Historically, the top Welsh clubs have played in the English league system – and most of the top Welsh players these days have spent at least part of their career with one or more English clubs.
Some have travelled further afield to ply their trade, though – mostly to continental Europe but also North America, Asia and Oceania.
Here, we take you through a selection of Wales internationals who have experienced club football overseas.
Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu spent time in Germany and Italy during loan spells away from Chelsea as a youngster.
The versatile defender, who made his Wales debut in 2017, made a handful of appearances for Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in 2019/20, before featuring regularly for Serie A sides Spezia and Venezia during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
Dai Astley
A prolific goalscorer who found the net 12 times in 13 caps for Wales during the 1930s, Dai Astley ended his career in France.
The ex-Charlton, Aston Villa and Derby County striker joined Metz after the Second World War, spending a year with the Lorraine-based club before retiring.
He went on to manage clubs in Italy and Sweden, taking charge of Inter and Genoa in the former.
Gareth Bale
Arguably the greatest Welsh player of all time, Gareth Bale was already a superstar when he left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2013.
But in the years following his big-money move to the Bernabeu, the electrifying winger ascended to new heights, helping Real to numerous major honours – including five Champions League titles.
The long-time national team captain saw out his playing days in the USA with LAFC.
Mark Bowen
John Charles
A regular for Wales during the 90s, Mark Bowen made the vast majority of his club appearances for Norwich City.
The left-back had stints with a number of other English outfits, as well as spending a short time in Japan – where he scored three goals in seven games for Shimizu S-Pulse in 1997.
Simon Church
Born in England but capped 38 times by Wales between 2009 and 2016, Simon Church briefly played in the Netherlands late in his career.
The former Reading and Charlton Athletic frontman made four appearances for Eredivisie side Roda JC during the 2016/17 campaign, before returning to the UK to join Scunthorpe United.
David Cotterill
Having spent the first 14 years of his career turning out for a string of English and Welsh clubs, winger David Cotterill went to play in the Indian Super League in 2018.
The 24-cap winger featured three times for Kolkata outfit ATK, where his teammates included Robbie Keane, before retiring later that year.
Nick Deacy
A 12-time Welsh international in the late 70s, striker Nick Deacy spent much of his career in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Part of the PSV team who won the 1977/78 UEFA Cup, Deacy also turned out for Vitesse Arnhem and Belgian club Beringen. He later had a couple of stints in Hong Kong.
Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw left his mark on English football by becoming the first player to hit hat-tricks in each of the top four divisions, before spending most of the final years of his career in North America – where he played for Toronto FC, Chicago Fire and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The somersaulting centre-forward also had a spell in Israel, on loan at Maccabi Tel Aviv from Cardiff during the 2012/13 campaign.
Trevor Ford
Suspended by the FA after revealing how his former club Sunderland had attempted to circumvent maximum wage restrictions, Trevor Ford left England for the Netherlands in 1957.
The striker, who scored 23 international goals, made more than 50 appearances across three seasons at PSV before winding down at Welsh club Newport County.
Mark Hughes
Welsh attacking great Mark Hughes is a Manchester United legend, beginning and ending the 80s at Old Trafford – but he also had time to play in two countries on the continent.
‘Sparky’ linked up with fellow Brits Gary Lineker and Steve Archibald at Barcelona in 1986 but struggled to make an impact at the Camp Nou, being loaned out to Bayern Munich before returning to United.
Joe Ledley
An integral member of Wales’ midfield en route to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, Joe Ledley represented clubs in his homeland, England, Scotland and Australia.
The former Cardiff City, Celtic and Crystal Palace player, who earned a total of 77 caps, featured a handful of times for Newcastle United Jets down under.
Aaron Ramsey
Like the great John Charles before him, Aaron Ramsey pulled on the famous black and white shirt of Juventus.
After winning the 2019/20 Serie A title and 2020/21 Coppa Italia with Juve, the ex-Arsenal star swapped Italy for France – where he spent a single season at Nice, re-joining boyhood club Cardiff City in 2023.
Carl Robinson
A Welsh international on 52 occasions from 1999 to 2009, midfielder Carl Robinson made almost 100 MLS appearances before hanging up his boots in 2011.
After three years at Toronto FC, Robinson swapped Canada for the USA and signed for the New York Red Bulls, where he became a player-coach.
Ian Rush
Dean Saunders
Among Wales’ foremost stars of the 90s, Dean Saunders got a taste of Turkish and Portuguese football with Galatasaray and Benfica respectively.
The former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker lifted the 1995/96 Turkish Cup with Gala, scoring in both legs of the final against their arch-rivals Fenerbahce – including an extra-time winner in the second leg.
