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From Beckham to Bale – ranking the best British exports this century

From David Beckham and Gareth Bale to Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who are the best British exports this century?

By Alex Bysouth · BBC

Published: Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 9:04 AM

Key Things to Know

BBC Sport writer Alex Bysouth ranked Gareth Bale as the best British football export of this century.
Bysouth highlighted Bale winning five Champions League titles and scoring 106 goals during nine years with Real Madrid.
Steven McManaman and Harry Kane were ranked second and third respectively by the BBC Sport writer.

The Story in 60 Seconds

BBC Sport senior journalist Alex Bysouth ranked the top 10 British football exports since 2000, naming Gareth Bale as the best after the Welsh forward won five Champions League titles and scored 106 goals in 258 games for Real Madrid.

Bysouth placed Steven McManaman second and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane third, followed by Jude Bellingham, Owen Hargreaves, Scott McTominay, David Beckham, Jadon Sancho, Fikayo Tomori, and Kieran Trippier.

Read the full article on BBC

From Beckham to Bale – ranking the best British exports this century

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