How Brits fared in first Real Madrid vs Barcelona clash as Bellingham makes bow
Jude Bellingham is set to become the latest British star to play in an El Clasico match when he represents Real Madrid in their clash against rivals Barcelona.
Bellingham joined a select group of British footballers to have played for either of the Spanish heavyweights that includes the likes of David Beckham, Gary Lineker and Gareth Bale when he made an £88.5million move to the Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Since joining Real, Bellingham has enjoyed a stunning start to the new season. The midfielder has scored 11 goals in 12 appearances across all competitions and Real boss Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping he can continue his excellent run of form in the Clasico.
With that in mind, Mirror Football has taken a look at how six other British footballers fared in their first El Clasico outing...
Laurie Cunningham
A West Brom legend, Cunningham joined Real Madrid in 1979 and went on to score 19 goals in 63 appearances for Los Blancos.
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And one of those goals came in his very first El Clasico as Cunningham scored Real's third goal in a 3-2 win over Barcelona at the Bernabeu in September 1979. Santillana and Juanito scored Real's two other goals, while Jesus Landaburu and Hans Krankl were on target for Barcelona.
Gary Lineker
After winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup, Lineker left Everton for Barcelona and spent three seasons in Spain.
Lineker played in eight El Clasico matches, notably scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory in 1987. However, his first El Clasico appearance came a year earlier and saw Lineker line up alongside Mark Hughes for Barcelona in a game that ended 1-1, with Angel Pedraza scoring the opener before Hugo Sanchez netted Real's equaliser.
Gary Lineker played for Barcelona between 1986 and 1989 (Getty Images)Steve McManaman
Having joined Real on a free transfer from Liverpool in 1999, McManaman helped the club win two La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.
His first El Clasico was in February 2000 and saw McManaman make an appearance off the bench as he replaced Nicolas Anelka with ten minutes to go. Anelka was on the scoresheet for Real that day as they won 3-0, with Roberto Carlos and Fernando Morientes also on target.
David Beckham
One of Real's major Galactico signings in 2003, Beckham spent four years in Spain before making the move to MLS side LA Galaxy.
He played in eight El Clasico matches, the first of which occurred in December 2003 with Real winning 2-1. Beckham played the full 90 minutes in central midfield with Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo scoring Real's goals, before Patrick Kluivert netted a late consolation for Barcelona.
David Beckham in action against Barcelona in 2003Michael Owen
The striker only lasted one season at Real, having joined the club from Liverpool in 2004, but did feature in two El Clasico matches.
Owen did score in a 4-2 win over Barcelona in April 2005, but his first El Clasico appearance ended in defeat. In November 2004, Owen came off the bench to replace Beckham in a 3-0 loss with Samuel Eto'o, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ronaldinho scoring Barcelona's goals.
Gareth Bale
During his eight-year stint at Real, Bale played in more El Clasico matches than any other British footballer in history.
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In his 15 appearances, Bale scored three goals against Barcelona but suffered a defeat in his first derby match in October 2013. Following his £80m move from Tottenham earlier that year, Bale came off the bench in a 2-0 loss as Neymar and Alexis Sanchez scored for Gerardo Martino's side.
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