The article says that there are not many English players who can shine and succeed in La Liga. Bellingham, Greenwood and Trippier are the few successful players, while Woodgate, Jermaine Pennant and Patrick Roberts failed to meet expectations.
La Liga clubs usually rarely sign English players. Not being able to adapt to Spain's poor performance in life, language, diet and competitive aspects are the reasons why many players from the British Isles failed to succeed in La Liga. Rashford will be the latest English player to try to break this curse, and playing in La Liga has always been challenging for the Englishman.
Woodgate is a typical example. In the summer of 2004, Real Madrid signed the centre-back for 18 million euros, with a four-year contract, but his performance in the team was very bad. He made his own own and was sent off with a red card when he made his debut. Frequent injuries prevent him from maintaining his appearance continuity, and in his only season with Real Madrid, he made only 11 appearances before being loaned to Middlesbrough. In the end, Middlesbrough bought out him and Real Madrid recovered half of the transfer fee.
The most recent example is Patrick Roberts. In 2018, Girona loaned Patrick Roberts from Manchester City, and he only had one assist in 21 games, leaving bitter memories for the team.
Similar on-field performance and controversial off-field Jermaine Pennant once played for Zaragoza. He was sentenced for driving in Liverpool for drunk driving. During his time in Zaragoza, he was more famous for his nightlife than his performance on the court. Only 2 assists were contributed in 26 games.
Other English players who performed in La Liga include Oviedo's Stein Collimore, Betis's Peter Barnes and Elche's Charlie Ianson. Michael Irving was slightly better at Real Madrid, with the striker participating in 20 goals in 45 games (16 goals and four assists) before returning to England at a price double the transfer fee.
Laury Cunningham is the first British player to join Real Madrid. His performance in Spain is similar to Gary Reinkell's performance at Barcelona, Winnie Samwes's Las Palmas, Michael Robinson's Osasuna and Steve McManaman's Real Madrid, all of which are close to people's expectations.
The people who broke this curse include Bellingham, who grew up in England but joined Dortmund at the age of 17, Trippier, who once won the league championship for Atletico Madrid, David Beckham, who had a "golden right foot", and Greenwood who was reborn in Getafe.
Rashford will face a fork in La Liga whether to become an angel or a devil again.