Raised in Canada, moulded in Germany, Success in England. A double winning debut season for the tireless Hargreaves
Hargreaves is a real rarity: an England international before he’d ever played for an English club. Raised in Canada, the defensive midfielder signed for Bayern Munich as a teenager, and worked his way through the ranks, breaking into the first team in 2000. He was a key man as Munich went on to win four Bundesligas and a sterling performance at World Cup 2006 won over doubting England fans.
A year later, after protracted transfer wrangling, Alex Ferguson signed him for £17m in July 2007. Tireless, tough-tackling and a great passer, he made 34 appearances as United won Champions League and Premier League in his debut season.