5 players who have played for both Manchester United and Manchester City

Tevez won two Premier League titles in his time with United
Tevez won two Premier League titles in his time with United

On Sunday, Manchester United meet Manchester City in one of the most anticipated clashes of the season so far.

City come into the game unbeaten in the Premier League. They have won nine of their first 11 league games, and sit top of the table ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, who are also unbeaten. They come into the game on the back of a 6-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

United, on the other hand, have had a tough start to the Premier League season, and currently sit seventh in the table. Results and performances have picked up slightly in recent weeks though, and they collected a vital win away at Juventus in the Champions League earlier this week.

This will be a big game for both sides. Guardiola’s men will be looking to hold on to their position at the top of the table, but they will also be looking for revenge after United came from 2-0 down to beat them at the Etihad in April, denying them the chance to win the title against their arch-rivals.

It is also a big game for Mourinho personally, as his future remains a topic of discussion in the press. A big defeat could see even more speculation, but victory could be massive in the context of their season.

Despite the rivalry, there are a few players who have appeared for both of the big sides in the city. Here are five men who have played for both Manchester United and Manchester City.


1. Owen Hargreaves

Hargreaves spent four years with United
Hargreaves spent four years with United

He may not have played too much for either side, but Hargreaves is one of the players who has most recently played for both united and city. The midfielder joined United in 2007 from Bayern Munich in a deal worth £16 million. Injuries limited his appearances at Old Trafford, and he made only 39 appearances for the club in his four years there, with just 27 of those coming in the Premier League.

He did, however, leave United with a couple of honours to his name. He was part of the side who won the Premier League and Champions League double in the 2007/08 season. After his contract ended in 2011, he moved across Manchester to join City, but once again his game time there was limited by injuries. He appeared just once in the league in his time there, failing to make enough appearances to be given a Premier League winners’ medal.

2. Peter Schmeichel

Schmeichel is regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest goalkeepers
Schmeichel is regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest goalkeepers

Schmeichel’s name is one that is synonymous with Manchester United, given the incredible success that he had there, but not many people know that he also spent a little bit of time in the Blue half of the city as well. The Dane spent eight years at Old Trafford, where he established himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers we have seen play in the Premier League.

He won five Premier League titles with United, along with three FA Cups, and famously the Champions League in 1999. He finished his career with a season at Manchester City, three years after he left Old Trafford. He made 29 appearances for the Citizens in the 2002/03 season.

3. Andy Cole

Cole scored 93 Premier League goals for United
Cole scored 93 Premier League goals for United

Cole is one of the finest strikers that the Premier League has seen, with his 187 goals making him the third highest goalscorer in the competition’s history, behind only Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney. Cole was another man who made his name at Manchester United before moving onto the Red Devils’ neighbours later on his career.

He spent six years with United, scoring an impressive 93 goals in the Premier League. He was another one who was part of the 1999 Champions League winning side, as well as winning five league titles. Cole spent his only year with Manchester City in the 2005/06 season, where he scored a decent ten goals in 23 appearances in all competitions.

Cole was probably the only player to have played at a high level for man utd and man city.

4. Brian Kidd

Kidd has been an assistant manager at City for nine years
Kidd has been an assistant manager at City for nine years

It seems only fair to include someone on this list who did their better work at City, rather than United. Kidd started his career with United, where he spent seven years in the first team. His goal record wasn’t great, scoring 52 goals in 203 league games. He was, however, part of the United side who won the European Cup in the 1967/68 season.

Kidd joined City in 1976, where he spent three years, scoring 44 goals in 98 games. Kidd has gone one better after his playing career, spending time on the coaching staff of both clubs. He was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at United between 1991 and 1998. He has been assistant manager at Manchester City in the most successful era of their history, and has been with the club since 2009.

5. Carlos Tevez

Tevez made the move to City in 2009
Tevez made the move to City in 2009

Of all the players to have played for both Manchester clubs, none have done so more famously than Carlos Tevez. After a controversial move to West Ham in 2006, the Argentinian moved to Old Trafford after a season in London. He spent two seasons with United, but he never really held down a spot in the starting XI. He did win the Premier League title in each of his seasons there, as well as the Champions League in 2008.

His contract was extended at the end of those two years, and he made the move across Manchester to join City. He was a part of the side who won City’s first Premier League title in 2012, despite a fall out with Roberto Mancini midway through the season. He spent four seasons at the Etihad, during which he scored an impressive 73 goals in 148 games in all competitions.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram