coppa Italia winners, who boast the presence of Lewis Ferguson and Jonathan Rowe.
Antonio Conte's kings of Italy advanced to the showpiece event in Riyadh after beating AC Milan 2-0 on Thursday, but the Rossoblu's semi-final was not quite as straightforward. They came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Inter, sending the tie to a penalty shootout. Five spot kicks were missed in total between the two sides, but Ferguson and Rowe both scored from 12 yards to send Bologna through.
Ferguson, Bologna's captain, has struggled for consistent game time this season, though head coach Vincenzo Italiano has insisted this has been due to fitness issues rather than for any overriding tactical reasons, and is hopeful the midfielder can lead the club to another trophy after playing a major role in helping Scotland qualify for the World Cup.
"It's not a matter of minutes or fitness. He's alternating matches of great focus and quality with others that are less sharp. It can happen," Italiano said last week. "There are no issues. When he goes away with the national team, he performs at a very high level; here, it's a bit of an up-and-down period. He's also coming off some minor knee issues."
Compatriot McTominay, meanwhile, will be hoping to get his hands on more silverware at his international team-mate's expense, who has been hailed as the strongest player in Italy ahead of the final. Sam Beukema, who joined Napoli from Bologna over the summer, told Serie A's YouTube channel: "I have to say my friend Scott. He's incredibly strong, and he's also a great human being."
