Top 5 English stars who moved to LaLiga

Modified Jul 19, 2019 17:27 GMT

UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid v Arsenal

#3 Jermaine Pennant

Jermaine Pennant's move to Real Zaragoza did not go to plan

A classic tale of missed potential, Jermaine Pennant first came to prominence when he moved from Notts County to Arsenal in 1999 for a fee of £2m – a record for a trainee.

Despite being considered one of the best prospects in England at the time, Pennant struggled massively with the Gunners and was quickly given a series of loan moves, during one of which (at Birmingham City) he received a prison sentence for a drink-driving charge.

After a move to Liverpool largely failed too, Pennant made a surprising move to La Liga club Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2009, signing a three-year deal with the club. Unfortunately, the move didn’t exactly go as planned.

The winger did make a total of 25 league appearances in Spain, but failed to score a goal and had his attitude brought into question on numerous occasions. After being frozen out for these issues, he ended up moving back to England with Stoke in the summer of 2010.

Pennant’s legacy in Spain was not a positive one by any means; his time there is probably best remembered for an infamous incident that saw his Porsche Turbo discovered parked in a Zaragoza railway station, covered in parking tickets – five months after he’d left the club. Supposedly, Pennant had forgotten that he owned the car!

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Alan John