From Woodcock to Heskey: Cologne's unlikely English connection
The list of English players to represent Cologne can be counted on one hand — a remarkably short roll call that begins with Tony Woodcock, the trailblazer who helped open the door for English talent in Germany, and now includes Reigan Heskey, the latest Manchester City graduate to begin a new chapter at the Rhineland club.
Heskey's transfer to Cologne continues a story that began almost half a century ago. In 1979, Woodcock became one of the first high-profile English players to embrace the Bundesliga, arriving from Nottingham Forest as an established England international and European Cup winner.
The forward quickly made his mark. Across two spells with Cologne (1979–82 and 1986–88), Woodcock made 130 Bundesliga appearances and scored 39 goals. His first season was his standout campaign, with 17 league goals helping Cologne finish runners-up to Bayern Munich, while his return spell saw him feature in their run to the 1985/86 UEFA Cup final.
For decades, Woodcock remained the club’s only Englishman of note. That changed in 2026 when centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey joined from Man City, initially on loan before making the move permanent ahead of the new campaign. His arrival ended a wait of almost 40 years for another English player to be part of Cologne’s first-team squad.
Heskey now follows, adding another Man City graduate to the club’s growing connection with English talent. The son of former England striker Emile Heskey, the winger arrives with a reputation as one of the country's promising young attackers, although his Bundesliga journey is only just beginning.
Woodcock's success in Germany came long before the current era of English players making their mark in the Bundesliga. His move was a rare one at the time, but decades later Germany had become an established destination for English talent, with Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Jamie Gittens using the league as a platform to develop and thrive.
Harry Kane's blockbuster summer 2023 transfer to Bayern showed how far that pathway had evolved, with English players no longer simply testing themselves abroad, but arriving as established stars at Europe’s biggest clubs.
From Woodcock's pioneering move in 1979 to Heskey’s latest challenge, Cologne's English story remains a short but intriguing one, shaped by players willing to take a different path.
