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Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of the most successful clubs in Spanish football. In fact, the two La Liga giants have won 91 titles apiece in various competitions, a tally that is unrivalled by any club in Europe's top five leagues.
Along with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona have never been relegated from the Spanish top-flight. Unsurprisingly, with 34 and 26 titles respectively, the two giants have snared two of every three La Liga titles on offer during the competition's nine-decade history.
Even on the European stage, the two clubs have been hugely successful. Barcelona have won two of their five Champions League titles as a part of continental trebles, while Real Madrid are record 13-time winners of the competition.
5 players to have won La Liga with both Real Madrid and Barcelona
With a history of more than 100 years, Real Madrid and Barcelona have been graced by some of the finest players to have played the sport.
From the legendary Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano, Paco Gento, Cesar Rodriguez, Raul Gonzalez, Johan Cruyff, and more recently Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, many big-name players have played for one of the two La Liga giants.
Considering the fierce rivalry between the two clubs - Real Madrid and Barcelona have clashed with each other in 244 competitive fixtures over the years - only a handful of players have turned up for both clubs. Fewer still have won the La Liga title with both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
On that note, let us have a look at the quintet who have triumphed in the Spanish top-flight with both La Liga giants.
#1 Albert Celades (Barcelona - 2, Real Madrid - 2)
Albert Celades is a Barcelona youth academy product who first made his name as a defensive midfielder at Camp Nou.
Celades played 36 games in Barcelona's victorious 1997-98 La Liga campaign but first-team appearances became more sporadic. In 16 games, the player scored two goals to double his La Liga tally for the club as the Blaugrana successfully defended their title.
In 2000, Celades made a move to Real Madrid but struggled to become a permanent fixture at the club. He played 31 La Liga games as the capital club won successive La Liga titles.
Celades, who managed La Liga club Valencia last season, won a Champions League title during his stay at Real Madrid.
#2 Bernd Schuster (Barcelona - 1, Real Madrid - 2)
Bernd Schuster, one of a handful of players to have won the La Liga as both a player and a manager, first made his name as a midfielder at Barcelona.
The former Real Madrid manager scored exactly 50 La Liga goals during a successful eight-year stint at Barcelona in the 80s. However, during this period, Schuster only won one La Liga title (1984-85).
Following an acrimonious move to Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid in 1988, the player found instant success. Although he stayed for only two seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, Schuster scored 13 goals from central and attacking midfield to help the Merengues lift successive La Liga titles.
Almost two decades later, Schuster became the first German tactician to win La Liga when he returned to Real Madrid in a managerial capacity and delivered the team's 31st triumph in the competition in 2007-08.
#3 Luis Enrique (Barcelona - 2, Real Madrid - 1)
Luis Enrique was one of the few players to have enjoyed almost equal success at both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Enrique was renowned for his versatility that allowed him to be deployed in a bevvy of positions in the midfield and attacking third.
He scored 15 La Liga goals in five seasons at Real Madrid in the early 90s, contributing four goals in the Merengues' victorious 1994-95 campaign. However, after scoring in Real Madrid's 5-0 win over Barcelona in January 1995, Enrique did not renew his contract at the club and instead joined the Blaugrana in the summer.
Despite arriving from their arch-rivals, the player soon endeared himself to the Barcelona faithful as his goal count saw a metronomic improvement. His 46 La Liga goals in his first three seasons at the club helped Barcelona win consecutive league titles and finish second in 1996-97.
Enrique returned to Barcelona in a managerial capacity in 2014 after stints at AS Roma and Celta Vigo, and promptly led the club its second continental treble. In his next season, the former player delivered another league and cup double before leaving the club at the end of the 2016-17 season after winning a third Copa del Rey title on the trot.
#4 Michael Laudrup (Barcelona - 4, Real Madrid - 1)
After making his debut as a precocious teenager, Michael Laudrup had successful stints at Lazio and Juventus before becoming a key component of Johan Cryuff's Dream Team at Barcelona in the early 90s.
Renowned for his eye for the final ball and goal-scoring prowess, the Danish midfielder combined with Jose Bakero and Hristo Stoichkov to form one of the most-feared attacking triumvirates in world football as Barcelona won four consecutive league titles from 1991 to 1994.
Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain were some of Laudrup's other illustrious teammates in that team. Barcelona also lifted their first Champions League title in 1991-92 when the competition was known as the European Champions Club's Cup.
However, because of the three-foreigner rule in La Liga at that time and Barcelona's mounting injury issues, Laudrup decided to leave Camp Nou. He joined Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid in 1994 and quickly endeared himself to the club's faithful with his silken skills, winning a fifth-consecutive league title during his two-season stay at the club.
Interestingly, Laudrup featured in 5-0 El Clasico wins at both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He did so in his last season with the Blaugrana and his first with the Merengues.
Talking about his decision to leave Barcelona, Laudrup said in a later interview:
"There was a limit of four foreigners and you could only play three. The first few months of the 1993-94 season I was the one who played most but I was losing form in the decisive stretch and missed the final in Athens. I considered whether that trend would continue into the next season and came to the conclusion that I would have problems and time proved me right. Barcelona had problems with injuries in 1994-95, and they could only finish third."
The Dane later won a league title in a fourth different country when he won the league and cup double with Ajax, before retiring as a player after the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France where Denmark reached the quarter-finals.
#5 Luis Figo (Barcelona - 2, Real Madrid - 2)
Luis Figo, arguably one of the greatest players of his generation, played over 200 games for both Barcelona and Real Madrid and won two La Liga titles at each club.
Renowned for his creativity, goal-creating prowess and ability from set-pieces, Figo scored 45 goals and 51 assists during his five-season stint with Barcelona, winning consecutive La Liga titles in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
However, a perceived lack of recognition for his efforts led Figo to leave Camp Nou and join Real Madrid. The move angered the Blaugrana faithful to no end, as Figo was greeted with missiles and a pig's head during his first game away at Barcelona.
Figo, who joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2000 on a then world-record transfer of €62 million, enjoyed an equally successful stint at his new club. He won the 2000 Ballon d'Or, scored 56 goals and provided 93 assists. Real Madrid won the 2000-01 and 2002-03 La Liga titles, apart from the 2001-02 Champions League.
