After two own goals in his first two starts for the Spanish giants, and a sending off on his debut, the former Leeds and Newcastle defender opened his scoring account at the right end in last week’s Champions League match with Rosenborg.

This will go a long way to taking the pressure off of the 25-year old, of whom much was expected following his move two summers ago for nearly £15 million. He has already missed a whole season through injury.

It seems, however, that team-mates and fans alike have taken to the ‘Northern lad’, and he is described in Madrid as ‘un tio simpatico’ - a likeable bloke. His injury lay-off enabled him to learn the lingo much quicker than his fellow compatriots David Beckham and Michael Owen.

This is perhaps why Real’s passionate fans are willing to express patience with their man, and recognise the player as a top defender who has earned five England caps and could be the one to solve their team’s much-scrutinised defensive frailties.

"It’s been a bit hard. The games I have played, I haven’t had the best of starts but hopefully I can turn it around a bit now," Woodgate told uefa.com. "It’s nice to hear they’ve got faith in me because I’m not a bad player."

Woodgate is also striving to repay others at the club who have showed similar belief in him. These include the coach, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Roberto Carlos, and particularly his new defensive partner, Ivan Helguera.

"Ivan is a great player and has been a great help for me," the England defender explained. "He’s a very funny lad as well, so he has been really good to me, but all the players have as well so I couldn’t really single out any one person."

Now, as an established team member and training ground comedian, the man from Middlesbrough is looking forward to the club’s return match in chilly Trondheim against Rosenborg next month with expected coolness.

"Cold? I’m from the North East. I won’t get cold up there," he joked. "The Brazilians might not like it too much, they might wrap themselves in gloves and a hat but I’m used to it."

With his sense of fun and adventure, it is no wonder that Woodgate has become a firm fans favourite in his new city.