Until Diego Simeone took over Atletico and made them into the global powerhouse that they are today, the Madrid derby had been overshadowed by the El Clasico and quite often still is; but nowadays, to a much lesser extent.
The El Clasico used to have stern implications of where the league title would land come the end of the season, and while it still does, with Atletico’s resurgence, the Madrid derby has grown to be just as important.
Also read: 5 players who won La Liga with both Real Madrid and Barcelona
Both are great sides with contrasting identities and have suffered very different fates. A rivalry that has been primarily dominated by Real Madrid until the turn of the decade, the facts are quite obviously skewed in the Los Blancos’ favour.
It is a fierce rivalry bred from the fact that Real Madrid have always been seen as an establishment club, representing the elite of the city, while Atletico have been characterised by a sense of rebellion.
Yet, with the sense of rivalry running deep, quite a few players have actually worn both shirts. Here we take a look at five players who at some point in their careers have played for both the Los Blancos and the Los Rojiblancos.
#5 Juanfran
Juanfran has grown into one of the best and most complete right-backs on the planet under Diego Simeone’s tutelage.
However, his initial footballing education was at Real Madrid’s youth academy, and he rose through the ranks to make six appearances for their first team. Having initially started his career as a winger, he switched to right-back when he was loaned to Osasuna in the 2005-06 season, where he made 30 appearances and helped them stave off relegation.
After making the move permanent and appearing for them another 153 times, he transferred to Atletico, where he has become an idol for the colchoneros.
How can one forget a teary-eyed Juanfran apologising to the Atletico Madrid fans after their penalty shootout loss to Real in the Champions League finals?
When the two clubs clash on Sunday, he will play a key role in keeping a rampant Real at bay and keeping Atleti in the title race.
#4 Luis Aragones
To many, the name of Luis Aragones crops up imagery of Spain’s swashbuckling Euro 2008 team that stormed to the title. He laid the groundwork for their success in further tournaments by being brave enough to drop experienced players such as Raul and employing a tiki-taka style of football.
He passed away nearly two years ago aged 75 and will always be remembered fondly for delivering Spain’s first major trophy for nearly 50 years.
He was nothing short of a legend for Atletico Madrid, spending a vast majority of his playing career with them and managing them in 4 different spells.
Before playing for them, he was initially signed by Real Madrid from Getafe but was never given a chance with the Los Blancos, not appearing for them a single time. He was repeatedly loaned out to various clubs and despite making good impressions, always found the path to the Madrid first team blocked.
He finally ended up leaving them and joining cross-town rivals Atletico where he went on to enjoy quite a bit of success, winning three league titles, 2 cups and scoring 123 goals in 263 appearances.
#3 Hugo Sanchez
Hugo Sanchez was part of a Real Madrid team consisting of the likes of Emilio Butragueno, Manuel Sanchis, Martin Vasquez, Michel and Miguel Pardeza, infamously dubbed as the “Vulture’s Cohort.” They won 5 consecutive league titles between 1985/86 – 1989/90 along with a Copa Del Rey and a UEFA Cup.
During those five years, Sanchez won 4 consecutive Pichichi trophies, in the process becoming the only player in Spanish football history to do so without having to share it with any other player in any season. He was also among an elite group to win 5 Pichichi’s (along with Alfredo Di Stefano and Quini) and scored 208 goals in 283 appearances for Madrid.
In the 1989/90 season, he scored 38 goals in the league, equaling Telmo Zarra’s record for most goals in a league season and earning the European Golden Boot award.
But before he wrote himself into Real Madrid’s history books, he was initially plying his trade for the Los Rojiblancos, where he spent four years scoring 82 goals in 152 appearances and winning the Supercopa de Espana and the Copa Del Rey.
He undoubtedly experienced his best years for Real but took his initial strides to stardom at Atletico Madrid.
#2 Raul
Before Cristiano Ronaldo transferred to the Los Blancos, Raul was the undisputed idol to all Madrid fans. He was their highest ever appearance maker, highest ever goal-scorer, held the record for most goals in the Champions League group stages, the highest number of appearances in European competitions and was consistently one of the best players in the world.
Though Ronaldo has surpassed most of these already, Raul will always hold a special place in the hearts of all their supporters.
Therefore, some may find it surprising that Raul too started his career in Atletico Madrid. He was a part of their youth setup and would have probably continued to play for them had then President Jesus Gil not decided to cancel the football school of Atletico for cost reduction reasons.
He thus ended up signing for Real as a 17-year-old in 1994, and the rest, as they say, is history.
#1 Santiago Bernabeu
Yes, arguably the greatest personality in Real Madrid’s history, the very soul of the club and after whom the club’s stadium is named, played for both Real and Atletico.
After moving to Real post the civil war in 1936, what he found was – for all intents and purposes - a dead club. Several of the previous administration had been killed in the war, and the club was in disarray.
Bernabeu then proceeded to restructure the entire club, spending several months finding and contacting former players, directors and club members. Elected president in 1943, he spent the rest of his life in the position, overseeing Madrid’s growth into a footballing powerhouse.
He was everything to Real Madrid, player, director, assistant, manager and finally president; no single person in their rich history has had as much an impact on the club as he did.
During his years as a player, he progressed through the youth ranks before captaining the first team and finally retiring in 1927.
However, during his initial years, he had problems with the direction the club was headed and ended up signing for their arch-rivals, Atletico. Though it is important to note he never actually played an official game for them.
