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Steven Gerrard during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at City Ground, Nottingham, October 2022.

6 of the most cringeworthy moments from Brits abroad from Gerrard to McClaren

Michael Lee •

Assimilating yourself in the local culture when moving abroad is easier said than done – as these unfortunate moments by former Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham employees demonstrate.

Arguably the most important part of moving away from your home country is showing a willingness to learn new languages and cultural practises, something that your average Briton tends to struggle with.

We’ve identified six occasions when the old tropes of ‘Brits abroad’ rang true for a selection of our most famous footballing figures.

Steven Gerrard

With a moist forehead, stilted attempts at speaking foreign languages undermined by his strong regional accent and the uneasy relationship with his own face, Gerrard was the epitome of your da abroad when introducing himself as Al Ettifaq’s new manager.

Steve McClaren

Fifteen years on, McClaren’s Dutch accent remains the best-missed opportunity of Paul Whitehouse’s career.

Had the former England manager indulged in some Amsterdam space cakes beforehand? Sadly, we’ll never know…

Joey Barton

The cities of Liverpool and Marseille have plenty in common; both are football hotbeds, staunchly anti-establishment and deliberately misunderstood by a large minority of the national population.

Perhaps Barton felt that connection during his loan spell at Marseille in 2012-13, but that doesn’t excuse this interview in a French accent worthy of the BBC sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo!

His neatly-trimmed moustache and head-nodding mannerisms also contributed to the surreal scene.

David Moyes

During this interview as Real Sociedad manager, Moyes goes for a risky translation and you can instantly see his regret when he forgets the Spanish word for ‘times’.

We’ve all been there, Moyesie.

Harry Redknapp

We were today years old when we discovered Redknapp had managed the Jordan national team for two matches in 2016.

And this interview with a local reporter following an 8-0 win over Bangladesh was everything we hoped it would be; neither party can understand a single word the other is saying.

Jadon Sancho

Taking a leaf out of McClaren and Barton’s book, Sancho uttered sweet post-match nothings in a curious Anglo-German accent that called to mind an exchange student from Berlin attempting to navigate England’s provincial techno scene.

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