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The beautiful game throws in a few surprises once in a while. There have been several instances where famous duos have made a name for themselves after joining a new club.
However, a majority of the football fans are completely unaware of a few good players playing with another bunch of talented footballers well before they became successful. Let us take a look at a few such world-class players that you would not have known played together.
5. Dani Alves and Sergio Ramos at Sevilla
The 2004-05 season was a memorable one for Sevilla. Not only did they finish sixth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Cup, but they also fielded a bunch of young and talented footballers who were instrumental in their success. Notably, future fierce rivals Dani Alves and Sergio Ramos were part of the back four in the same team!
They formed a solid partnership at the back and went on to shackle the deadly attacking forces of Real Madrid. Their shocking 1-0 victory over Los Blancos in the reverse fixture made headlines all over the world. The two veteran defenders made a combined 85 appearances for the Los Palanganas and kept a respectable 15 clean sheets in the process.
After a slew of impressive displays, Ramos moved to Real Madrid the very next season. Three seasons later, Alves made a move to Barcelona, and the former teammates would become the fiercest of rivals.
4. Ivan Rakitic and Mesut Ozil at Schalke 04
While they would have wound up on opposite sides a couple of times in the La Liga, Mesut Ozil and Ivan Rakitic have played together for Schalke in the 2007-08 Bundesliga season. While there were reports of a beef between the two that lead to Ozil's exit from the club, the Croat has maintained that they share a good relationship.
Leaving aside the controversies, Die Konigsblauen finished third that season, only behind eventual champions Bayern Munich and runners-up Werder Bremen, even if Rakitic and Ozil’s performances were average at best.
The Croatian midfielder made 42 appearances and found very little success as he could only manage the four goals and a couple of assists. The German found it harder to make an impact though, as he only played 16 games and finished with a solitary goal and assist before making a move to Werder Bremen in the January transfer window.
Little did we know how successful they would go on to become, with both playing on either side of the El Clasico, albeit at different times.
3. Dimitri Payet and Eden Hazard at LOSC Lille
In the 2011-12 League 1 season, French midfielder Dimitri Payet and Belgium winger Eden Hazard played together for the Lille outfit. Les Dogues would finish third with 74 points in 38 games.
Only Olivier Giroud’s phenomenal individual display for Montpellier and PSG’s new cash-rich owners made more news than the team from Metropole. The duo combined for a total of 31 goals and 24 assists in 49 games.
Hazard went on to win the league’s Player of the Year trophy and was also included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for that season. Although Hazard left France for Chelsea next season, Payet stayed on in his home country for another three years and developed into a world-class attacking midfielder before moving to another London club in West Ham.
2. David Beckham and David Moyes at Preston North End
The former Manchester United manager and one of the club’s greatest servants served together at Preston in the 1994-95 season when the latter was loaned out for twelve months. Although the team was unable to achieve promotion from the third division, securing the services of David Beckham was a significant boost.
Due to injuries, though, the Englishman could only start five games for the club. However, he made the most of his chances in limited time and went on to score two times and created a further three goals. The former Sunderland manager played every single minute of the season and kept four clean sheets.
At the tail end of his career, David Moyes showed no signs of retiring as he performed admirably in some of the tougher cup fixtures. The two went their separate ways the following year. One went on to become a football great while the other would serve as manager of Premier League clubs like Everton Manchester United.
Moyes is currently back as a manager in England's top league with West Ham United.
1. Ronaldinho and Mauricio Pochettino at PSG
The former Barcelona midfielder and former Tottenham manager played together in France for PSG for two seasons (2001-2003). The two were known to be close and had good chemistry on and off the pitch.
They made a combined 172 appearances for the Paris-based club, where Pochettino kept a staggering 27 clean sheets in 95 games, and Ronaldinho scored 25 and assisted 18 goals in his share of matches.
Almost at the final stages of his playing career, the Argentinian made a move to rivals Bordeaux in 2003. The Brazilian, on the other hand, secured a move to European giants FC Barcelona and went on to become one of the most loved players on the planet.
