10 Premier League players who have tormented their former teams

Kevin De Bruyne (right) has consistently given Chelsea trouble since his London departure.
Kevin De Bruyne (right) has consistently given Chelsea trouble since his London departure.

#8 Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal)

Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka vies with Abou Diaby (#2) of Arsenal
Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka vies with Abou Diaby (#2) of Arsenal

French forward Nicolas Anelka represented the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers. However, he first arrived on British shores with Arsenal in 1996.

After enduring a slow start to his career in London, Anelka burst into life in the 1998-99 season, scoring 17 league goals for the Gunners.

The Frenchman was surprisingly sold to Real Madrid at the end of the season after making 86 appearances for Arsenal, where he scored 28 goals and provided 12 assists.

He would go on to face Arsene Wenger and co. 19 times over his journeyman career. Anelka finished on the winning side in seven of those games, while suffering nine defeats. He did, however, score seven times against Arsenal, all of which came in the Premier League.


#7 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (#7) gets past Manchester United's Rafael da Silva.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (#7) gets past Manchester United's Rafael da Silva.

After watching Cristiano Ronaldo demolish opposition defences for half a decade, Red Devils fans were no strangers to the Portuguese star's brilliance. He left Old Trafford for £85 million in 2009 after a magnificent six-year spell that saw him develop into the best player in the world and a Ballon d'Or winner.

Nobody was surprised when Ronaldo towered over Patrice Evra to power in a header when Real Madrid faced the English giants in a 2013 Champions League clash.

That goal was the equaliser in the first leg of a Round of 16 tie between the two European powerhouses. The then-Los Blancos talisman repeated the trick at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture. Both goals were of vital importance,e as Real Madrid prevailed 3-2 on aggregate, knocking Manchester United out of the tournament.

Ronaldo then scored a screamer against the Red Devils for Juventus in the 2017-18 Champions League group stage meeting between the two teams. The forward's record against United is stellar, with three goals in five meetings to go with three victories and a solitary loss.


#6 Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)

Kevin De Bruyne tracks Chelsea's Christian Pulisic (#10).
Kevin De Bruyne tracks Chelsea's Christian Pulisic (#10).

If letting go of Mohamed Salah wasn't bad enough, Chelsea somehow also squandered away the chance to build a team around Kevin De Bruyne.

Signed from Genk for £7 million in 2011-12, the Belgian midfielder made just nine appearances for Chelsea before being sold to Wolfsburg for £20 million two seasons later.

It proved to be a huge error, as he returned to England with Manchester City in 2015. De Bruyne has led the Cityzens to three league titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup. With 74 goals and 111 assists for Pep Guardiola's team, De Bruyne has also won two successive PFA Player of the Year awards.

The Belgian has faced Chelsea 16 times, winning nine games and losing six times. He has provided five assists, and scored six goals against his former team. The most recent of them was a stunning winner in a 1-0 league win earlier this month.

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