Harry Kane is gearing up for his Bundesliga debut on Friday night as Bayern Munich travel to Werder Bremen for the season opener. The England captain will be hoping to make a good first impression in his new surroundings.
The striker’s first game for his new club didn’t go according to the script as Bayern were beaten 3-0 by RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup Final on Saturday, with Kane making a cameo from the bench in the second half with his side already 2-0 down.
Kane will be expected to lead the line for Thomas Tuchel in the Bundesliga curtain raiser on Friday night and an instant impact with the German champions would be the perfect start to life after Tottenham Hotspur.
As the prolific goalscorer is raring to go under the lights in Bremen, he might be taking a look back at some of the debuts from other Brits abroad in the recent past.
Steve McManaman - Real Mallorca 1-2 Real Madrid (21 August 1999)
Steve McManaman swapped Merseyside for Madrid in 1999 as Guus Hiddink signed him for Real Madrid. In his first taste of La Liga, McNanaman created a goal for Fernando Morientes in the 87th minute which pulled Los Blancos level against Real Mallorca. This inspired the team to grab a second moments later through Raul. It is safe to say the Englishman played a crucial role for the Spanish giants.
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David Beckham - Real Madrid 2-1 Real Betis (30 August 2003)
The world went crazy when style icon and Manchester United star David Beckham joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2003. His La Liga debut came in a victory against Real Betis in which Beckham scored his first goal for the club inside the first two minutes with the simplest of finishes at the back post from a Ronaldo cut-back. The Santiago Bernabeu was already excited for what was to come.
Michael Owen - Real Mallorca 0-1 Real Madrid (29 August 2004)
There was a lot of excitement when Real Madrid signed one of the hottest talents in Europe in 2001 Ballon d’Or recipient Michael Owen from Liverpool. The forward certainly gave a good first impression in the famous white as he teed up the legendary Ronaldo with a delightful cross for the only goal of the game after coming on to replace the injured Raul in the first half.
Jonathan Woodgate - Real Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao (22 September 2005)
The world was very surprised in 2004 when defender Jonathan Woodgate earned himself a move to Los Blancos from Newcastle United despite have quite the record for being injured, including when he signed. He had to wait 17 months for his debut and his lengthy absence was telling. Woodgate managed to put the ball in the back of his own net with a powerful diving header in the first half. The debut got much worse as he was sent off for a second bookable offence after bringing down Joseba Etxeberria, who had tormented him all game.
Gareth Bale - Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (14 September 2013)
There was so much hype in Madrid when Los Blancos spent a record £85 million to bring Gareth Bale to the Santiago Bernabeu. The Welshman had an immediate impact for Carlo Ancelotti’s side on his league debut as he fired in the first equaliser of the game at the back post.
Kieran Trippier - Atletico Madrid 1-0 Getafe (18 August 2019)
When Atletico Madrid swooped up Kieran Trippier from Tottenham Hotspur, it was a surprising move but it got a lot of attention. And if we’re being honest it forged the right-back to be the leader he is at Newcastle United currently. Diego Simeone’s Atleti are renowned for their defensive structure and Trippier helped the Colcheneros keep a clean sheet on his La Liga debut.
Chris Smalling - Roma 0-2 Atalanta (25 September 2019)
Centre-back Chris Smalling was in desperate need of a fresh start away from Manchester United in 2019 and while he has largely been an impressive figure in Rome, his debut didn’t quite go according to plan. Ahead of their defeat to Atalanta, Roma had been unbeaten in their first four league fixtures. Smalling did, however, come out with positive reviews for making some important tackles throughout the game.
Jude Bellingham - Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Borussia Monchengladbach (19 September 2020)
After his record-breaking move from Birmingham City, 17-year-old Jude Bellingham was handed a start on his first Bundesliga outing with Borussia Dortmund. He grabbed an assist to make it a debut to remember, teeing up the opening goal of the game from Giovanni Reyna. Fans were impressed with how mature Bellingham was for a teenager, just as Birmingham fans had been the season before.
Fikayo Tomori - Bologna 1-2 AC Milan (30 January 2021)
Like Abraham, Fikayo Tomori was a bright young talent who was constantly overlooked at Chelsea and he too made the switch to Italy when joining AC Milan. The defender partnered Alessio Romagnoli on his Serie A debut and they were able to help the Rossoneri pick up a valuable three points at Bologna. Tomori has been a key figure for them ever since.
Tammy Abraham - Roma 3-1 Fiorentina (22 August 2021)
After being deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea, striker Tammy Abraham was given an escape route by Jose Mourinho to join Roma and link-up with his compatriot Smalling. Abraham’s attributes as a centre-forward took centre stage on his Serie A debut as he set up both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jordan Veretout in a resounding 3-1 victory to get Roma off to a flying start.
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