Jude Bellingham has joined a select group of British players in signing for Real Madrid.

The 19-year-old England international has agreed a six-year deal to move to the Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the male players from these shores to have played for the Spanish giants.

Laurie Cunningham

England international Cunningham was the trailblazer for those that followed him after becoming the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid after signing from West Brom in 1979. The left winger brought plenty of excitement to the fans and after scoring on his debut, went on to win the league and cup double in his first season. His time at the Bernabeu was hampered by injuries and he left to join Marseille in 1984, having scored 20 goals in 66 appearances. He was sadly killed six years later in a car crash, aged just 33, while playing for Raya Vallecano.

Steve McManaman (1999-2003)

 

Twenty years after Cunningham, Steve McManaman followed as he joined from Liverpool. The floppy-haired winger played in one of the great Madrid teams alongside the likes of Raul, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane, winning two LaLiga titles and two Champions League titles, scoring in the 2000 final against Valencia. He made over 150 appearances and moved to Manchester City in 2003, where he spent two years before retiring in 2005.

David Beckham (2003-2007)

 

Already a global superstar, David Beckham’s footballing image went to the next level when he signed for Madrid in 2003. Although his time in the Spanish capital was not the silverware haul he enjoyed at Manchester United, winning just one league title, he was a fan favourite. He made 155 appearances, scored 20 goals and notched 59 assists before moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

Michael Owen (2005-2006)

 

Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.

Dortmund confirmed in a statement last week that Real have agreed to pay an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) to land Bellingham, who moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020.

Now both clubs have announced the deal for the 19-year-old has been finalised, with Real adding that he will be unveiled in the Spanish capital on Thursday.

“Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund have agreed on the transfer of the player Jude Bellingham, who will remain linked to our club for the next six seasons,” a Real statement read.

“Tomorrow, Thursday, June 15, at 12:00 noon at Real Madrid City, the presentation ceremony for Jude Bellingham as a new Real Madrid player will take place.

“After, Jude Bellingham will appear before the media.”

Bellingham was recently named Bundesliga player of the season after his starring role for Dortmund, who missed out on the title in agonising fashion on the final day of the campaign.

He scored his first England goal in their World Cup win over Iran but is absent from the squad to face Malta and North Macedonia in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers due to injury.

He has long dreamt of a move to the 14-time European champions and recently told the PA news agency that he sees the Champions League as “the biggest stage”.

“The goal has always been winning,” he told PA last month.

“When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that.

“You know, everyone should have that goal, I feel like, as professional footballers.”

Jude Bellingham is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after the Spanish side struck a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth an initial £88.5million.

The 19-year-old moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020 and has long dreamt of moving to the LaLiga giants.

England star Bellingham is now on the cusp of completing his move to Madrid.

Dortmund confirmed in a statement that the Spanish side have agreed to pay 103m euros (£88.5m), with an additional amount of around 30 per cent of that fixed fee agreed.

If those add-ons are achieved, the deal could reach 133.9m euros (£115m).

Jude Bellingham hopes to help inspire the next generation of footballers to take up a sport that the teenage sensation surprisingly admits he did not like growing up.

The 19-year-old is one of the greatest talents in the world and was this week crowned Bundesliga player of the season after going agonisingly close to winning the title with Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham has established himself as a key figure for country as well as club, shining in England’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar during the winter.

But if it had not been for a light-bulb moment as a kid, things could have been so very different.

Despite regularly going to watch his father, Mark, score goals aplenty for non-league clubs around the Midlands, football initially sparked indifference rather than excitement in Bellingham.

“I just wasn’t really having it,” the England midfielder told the PA news agency.

“My dad would take me to his non-league games and over time it kind of clicked but it did take a while.

“I think it was frustrating for him for a while, but when it did I was addicted and I still am, thankfully.”

Bellingham cannot pinpoint the exact moment of football enlightenment but says his time at boyhood club Birmingham made him “fall in love with it”.

He fondly remembers the “wide-eyed happiness” he felt going to training at Blues – the same kind of joy he is now looking to bring to others.

Bellingham has joined McDonald’s Fun Football as an ambassador – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.

Speaking after his first taste of Fun Football, he said: “It was a pleasure for me to come here and play with the kids and have a kickabout with them and see what it’s all about.

“It’s obviously my first time experiencing the things that McDonald’s are doing and how they want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get into football.

“For me, it’s so important because the game is showing that it’s becoming more inclusive.

“You know, what the (England) women did last year (winning the Euros) kind of put women’s football on the map essentially, and you had such a great mix of boys and girls today from whatever backgrounds.

“They all just come and have a great time and they’re playing. When they’re having fun and laughing, that puts a smile on my face and is exactly what it is all about.”

Bellingham feels “a lot of pride” knowing he can “make an impact on the next generation” and spent time signing autographs and posing for photos long after the session.

 

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Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were the kind of players he idolised growing up and the teenager finds it surreal to now be the subject of similar adulation.

“Days like today are really humbling, to be honest,” Bellingham said. “You come in and there’s people with your shirt on and they know who you are straightaway, and they can’t wait to play football with you.

“I think, for me, it’s a feeling that’s priceless to be honest. You do what you do on the pitch and you hope that people enjoy watching it but their love for you is so genuine, it’s so pure.

“They really enjoy being around you, not because they want something because it’s just a fun day for them. I wanted to repay that and make sure that they had as much fun as possible but, yeah, it’s all come very fast.

“It still feels a bit surreal but I’m trying to enjoy it one day at a time.”

:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football.

Jude Bellingham says his career arc is evidence of the mindset that anything is possible as the England teenager looks to win it all.

From homegrown hero with Birmingham to teenage star at German giants Borussia Dortmund, the 19-year-old midfielder’s inexorable rise shows few signs of abating.

There are few more exciting prospects in world football than Bellingham, who has already established himself as a key component for trophy-hungry England and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year after just missing out on the league title.

“The goal has always been winning,” Bellingham told the PA news agency. “When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that.

“You know, everyone should have that goal I feel like as professional footballers.

“I’ll do my best to try and make it happen and if it doesn’t then it won’t be because I haven’t worked hard for it.

“But, yeah, I’d say records and stuff and individual records don’t excite me like trophies do, so I think that’s the goal for me.”

Bellingham, who was speaking before the Bundesliga finale, knows individual honours and records may well come along the years, with England team-mates often suggesting he could break Peter Shilton’s 125-cap record given he has made 24 appearances already.

But accomplishments like that are at the back of his mind as he looks to maximise his ability and opportunities.

“Football’s my life, really,” said Bellingham, who hopes to inspire the next generation in his role as ambassador for the McDonald’s Fun Football programme – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.

“I think I’ve put too much into it so far just to stop and accept that I’m going to play at a certain level and only going to win so much.

“So, I feel like the mentality that my parents and friends around me have always put into me is go after everything.”

That mindset and his whirlwind journey to date means he has little chance to take stock on his career – something he hopes to do with family and friends this summer.

“There are things I had to deal with as part of German life,” Bellingham said of the move to Dortmund in 2020.

“I probably dealt with that more behind the scenes than in front of cameras and stuff like that, so I’m really grateful that I had such good people around me.

“I had good club staff at the time, obviously I had Jadon (Sancho) who was here before me from England and he kind of showed me the ropes and made me feel comfortable. As soon as I was comfortable, really, I just let my football do the talking.”

Bellingham has certainly done that, thriving in BVB’s famous black and yellow shirt with his leadership qualities helping him to become the youngest ever player to captain the side.

“I think the key to that has been availability,” Bellingham said in a self-deprecating manner.

“I think because I’m available a lot of the time it means that I’m on the pitch and I can show what I do every game. Whilst the team around me gets rotated, I’m more of a mainstay.

“I think you gain respect from that, in all honesty, and obviously my performance has been good enough to warrant that.

“The coach must have seen other things that he likes to give me that responsibility and whenever I’ve played, I don’t think the armband changes me.

“So, yeah, you’re taking a little bit more responsibility, but I enjoy it. It’s a beautiful pressure that you want on you that I wanted since I started playing football.

“Especially in the Champions League games – it’s the biggest stage, for me – and to have that pressure is really enjoyable.”

Bellingham takes a lot of pride in his path from St Andrew’s to Signal Iduna Park.

Life in Germany has been eye-opening and his success there has silenced those that attempted to dissuade him from fulfilling his lofty aspirations.

When put to Bellingham that he seems to have the mentality that anything is possible, he said: “Well, I think that I am kind evidence of that, really.

“I think if I didn’t have that mentality I wouldn’t have been able to get from the Championship to where I’m at now, thankfully, in the space of two or three years.

“When you’re saying it three years ago everyone’s calling you naive and telling you that you need to slow down a little bit.

“But when you put your mind to it and you work hard at it, it doesn’t seem so crazy when it actually happens. So that’s the goal for me to try and continue to chase my dreams.”

:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football

England boss Gareth Southgate will be an interested spectator as the summer transfer window opens on June 14, with several members of his squad potentially on the move.

Skipper Harry Kane’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months amid Tottenham’s difficulties, and he is not alone.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of those whose club futures may lie elsewhere.

Harry Maguire

Manchester United defender Maguire has been one of Southgate’s most dependable performers in recent campaigns, but has slipped painfully down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag and has been warned his international place could be under threat. The 30-year-old, who cost United £80million when he joined them from Leicester in August 2019, has been linked with West Ham, but also with a loan move to Italy with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma said to be eyeing his situation.

Harry Kane

Kane and Tottenham both have big decisions to make this summer after the club missed out on European football. The 29-year-old will enter the final year of his current contract and if he does not sign an extension, could leave for free in 12 months’ time. Manchester United are long-term admirers of the free-scoring striker – although it has been suggested Spurs would be unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival – while both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have been credited with an interest.

Mason Mount

Midfielder Mount was caught up in the malaise which engulfed Chelsea during a chaotic season and six of his last seven appearances before injury ended his campaign prematurely came from the bench. The 24-year-old is out of contract next summer and new boss Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make with Manchester United leading a posse of interested parties waiting in the wings.

Declan Rice

Rice’s reputation has continued to blossom despite what at times has been a difficult season for West Ham, and manager David Moyes is bracing himself. Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been linked with a summer move for the 24-year-old midfielder, with Manchester United and Chelsea also touted as possible destinations, while resurgent Newcastle could offer him Champions League football, but know they may not be able to compete financially as they attempt to comply with spending rules.

James Maddison

Maddison, another player with 12 months remaining on his contract, seemed destined to leave Leicester during the close season regardless of whether or not the Foxes retained their Premier League status. Newcastle pursued the 26-year-old playmaker doggedly last summed and remain keen on him as they strengthen for a European campaign, but they are likely to face competition with Manchester United and Tottenham rumoured to be among his suitors.

Jude Bellingham

Liverpool’s interest in Borussia Dortmund teenager Bellingham is long-standing, but reports from Spain have suggested his future could lie instead with Real Madrid. Manchester City and neighbours United have also been touted as potential buyers with the 19-year-old former Birmingham midfielder one of the hottest properties in European football.

Jude Bellingham has been named the Bundesliga’s player of the season.

The England midfielder won the award just two days after his club Borussia Dortmund missed out on the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich on goal difference.

Bellingham has made more than 130 appearances since joining Dortmund from Birmingham for just over £20million three years ago.

“Every year or half year that I’ve played at the club, my responsibility in the team has increased,” Bellingham was quoted as saying on the official Bundesliga website.

“I have to continue to be everywhere on the pitch and try my best to contribute going forwards and backwards and try and control games, try to dominate the midfield.

“My teammates, the coaches and the staff have helped me to develop.

“I came to the club as a talented lad, but I have added elements to my game that have taken it to the next level and I think that’s down to them, mainly.”

Bellingham, who turns 20 next month, captained Dortmund this season to become the club’s youngest-ever skipper and scored 14 goals in all competitions.

He has been strongly linked to a move away from Germany this summer, with Real Madrid reportedly leading the race for his signature.

In 2000, it was Bayer Leverkusen who suffered final-day heartbreak as Bayern Munich overhauled them to clinch one of their most dramatic Bundesliga title triumphs.

This time around, it was Borussia Dortmund's turn to lament the most galling of near misses, while their rivals lifted the Meisterschale following Jamal Musiala's late winner at Koln.

The most topsy-turvy title race in Europe's top-five leagues this campaign, therefore, ended in familiar fashion, with Bayern maintaining their stranglehold on the German crown.

After Bayern overcame a stern Dortmund challenge to win their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title, Stats Perform looks at the best facts and figures to emerge from their triumphant campaign.

The headline stats

There has never been much doubt regarding Bayern's status as the dominant force in Germany. Their latest title win represents their 33rd overall, and their 32nd since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963. Combined, all other clubs in Bundesliga history have 28.

Meanwhile, Bayern's current streak of 11 consecutive domestic titles is the longest such run in the history of Europe's top five leagues.

However, as the decision to dispense with Julian Nagelsmann's services and bring in Thomas Tuchel in March would suggest, this has not been a vintage campaign for Bayern.

Having edged out Dortmund on goal difference after both teams finished with 71 points, Bayern's class of 2022-23 collected the fewest points of any Bundesliga-winning team since 2009-10, when Die Roten were crowned champions with 70.

Bayern's tally of 21 victories this term was actually bettered by Dortmund (22), who became just the second team in the three-points-for-a-win era to boast the most wins in a Bundesliga season and not win the title (after Leverkusen in 1996-97).

Tuchel takes the prize

While Tuchel's Bayern did not get close to the incredible point tallies recorded under Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti, the new boss did enough, rallying his team to collect 12 from their final five matches and pip his former employers at the last.

Tuchel became only the second coach to take over a Bundesliga club during the second half of a season and lead them to the title, after the legendary Franz Beckenbauer did so with Bayern in 1993-94.

While Beckenbauer took the reins from matchday 21 of that campaign, Tuchel did so from matchday 26 this term, making it the latest managerial change from a Bundesliga-winning team.

Muller extends his record, Musiala the main man

Bayern's last-gasp triumph also ensured several key players kept up their own incredible records of domestic success.

While attacking stalwart Thomas Muller won a record-extending 12th German title, Kingsley Coman – who opened the scoring in Bayern's final-day win at Koln – preserved his record of finishing every season of his professional career as a domestic champion.

Having won Ligue 1 twice with Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A as a Juventus player in 2014-15, Coman has now lifted the Meisterschale eight times during his spell in Bavaria.

Those records, however, owe everything to Musiala's intervention against Koln, with the 20-year-old stepping off the bench to fire into the bottom-right corner as stoppage time loomed.

That strike was his 12th of the Bundesliga campaign, one more than he had managed in 57 combined appearances in the competition before this season.

It was a fitting way for Musiala to cap a season in which only Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani (26) bettered his tally of 22 Bundesliga goal contributions.

Union Berlin secured Champions League qualification for the first time in their history as Schalke suffered relegation from Bundesliga on the final day of the season.

Rani Khedira's 81st-minute winner at home to Werder Bremen saw Union pip Freiburg to fourth place in the German top flight, with Urs Fischer's side booking their spot in UEFA's top club competition for next season.

There was no such good fortune for Schalke, though, as they dropped back down to 2. Bundesliga following a 4-2 defeat to third-placed RB Leipzig on Saturday.

As Bayern Munich celebrated edging out Borussia Dortmund for the title on goal difference, Stuttgart will be left to fight for their top-flight status in a play-off after a 1-1 draw at home to Hoffenheim.

Stuttgart will face either Hamburg or Heidenheim, with whoever finishes third in the German second division due to battle with Sebastian Hoeness' men for a place in Bundesliga next term.

Had Stuttgart won, Augsburg would have been in that play-off after a 2-0 final-day defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach, while Bochum pulled clear of danger with a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Borussia Dortmund suffered final-day heartbreak as they missed out on a first Bundesliga title for 11 years on goal difference, despite fighting back for a 2-2 draw against Mainz.

Edin Terzic's side squandered the opportunity to be crowned champions of Germany as Bayern Munich snatched the title with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Koln, as Jamal Musiala hit a late winner for Thomas Tuchel's men.

Dortmund were always playing catch-up after falling 2-0 down to first-half goals from Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Karim Onisiwo, while Sebastien Haller saw a weak penalty saved.

Raphael Guerreiro gave them hope in the second half, but Musiala's late strike for Bayern at RheinEnergie Stadion rendered Niklas Sule's last-gasp BVB equaliser academic.

Borussia Dortmund are one win away from clinching the Bundesliga title after a 3-0 victory at Augsburg.

Bayern Munich’s loss to Leipzig on Saturday opened the door for Dortmund and they seized their opportunity, moving within three points of ending the Bavarian club’s 10-year reign as German champions.

Sebastian Haller – who missed the first half of the season as he battled cancer – scored twice and Julian Brandt once after Felix Uduokhai had been sent off for Augsburg.

Victory over Mainz on the final day of the campaign next Saturday would see Dortmund clinch their first Bundesliga crown for 11 years, but anything less would open the door for Bayern to win an 11th straight title.

Mainz suffered a 4-1 home defeat to struggling Stuttgart on Saturday despite taking the lead, while Lars Stindl scored a 90th-minute equaliser to earn Borussia Monchengladbach a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

In Spain, Real Madrid’s miserable week was compounded by a 1-0 defeat to lowly Valencia.

Four days after their humbling by Manchester City in the Champions League, Real went down to Diego Lopez’s 33rd-minute goal.

The match was soured by more complaints of racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior, with the game briefly halted after the Brazilian appeared to point out offenders in the crowd.

He was then shown a straight red card for lashing out at Hugo Duro in stoppage time.

The result eased Valencia’s LaLiga relegation fears while Real dropped to third place in the table behind city rivals Atletico Madrid, who defeated Osasuna 3-0 with goals from Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez and Angel Correa.

Espanyol gave themselves a lifeline in the battle at the bottom with a 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano while the Seville derby ended in a goalless draw between Sevilla and Real Betis, who had Juan Miranda sent off late on.

In Serie A, Inter Milan were brought back down to earth after reaching the Champions League final, falling to a 3-1 defeat against champions Napoli.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Roberto Gagliardini was sent off before half-time and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa put Napoli ahead midway through the second half.

Romelu Lukaku drew the 10 men level with eight minutes to go but Napoli responded emphatically with goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Gianluca Gaetano.

Inter dropped to fourth in the table behind Lazio, who beat Udinese 1-0 thanks to Ciro Immobile’s penalty.

Torino and Fiorentina drew 1-1 while strugglers Lecce and Spezia had to settle for a point each in a 0-0 draw.

Paris St Germain all but wrapped up another Ligue 1 title thanks to an early double from Kylian Mbappe in a 2-1 victory over Auxerre.

The France star scored in the sixth and eighth minutes, with Lassine Sinayoko replying for Auxerre in the second half, to move PSG six points clear of Lens with only two games left and with a far superior goal difference.

Lens ensured it is not yet mathematically over with a 3-1 victory at Lorient. Romain Faivre put the hosts ahead early on but goals from Florian Sotoca and Adrian Thomasson turned the match around before half-time and Seko Fofana made sure of the points late on.

Rennes boosted their European hopes by thumping relegated Ajaccio 5-0. Amine Gouiri scored a hat-trick while Mickael Alphonse was sent off for the Corsican side.

Brest defeated Clermont 2-1 while there were draws between Nice and Toulouse, Reims and Angers and Troyes and Strasbourg.

Sebastien Haller scored twice as Borussia Dortmund moved to the Bundesliga summit with a crucial 3-0 win over Augsburg.

Julian Brandt was also on target at WWK Arena as Edin Terzic's side leapfrogged Bayern Munich at the top, after the champions were beaten 3-1 by RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Haller opened the scoring just before the hour mark and doubled the lead with six minutes remaining, before Brandt capped the win in stoppage time to secure a two-point advantage.

Victory over Mainz next Saturday would secure a first title in 11 years, while 14th-place Augsburg's top-flight future is uncertain with the Fuggerstadter just two points ahead of 16th-place Bochum heading into the final weekend.

Bayern Munich relinquished control of the Bundesliga title race as they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat to RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena.

The reigning champions had their destiny in their own hands when Serge Gnabry fired them ahead on Saturday, but a terrific counter-attack saw Konrad Laimer level things up in the second half.

A pair of late penalties then stunned Bayern, Christopher Nkunku converting after being tripped by Benjamin Pavard and Dominik Szoboszlai doing likewise following Noussair Mazraoui's handball.

Bayern now need Borussia Dortmund to slip up in one of their remaining games – at Augsburg on Sunday and against Mainz next Saturday – to have any chance of claiming an 11th consecutive title.  

Borussia Dortmund kept the pressure on Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race after Sebastien Haller and Donyell Malen starred in a 5-2 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayern's 6-0 rout of Schalke sent the champions four points clear at the top prior to Saturday's kick-off at Signal Iduna Park, where Dortmund soon sliced that advantage to one again.

Edin Terzic's hosts surged into a 4-0 lead inside 32 minutes as Malen opened the scoring and twice teed up Haller, with Jude Bellingham also on target from the penalty spot.

Ramy Bensebaini pulled one back with a 75th-minute penalty and substitute Lars Stindl also struck for Gladbach, but Giovanni Reyna made sure it was an emphatic Dortmund victory with a stoppage-time strike.

Dortmund needed only five minutes to open the scoring as Malen headed home from point-blank range after Haller's deflected strike left Jan Olschowsky stranded.

A fine Gregor Kobel stop against Bensebaini denied Gladbach an immediate response, with that save proving vital as Dortmund struck a double blow soon after.

Bellingham squirmed an unconvincing penalty past Olschowsky after Florian Neuhaus had needlessly felled Haller, who added a third just two minutes later when flicking Malen's low cross into the bottom-left corner.

Another right-wing centre from Malen brought Haller's second as the Dortmund forward volleyed emphatically into the top-right corner.

A stretching Olschowsky thwarted a fizzing Bellingham drive after the interval.

Bensebaini reduced the deficit with a penalty after a Reyna foul, before Stindl whipped into the bottom-right corner for another consolation goal with five minutes left.

But the Gladbach fightback arrived too late and it was Reyna who had the last word when he tapped home a late Dortmund fifth from an Olschowsky mistake.


What does it mean? Dortmund remain in the hunt

Bayern will remain buoyed by the fact the last time the Bundesliga title race was this close after 31 matchdays, the Bavarian giants ousted Wolfsburg to league glory 14 years ago.

But Dortmund continue to hold their end of the deal in the battle for German top-flight glory, pushing Thomas Tuchel's side all the way after their 17th win in 18 competitive home games against Gladbach.

Home form has been key for Terzic's side this season, too, with no team in Europe's top five leagues scoring more goals on their own soil than Dortmund's 53 in 2023.

Marvellous Malen

Malen may have turned provider in a delightful display of selfless creativity against Gladbach but his rich vein of scoring form also continued.

The Dortmund forward has scored eight goals in his last eight league matches, while he has found the net in each of his last six home Bundesliga outings.

Grim Gladbach struggle on road again

A trip to Dortmund was always likely to prove a troublesome task, given Terzic's men had won a club-record 10 home league matches in a row before this visit.

The nature of Gladbach's crumbling came as no surprise as well, with Daniel Farke's side having now just won one of their last 16 top-flight away games this season (D6 L9).

What's next?

Dortmund visit Augsburg on Sunday May 21, which is also when Gladbach travel to Bayer Leverkusen.

England international Jude Bellingham scored twice as Borussia Dortmund hammered Wolfsburg 6-0 to stay firmly in the Bundesliga title race.

Bellingham bagged both of his goals in the second half as Dortmund moved to within a point of Bayern Munich at the top of the table.

Karim Adeyemi also scored a brace, with Sebastian Haller and Donyell Malen getting on the scoresheet in the first half.

Napoli showed no after-effects of their wild Serie A title celebrations as they beat Fiorentina 1-0.

Luciano Spalletti’s side sealed their first title success in 33 years in midweek and the celebrations were long, but Victor Osimhen’s 74th-minute penalty ensured there was no hangover.

They remain 17 points clear of Juventus, who strengthened their second-place hopes with a 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Second-half goals from Samuel Iling-Junior and Dusan Vlahovic moved them two points ahead of third-placed Lazio with four games of the season to go.

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