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Barcelona and Real Madrid, two clubs with deep roots in history success and royalty in world football. They have always been counted amongst the best and the elite. Sparks and controversies float around when these two compete against each other, the fixture which generates the most viewership in club football along with passion.
The age-old rivalry between the two Spanish giants creates an unmissable, unstoppable game of football which is admired by the fan-bases of all the clubs in the world.
This fixture has witnessed many filthy fights, dreamy goals, and fierce rivalries among the best players and managers.
There have been many warriors who fought this war of supremacy and some of them were good enough to fight from either end. It is not a common sight, playing for one club and then joining their greatest rival team but some players had the courage to do this.
Here are 5 players who played for both the clubs during their career.
#5 Julen Lopetegui
Position: Goalkeeper
Barcelona career: Joined/Left - July 1994/ July 1997
Appearances - 10
Goals conceded/Clean sheets - 19/1
Real Madrid career: Joined/Left - August 1989/ July 1991
Appearances - 1
Goals conceded/Clean sheets - 3/0
Julen Lopetegui was in the news recently but for all the wrong reasons. He was appointed as the Real Madrid manager in the summer of 2018 but was soon sacked after his poor managerial decisions and weak tactics.
The Real Madrid job did not come at an easy cost for him, he was the head coach of the Spanish national team and was leading them to the FIFA World Cup 2018 with just one defeat in 10 games in the qualifying rounds. But his decision of signing for Real Madrid just a day before the first World Cup game led to his dismissal after the Spanish FA decided to sack him.
Lopetegui had desired a lot to become a successful player. He could never really establish himself at any of the clubs he played for. He was a backup goalkeeper during his time at Barcelona as well as Madrid rarely taking part in big competitions like the UEFA Champions League.
Lopetegui's playing career wasn't blistering and exciting at all but it would be only fair to say he made it up by going big in his managerial career, managing his national side Spain and later going on to manage one of the most successful clubs in the world, Real Madrid.
#4 Samuel Eto'o
Position: Centre Forward
Barcelona career: Joined/ Left - August 2004/ July 2009
Appearances - 199
Goals/Assists - 130/40
Real Madrid career: July 1998/ January 2000
Appearances - 7
Goals/Assists - 0/0
Samuel Eto'o is a 38-year-old Cameroon International who currently plays for the Qatar club Qatar SC. He joined Real Madrid when he was just 16 and due to tough competition at the club, he served many loan spells away. He later joined RCD Mallorca in 2000 and scored 70 goals for them which was impressive enough for Barcelona who signed him for €24.30 million in 2004.
His spell at Barcelona was applauded by many fans and critics as he managed to prove his worth by reaching his peak at the club. He played along with many greats like Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry and Puyol just to name a few and was also considered as one of the greatest strikers at the time. He was an important figure in the attacking phase for the team.
He has 118 caps for his national side Cameroon and has scored 58 goals making him the leading scorer for Cameroon.
His trophy collection is something he can boast of greatly. He has won African Player of the Year 4 times, UEFA Champions League again 4 times, 3 times Spanish La Liga, One Italian Serie-A, One FIFA Club World Cup.
#3 Ronaldo Luis de Lima
Position: Centre Forward
Barcelona career: Joined/Left - July 1996/ July 1997
Appearances - 49
Goals/Assists - 47/7
Real Madrid career: Joined/Left - August 2002/ Jan 2007
Appearances - 177
Goals conceded/Clean sheets - 104/34
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, commonly known as 'The Phenomenon' was a Brazilian International superstar who spent the majority of his time at Real Madrid. He was considered as one of the best when he was at his peak but his injury problems kept him away from really reaching his full potential.
He scored 291 goals and assisted 58 times in 438 matches which are an incredible tally to look upon but his lack of matches in professional football stopped him from making a mark on the history of football as he could've gone on to score many more goals and would've broken many more records.
His time at Barcelona was dreamy and great but was struck by heavy injuries due to which he decided to change the club. He scored 47 goals and assisted 7 times in just 49 matches.
He had played for other elite clubs at that time like Inter Milan and AC Milan scoring 59 in 98 appearances and 9 in 20 appearances respectively.
He rose into fame because of his consistent nature on the field and incomparable skill set that was confusing enough to beat several defenders at a time.
#2 Luis Enrique
Position: Right Winger
Barcelona career: Joined/Left - July 1996/ July 2004(retired)
Appearances - 300
Goals/assists- 108/36
Real Madrid career: Joined/Left - July 1991/ July 1996
Appearances - 202
Goals/assists - 16/1
Luis Enrique is arguably famous for his tenure as the Barcelona manager rather than as a player. He has been instrumental as a manager by carrying Barcelona's legacy of great success and trophies in every season. He managed Barcelona between 2014 and 2017 during which the Catalan club played 181 matches while maintaining 2.41 points per match average.
Luis Enrique was born in Gijon, Spain and started his youth career with Sporting Gijon from where he moved to Real Madrid on a free transfer. He was regarded as a talented winger who can cross the balls into deadly areas creating problems for the opposition and was called 'Lucho' which stuck all through his career. He swapped directly from Madrid to Barcelona on a free transfer again, something which is rarely seen due to the great rivalry between the two clubs. While crossing the ball was his major trait, he wasn't shy of taking a pop on the goal every now and then and even registered quite a few goals for a winger, in Barcelona.
He has won numerous amount of trophies with both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He has won the Spanish League 3 times, 2 times with Barca and one time with Madrid, has won the Spanish cup 3 times, 2 with Barca, 1 with Madrid, has won the Spanish super cup 4 times, twice with each club and has one the Olympic medal with his national side.
Lucho for sure is an important part of both the clubs history but moreover for Barca due to his services as the manager.
#1 Luis Figo
Position: Right Winger
Barcelona career: Joined/Left- July 1995/ July 2000
Appearances- 248
Goals/Assists- 45/51
Real Madrid career: Joined/Left- July 2000/ July 2005
Appearances- 245
Goals/Assists- 56/93
Luis Figo is a Portuguese International who shared his playing career with two teams with the biggest rivalry, Barcelona and Real Madrid. He was an exceptional winger with an unmatchable skill set and some tough physical ability and was known to get past the defenders on the right wing to deliver deadly crosses inside the oppositions penalty area. He played for several clubs such as Sporting CP, Inter, Sporting U19, but his most notable time came during his time in Barcelona and Madrid.
He transferred FC Barcelona from Sporting CP in July of 1995 for a reported fee of €2.50 Million. He showcased his world-class skills and established an attacking ideology throughout the team. He was a peripheral figure and was considered as one of the leading members of the team. He appeared 248 times in Barcelona shirt, scoring 45 goals while assisting 51 times which seems pretty decent considering the fact that Figo was a winger.
He joined Real Madrid straight from Barcelona, which is a truly rare sight in football, for a reported fee of €60 Million. He was a part of the world famous 'Galacticos' and established himself straight into the squad joining. In fact, Luis Figo was the first 'Galactica' to be signed by the President of Real Madrid Fiorentino Perez in his first tenure. Figo scored 56 goals and assisted 93 times in 245 appearances for the Los Blancos in all competitions and helped Madrid win many trophies.
His trophy cabinet is quite big as he won silverware with almost every club he played for. He has won LaLiga 4 times, twice with Madrid and twice with Barcelona, 1 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, 2 Spanish Cups with Barcelona, 4 Italian Championship with Internazionale, and many more. He has won Footballer of the Year 6 times and 1 Balon d'Or with Real Madrid in 2001.
