diff --git a/user/externallib.php b/user/externallib.php
index 946027a9ab5..8a6e8e0acc2 100644
--- a/user/externallib.php
+++ b/user/externallib.php
@@ -1149,7 +1149,9 @@ class core_user_external extends \core_external\external_api {
                 new external_single_structure(
                     array(
                         'type'  => new external_value(PARAM_ALPHANUMEXT, 'The type of the custom field - text field, checkbox...'),
-                        'value' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The value of the custom field'),
+                        'value' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The value of the custom field (as stored in the database)'),
+                        'displayvalue' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The value of the custom field for display',
+                            VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                         'name' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The name of the custom field'),
                         'shortname' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The shortname of the custom field - to be able to build the field class in the code'),
                     )
diff --git a/user/lib.php b/user/lib.php
index a2022b462c1..2ab18a227cd 100644
--- a/user/lib.php
+++ b/user/lib.php
@@ -361,19 +361,13 @@ function user_get_user_details($user, $course = null, array $userfields = array(
             foreach ($fields as $formfield) {
                 if ($formfield->is_visible() and !$formfield->is_empty()) {
 
-                    // TODO: Part of MDL-50728, this conditional coding must be moved to
-                    // proper profile fields API so they are self-contained.
-                    // We only use display_data in fields that require text formatting.
-                    if ($formfield->field->datatype == 'text' or $formfield->field->datatype == 'textarea') {
-                        $fieldvalue = $formfield->display_data();
-                    } else {
-                        // Cases: datetime, checkbox and menu.
-                        $fieldvalue = $formfield->data;
-                    }
-
-                    $userdetails['customfields'][] =
-                        array('name' => $formfield->field->name, 'value' => $fieldvalue,
-                            'type' => $formfield->field->datatype, 'shortname' => $formfield->field->shortname);
+                    $userdetails['customfields'][] = [
+                        'name' => $formfield->field->name,
+                        'value' => $formfield->data,
+                        'displayvalue' => $formfield->display_data(),
+                        'type' => $formfield->field->datatype,
+                        'shortname' => $formfield->field->shortname
+                    ];
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/user/profile/field/menu/field.class.php b/user/profile/field/menu/field.class.php
index a304cc4102a..061c791440c 100644
--- a/user/profile/field/menu/field.class.php
+++ b/user/profile/field/menu/field.class.php
@@ -168,6 +168,24 @@ class profile_field_menu extends profile_field_base {
     public function get_field_properties() {
         return array(PARAM_TEXT, NULL_NOT_ALLOWED);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the field settings suitable to be exported via an external function.
+     *
+     * @return array all the settings
+     */
+    public function get_field_config_for_external() {
+
+        if (isset($this->field->param1) && !empty($this->options)) {
+            // Remove "Choose" option to make it consisten with the rest of the data.
+            if (!empty($this->field->required)) {
+                unset($this->options['']);
+            }
+            $this->field->param2 = implode("\n", array_values($this->options));
+        }
+
+        return (array) $this->field;
+    }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/user/tests/externallib_test.php b/user/tests/externallib_test.php
index d986c4b0e71..e54bc521d35 100644
--- a/user/tests/externallib_test.php
+++ b/user/tests/externallib_test.php
@@ -184,7 +184,20 @@ class externallib_test extends externallib_advanced_testcase {
 
         $this->resetAfterTest(true);
 
-        $course = self::getDataGenerator()->create_course();
+        $generator = self::getDataGenerator();
+
+        // Create complex user profile field supporting multi-lang.
+        filter_set_global_state('multilang', TEXTFILTER_ON);
+        $statuses = 'UE\nSE\n<span lang="en" class="multilang">Other</span><span lang="es" class="multilang">Otro</span>';
+        $generator->create_custom_profile_field(
+            [
+                'datatype' => 'menu',
+                'shortname' => 'employmentstatus', 'name' => 'Employment status',
+                'param1' => $statuses
+            ]
+        );
+
+        $course = $generator->create_course();
         $user1 = array(
             'username' => 'usernametest1',
             'idnumber' => 'idnumbertest1',
@@ -200,14 +213,16 @@ class externallib_test extends externallib_advanced_testcase {
             'descriptionformat' => FORMAT_MOODLE,
             'city' => 'Perth',
             'country' => 'AU',
+            'profile_field_jobposition' => 'Manager',
+            'profile_field_employmentstatus' => explode('\n', $statuses)[2],
         );
-        $user1 = self::getDataGenerator()->create_user($user1);
+        $user1 = $generator->create_user($user1);
         if (!empty($CFG->usetags)) {
             require_once($CFG->dirroot . '/user/editlib.php');
             $user1->interests = array('Cinema', 'Tennis', 'Dance', 'Guitar', 'Cooking');
             useredit_update_interests($user1, $user1->interests);
         }
-        $user2 = self::getDataGenerator()->create_user(
+        $user2 = $generator->create_user(
                 array('username' => 'usernametest2', 'idnumber' => 'idnumbertest2'));
 
         $generatedusers = array();
@@ -218,9 +233,9 @@ class externallib_test extends externallib_advanced_testcase {
         $roleid = $this->assignUserCapability('moodle/user:viewdetails', $context->id);
 
         // Enrol the users in the course.
-        $this->getDataGenerator()->enrol_user($user1->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
-        $this->getDataGenerator()->enrol_user($user2->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
-        $this->getDataGenerator()->enrol_user($USER->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
+        $generator->enrol_user($user1->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
+        $generator->enrol_user($user2->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
+        $generator->enrol_user($USER->id, $course->id, $roleid, 'manual');
 
         // call as admin and receive all possible fields.
         $this->setAdminUser();
@@ -290,6 +305,13 @@ class externallib_test extends externallib_advanced_testcase {
                 // Default language and no theme were used for the user.
                 $this->assertEquals($CFG->lang, $returneduser['lang']);
                 $this->assertEmpty($returneduser['theme']);
+
+                if ($returneduser['id'] == $user1->id) {
+                    $this->assertCount(1, $returneduser['customfields']);
+                    $dbvalue = explode('\n', $statuses)[2];
+                    $this->assertEquals($dbvalue, $returneduser['customfields'][0]['value']);
+                    $this->assertEquals('Other', $returneduser['customfields'][0]['displayvalue']);
+                }
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/user/upgrade.txt b/user/upgrade.txt
index 9bda89264ba..b113d41bdfa 100644
--- a/user/upgrade.txt
+++ b/user/upgrade.txt
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ This files describes API changes for code that uses the user API.
 * New `profile_get_user_field` method for returning profile field instance of given type
 * The `profile_field_base::is_visible` method now accepts an optional `$context` argument
 * External function core_user_external::add_user_private_files() now returns moodle_exception when the user quota is exceeded
+* The `customfields` structure used for returning user profile fields information has been updated to:
+   * Return in the field `value` the value of the custom field (as stored in the database)
+   * Return in the field `displayvalue` the value of the custom field for display
+   External systems displaying user information should always use `displayvalue`.
 
 === 4.1 ===