England just beat Norway 2-1 to punch their ticket to the 2026 World Cup semifinals. That’s the good news. The weird news? Not a single one of England’s 13 tournament goals has been scored by a player currently on a Premier League roster.
In a country where the Premier League is practically a national religion, that’s the kind of stat that makes you do a double take. The scorers? Players who took their talents elsewhere, most notably to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
The overseas goal machine
Harry Kane, England’s captain and the squad’s most prolific striker, has been doing what he always does on the international stage: scoring. He’s been doing it as a Bayern Munich player, not a Tottenham one.
Then there’s Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder who has become one of the most complete players in world football. Between Kane and Bellingham, England’s attacking output has been dominated by two players who chose to leave England’s domestic league for the continent.
