GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of the United Kingdom 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.

This weekend turned out to be a mostly celebratory weekend for the homegrown stars, though there were a couple of exceptions. Sometimes the grass isn't always greener, as it turns out. England and Bayern Munich's unstoppable leading man brought up another career milestone, but his success came at the expense of a young Three Lions prospect who is struggling to adapt to life in Germany. Elsewhere, Barcelona's newest talisman earned more positive reviews despite misplacing his shooting boots, and a former Arsenal ace cost Lyon dearly with a botched penalty.

Every Monday this season, GOAL will bring you the definitive lowdown on British stars abroad, what they're getting up to, who is reaching the greatest heights and who appears to be suffering with homesickness. Let's tuck into this week's edition…

Getty Images SportKiller Kane hits 400

Is Harry Kane the best striker in world football? He's certainly making an air-tight case for that title this season, with the ruthless 32-year-old currently averaging a goal almost every 52 minutes in a Bayern shirt, his latest effort coming in a massive Klassiker victory over arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. 

The former Tottenham frontman put Bayern in front in the 22nd minute, rising above the Dortmund defence to nod home a Joshua Kimmich corner. It was a trademark header that fittingly brought Kane up to 400 career goals, including a staggering 104 in just 107 appearances for Bayern.

Michael Olise added a second late on, and though Julian Brandt pulled one back for the visitors moments later, Bayern held on for the 2-1 victory to make it 11 wins from 11 in all competitions so far in 2025-26. Vincent Kompany's side are fast becoming the most feared side in Europe, and that's mostly down to Kane, who has left his manager in awe with his consistency.

"I think [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo have set the bar so high that you feel like scoring in the manner Kane is scoring right now should be normal, but what he is doing is really outstanding," Kompany said after the game. "He worked so hard for the team tonight and was once again very important for us."

Pressed on how he is getting the best from Kane, the Belgian coach added: "I can't teach Harry Kane how to head the ball the way he does it. Some things you can't teach – the feeling for the area, for example. He just does it so well."

Kane's killer instincts seem to be getting sharper with age. He's already up to 12 Bundesliga goals, with Bayern boasting a five-point lead at the Bundesliga summit after seven games, and it feels like the England captain could well break Robert Lewandowski's single season record of 41 strikes if he continues on his current trajectory. Multiple trophies could follow, and perhaps even a maiden Ballon d'Or.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBellingham's BVB nightmare deepens

Jobe Bellingham can't catch a break. From making headlines due to ill-advised input from his parents to swiftly losing his place in Niko Kovac's starting XI, it's fair to say that the 20-year-old's first three months at Borussia Dortmund have been a complete disaster.

Remarkably, his stock plummeted even further on Saturday, after a 17-minute cameo against Bayern that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Dortmund were very much in the hunt for a point before Luiz Diaz fizzed the ball across the six-yard area in the 78th minute, straight to the feet of Bellingham. It should have been a simple task for the ex-Sunderland man to clear the danger, but he stumbled when taking his first touch and took what seemed like an eternity to make his second, which was chased down and deflected into Dortmund's net by a grateful Olise.

If ever there was an example of Bellingham not being in tune with the intensity of football in one of Europe's top five leagues, this was it. At the moment, it's difficult to see the England Under-21 international becoming a regular in Dortmund's midfield, let along emulating his brother Jude's exploits at Signal Iduna Park, but at least Kovac won't be holding his Klassiker blunder against him.

"I can’t find any fault with Jobe. He was standing where he needed to be. The ball was played in so sharply," the BVB boss said. "It was an artistic feat in its own right that he didn’t score an own-goal. When a ball is played in so sharply, his first task is to hold his centre of gravity. He had his head down and Olise took advantage of this split second and slid in. That’s not a simple (situation). There’s no fault. I think that everything is fine with that situation."

That was a surprisingly kind assessment from Kovac, who has not been shy when it comes to being critical of Bellingham in public. The youngster may yet get the chance to redeem himself in Tuesday's Champions League game against Copenhagen, but until he delivers a statement performance against top opposition, questions will continue to be asked of whether he is cut out for life at the top level.

Getty Images SportMore rave reviews for Rashford

No one in the Barcelona squad has more goal contributions than Marcus Rashford so far this season (eight). That's quite the feat considering Hansi Flick can call upon world-class attackers like Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but it will only be temporary if the Manchester United loanee reproduces the erratic performance he put in against Girona at the weekend.

Rashford didn't score or assist, and was guilty of one of the misses of the season in the second half, somehow turning Roony Bardghji's beautiful trivela cross wide of the post from point-blank range. That was one of shots Rashford recorded as Barca dominated for large spells, and though he was unfortunate to hit the post with a sublime free-kick, the 27-year-old's lack of clinical edge may have cost Flick's team on another day.

As it turned out, though, Barca managed to secure a crucial 2-1 victory thanks to a last-gasp effort from Ronald Araujo, which saw them keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid heading into next weekend's Clasico. And, to his credit, Rashford was never anything less than a handful, and helped to create many of Barca's best openings, while delivering five crosses after getting the better of his marker.

Rashford remains a darling in the Spanish media, with describing the England forward as "incisive and dangerous", and hailing his "very active" display. Indeed, he is showing far more endeavour than in his last two years with Manchester United, and is now fully established in Flick's all-star attack. Real Madrid will be the biggest test yet and a potential marker for whether Barca should try to sign Rashford permanently, but he's playing with a real confidence again that suggests he won't be overawed by the occasion. 

GettyGreenwood goes goal crazy

Mason Greenwood won plenty of admirers after his debut season at Marseille, as the ex-Manchester United forward finished as joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele with 21 goals, and before Saturday, he'd made a solid start to the current campaign with seven goal involvements from nine appearances in all competitions.

But in Marseille's latest Ligue 1 fixture against Le Havre at Stade Velodrome, Greenwood arguably delivered the best performance of his entire career to date. The 24-year-old scored four of the home side's goals in a thumping 6-2 victory that saw Le Havre take an early lead, only to completely capitulate after Gautier Lloris was sent off in the 34th minute for a handball in the box. 

Greenwood stepped up to calmly convert the resulting penalty, and then went goal crazy in a remarkable nine-minute, second-half burst. He doubled his account with a deflected strike after a mazy run and completed his hat-trick with a lovely finish after some neat footwork, before adding a fourth from close range. 

The final result saw Marseille leapfrog PSG at the top of Ligue 1 and Greenwood entered the history books as the first OM player since Jean Pierre-Papin in 1991 to score four goals in a single league game. Matching a Ballon d'Or winner is another major feather in Greenwood's cap, and Roberto De Zerbi believes the attacker is well on his way to reaching elite status himself, though the Marseille boss is also eager to ensure Greenwood does not rest on his laurels.

"It's true that Mason can do more, not just in terms of goals scored because in that area he doesn't need to do better. He's already a top player in front of goal, but he can become one of the best players in the world, because he has the ability," De Zerbi told reporters. "He can improve in helping the team when it needs it, when it's necessary. But I want to protect Mason from criticism, he's always scored a lot of goals and never missed a training session. But he still has room for improvement."

Marseille could emerge as genuine Ligue 1 title contenders and a Champions League force if Greenwood keeps improving at this rate.