McManaman was also twice voted as the Real Madrid supporters' favourite player at the club during his tenure. The Spanish media covered his love of the Madrid lifestyle, his willingness to learn the language and immerse into their culture, his home in La Moraleja, and noted a supposed androgynous resemblance to Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, all of which bolstered his amiable image. According to "El País", in 2001, fans saluted him with their 'white handkerchiefs' (as a terrace favourite) after he scored a long-range high volley from a Roberto Carlos cross against Real Oviedo that year.