Jadon Sancho Fact file.

British players playing abroad are a precious commodity. Kevin Keegan and David Beckham were trailblazers while Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Owen were less successful. By the looks of thing, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho will fall into the former category. The London-born teenager has lit the Bundesliga on fire over the past two seasons. However, because of his young age, you might not know too much about the tricky winger.

Here are some facts to get you up to speed:

1) Matured in Manchester

Before making a move to continental Europe, Jadon Sancho was brought through the Manchester City academy. He left for Germany in 2017. It’s fair to say the City board will regret letting such a valuable asset go for free.

2) World Cup Winner

Though Sancho dreams of one day lifting the main edition of the tournament with England, he has already taken a massive step in that direction by winning the under-17 World Cup.

3) Baller Best Mates

Sancho is best pals with Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson. When coming through the ranks of their respective clubs, they were both considered the hottest properties in the English game – the ‘wonder kid’ label clearly brought them together.

4) Home with the Hornets

Before being recruited by Man City, Sancho joined Watford’s academy. To do this, he was required to move away from home aged just 12 years old. He admitted to not enjoying the experience which is understandable given his youth.

5) Record Breaker Supreme

Sancho has a number of records under his belt already in the Bundesliga. He is the fastest player to reach 15 and 20 Bundesliga goals in the history of the league. He has 26 goals in the German league so far and has already bettered his tally from last season by scoring 13 goals.

6) Lion Cub

After scoring in England’s 5-3 win over Kosovo in September 2019, Jadon Sancho entered the top ten youngest Three Lions goalscorer. He comes in at 9th place, only just behind the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

7) Role Model Ronny

Sancho’s self-confessed idol is Brazilian skill-heavy legend Ronaldinho. The number of fancy flicks and tricks in Sancho’s locker are a reflection of how modelled his game on his role model.

8) Praise from the Best

Another player who learned his trade from Ronaldinho is one of many high-profile players to have heaped praise on Sancho recently. Neymar called him a “special player” and told the media that he “really likes” to watch Sancho play.

9) English Return?

Sancho has been the subject of intense media speculation concerning a potential transfer back to the Premier League. Manchester City have the first option to buy because of a buy-back clause in Sancho’s contract, but Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are all keen on the wing wizard too.

10) Backstreet Ball Games

Sancho nurtured his immense talents by playing street football in London. As a kid, Sancho could be found kicking a ball about on a park or in a back alley with his mates. Now surrounded by world-class facilities at club and international level, his current situation couldn’t be further removed.