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Both Barcelona and Manchester United are among the biggest clubs in world football. Barcelona stand for the pride of the Catalunya region of Spain, whereas United are the biggest club in English football and arguably the most popular club in the world.
Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League 5 times and the La Liga title 25 times. On the other hand, United have won the Champions League 3 times and the Premier League title 20 times.
There have been quite a few players, who have played for both of these clubs. In this article, we will have a look at the 5 players who have done so since 2000 as we anticipate their upcoming clash in the Champions League next week:
#5 Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson, a great Swedish striker, played for both the clubs with distinction. He joined Barca in 2004 and spent a few seasons there. He also helped Barca win 1 Champions League and 2 LaLiga titles during that period. Larsson scored 19 goals in 59 matches for the Catalan giants.
Larsson helped Barca win the Champions League in 2006 when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final in Paris. He provided assists for both the goals in the final and was arguably the best Barca player in that match.
He joined United on loan in 2007 and spent a solitary season with them. He remained a very opportunistic striker with an excellent header. He played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, and Wayne Rooney, and scored 3 goals in 13 matches for United. He also won the Premier League title with them before leaving the club in 2008.
Also see : Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips, Intercontinental Cup
#4 Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique, the famous Spanish centre-back, came through the youth ranks of Barcelona and joined United as a teenager in 2004. However, he failed to cement his place in the starting line-up of United, who had Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand as their regular center-backs.
Yet, Pique managed to stay with the club till 2008, and also won one UEFA Champions League and one Premier League title with them. He played in 23 matches for United and scored 2 goals. Ultimately, he left the club in 2008 and subsequently joined Barcelona in 2009.
Pique evolved as a player while playing for Barca, and remained one of the best center-backs in the world for close to a decade. He is known for his distribution skills, clean tackling and ability to read the game. Pique has won 3 Champions League and 7 LaLiga titles with Barcelona. He has also scored 46 goals in 487 matches for them.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The big Swedish striker joined Barcelona from Inter Milan in 2009 as a part of a swap deal also involving Samuel Eto’o. Ibrahimovic, however, could not stay with Barcelona for more than two seasons.
Despite that, he made his mark there and scored 22 goals from 46 matches for them. His personal equation with Pep Guardiola, the then Barca coach, was not very good, and it was one of the reasons behind his brief stay there. He won one La Liga title with Barca.
Ibra joined Manchester United as a 35-year-old in 2016 and helped them win the UEFA Europa League and the League Cup under Jose Mourinho. He scored 29 goals in 53 matches for United in two seasons with them. It remains a pity that Ibra could not play in the Premier League for a longer duration, as it would have suited a big and burly striker like him very well.
#2 Victor Valdes
Victor Valdes was a La Masia product who remained Barca’s goal-keeper during their glory days in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He won 3 Champions League and 5 LaLiga titles with them. Valdes remained an underrated performer in a flamboyant team but managed to play in 535 matches for them in 12 seasons.
Valdes was a good shot-stopper and quite decent in the air. He also organized the defense quite well and ensured that Barca did not concede too many goals. The arrival of Claudio Bravo prompted him to leave the club in 2014 and join Manchester United.
However, Valdes played in only 2 matches for United in a couple of seasons with them and warmed the bench for the majority of the time he spent at Old Trafford. He left United in 2016.
#1 Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean forward was signed by Barcelona in 2011 and played for them till 2014. He has brilliant ball-skills and the ability to score important goals. At his best, Alexis Sanchez was one of the best forwards in the world and he won one La Liga title with Barca.
However, he had to compete with the likes of David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez for a place in the starting line up at Barca. Still, he managed to score 47 goals in 141 matches for them. Sanchez left Barca for Arsenal in 2014 and was successful for the Gunners too.
He joined United from Arsenal in 2018 but has not been able to cement his place in the starting line-up of the Red Devils. He has been sidelined by the likes of Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford at United, and scored only 5 goals in 41 matches for them. His future with the club is uncertain, and he might be sold off before the beginning of the next season.
