Learning a new language can be incredibly challenging, but British players often seem to struggle more than most when it comes to mastering foreign tongues and achieving fluency.

We’ve all been there — heading off on a holiday abroad with a small translation guide, determined to pick up a few local phrases to show respect for the culture.

But that enthusiasm usually fades quickly, with most of us learning just the word for ‘beer’ and tossing it into an awkwardly English sentence, maybe adding a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ in the local language if the locals are lucky.

Footballers are no exception. In fact, their struggles with languages often become even more famous, even though more English players are now taking their careers overseas.

As Anthony Gordon becomes the latest to test his skills outside England, here are six examples of British players who couldn’t quite get comfortable with a new language after moving abroad.

Joey Barton’s loan spell at Marseille during the 2012–13 season came as a surprise to many. Perhaps a move to southern France seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to refine his game and pick up some French flair.

However, instead of fully embracing the culture, Barton decided to fake it — speaking English to the media but with a French accent. It was so absurd that it became hilarious, and it’s clear why his French adventure lasted only one season.

Next up is Steve McManaman, a truly unique figure. His stint with Real Madrid was brief yet memorable. After nine seasons at Liverpool, he joined Los Blancos in 1999, famously scoring a stunning volley in the 2000 Champions League final before departing as a club legend in 2003.

Over those four years, McManaman did manage to pick up Spanish — sort of. Actual footage of him speaking it is rare, and his attempts during Champions League broadcasts, where he mispronounced team and player names, made many doubt his fluency. But he did, in fact, learn the language — just in a distinctly Scouse-Spanish, school-level way that somehow worked for him. Whether he still remembers much of it now is another question.

Joe Hart’s story is another memorable one. After Pep Guardiola dropped him from Manchester City in 2016, despite his standing as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers, Hart needed a new challenge and found one on loan at Torino in Italy.

His time there is best remembered for that cringeworthy announcement video, and his performances didn’t leave a lasting mark either. But one thing that shouldn’t be forgotten is his brave yet clumsy attempt to speak Italian. During his first press conference, he tried his best to use Italian — sort of — reading key football terms like ‘carry’, ‘pass’, and ‘leave’ from cue cards. The result was painfully awkward, but at least he tried — unlike Barton, who only copied the accent.

Then there’s Jude Bellingham. Following in McManaman’s footsteps and determined not to let his Brummie accent hinder his progress, he adapted quickly to life at Real Madrid, even scoring on his La Liga debut. But his Spanish still needed work, as seen in his first message to Madrid fans after that impressive debut. It’s early days, though, and his self-deprecating humour shows great character.

David Moyes, meanwhile, took a page from Barton’s book after his dismissal from Manchester United in 2014. Looking to rebuild his reputation, he took charge of Real Sociedad. However, his year-long stint in San Sebastian was overshadowed by his cringe-worthy Spanish accent in press conferences, where he tried to appear like a multilingual tactical genius. Needless to say, no one was convinced.

And finally, there’s Jadon Sancho. You’d think the younger generation would have learned from their predecessors, but Sancho followed the same pattern. After joining Borussia Dortmund in 2017, he claimed to be learning German, but it soon became clear that he had simply adopted a German accent rather than mastering the language.