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Manchester United welcome Barcelona to Old Trafford on Tuesday for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. The two clubs are enduring contrasting seasons so far and the Catalans are certainly the favorites to win this tie. Despite the recent differences in their fortunes, the two European powerhouses have been home to many world class footballers, few of whom have played for both clubs.
As such, today, we take a look at the top 5 players who have played for both Manchester United and Barcelona in their career.
#5 Henrik Larsson
The Swedish Footballer joined Barcelona in 2004 on a free transfer from Celtic. His first year at the Nou Camp was marred with injuries, which saw him appear just 12 times in the La Liga and 17 times in total in all competitions. However, he did manage to score 4 goals for the Catalans.
He won the La Liga and Barcelona decided to extend his contract for another year, despite his injury concerns. The following season, Larsson was in fine form. He made 28 appearances in the La Liga, scoring 10 goals and was a vital part of the Barcelona attack that also comprised of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. But his biggest contribution for the club arrived in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Larsson started from the bench against Arsenal, but when he was introduced in the 61st minute, Barcelona were trailing 0-1. He went on to assists two goals, scored by Eto’o and Belletti, and helped Barcelona lift their first Champions League title in 14 years. Larsson, during his time at the Camp Nou, won 2 La Liga titles, one Supercopa de Espana and one UEFA Champions League.
The Swedish international was given an option to continue with Barcelona, but decided instead to return to his old club Helsingborg. It was from here that he joined Manchester United on loan, for a period starting from 1st January, till 12th March 2007. During his short stay, he managed to win over the club and the supporters.
The club was eager to extend his stay, but Larsson wanted to respect his promise to his old club and his family. Sir Alex famously went on record to say that he would have done anything to keep the Swedish player at the club.
Larsson played just 13 matches for United and scored 3 goals. In the Premier League, he had 7 appearances and 1 goal. When United won the Premier League trophy, the club requested for two extra medals for Larsson and Alan Smith, as both did not meet the minimum quota of 10 league appearances. The Premier League administration obliged and as such, Larsson has a Premier League medal to his name as well.
#4 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez was a rising star in the world of football when he joined Barcelona from Udinese in July 2011. He became the first Chilean to play for the Catalans and was destined for great things. However, his first season was hampered with injuries. Sanchez still managed to score 12 goals from 25 appearances in the League and 15 goals from 45 appearances in total.
The Chilean performed admirably for Barcelona in the next couple of seasons but failed to seal a place under both Tito Vilanova and Tata Martino. He moved to Arsenal in July 2014, after making 141 appearances for Barcelona and scoring 47 goals. During his time at the Nou Camp, the Chilean won 1 La Liga trophy, one Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de Espana, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
After three and a half seasons at Arsenal, Sanchez moved to Manchester United in January 2018, in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan depart for Arsenal. Since joining United, Sanchez has seen his career go on a downward spiral and he has failed to impress under both Mourinho and Solskjaer. As of now, the Chilean has just 4 goals from 41 games and is once again sidelined with injuries.
#3 Laurent Blanc
When Laurent Blanc joined Barcelona in 1996, a lot of big names in Europe wanted his signature. The Frenchman had impressed during his time at Auxerre and had drawn the attention of almost all of Europe’s big players. It was rumored that Manchester United were also among his suitors, but Blanc chose to move to Nou Camp because he wanted to play under Johan Cruyff.
Unfortunately, Cruyff was sacked before Blanc could kick a ball and it was an inauspicious start to his short association with the Catalans. The Frenchman played just one season at the Nou Camp, had 38 appearances and scored 1 goal. However, he did manage to win the Cop del Rey, the Supercopa de Espana, and the UEFA Cup Winner’s cup.
Blanc left Barcelona to join Marseille and gained the nickname of La President. He played 2 seasons with the French side and then two more with Internazionale, before Sir Alex Ferguson finally got his wish.
In August 2001, a 35 year old Blanc joined Manchester United, as a replacement for the departing Jaap Stam. He was initially poor, but regained his form to earn a contract extension. The following season, the Frenchman was instrumental as United won the Premier League. Blanc retired at the end of the 2002/03 season, after he had recorded 75 appearances for the Red Devils and had scored 4 goals.
#2 Mark Hughes
The Welshman was picked up by United scouts as a 17-year-old and joined the Red Devils in 1980. He broke into the first team three years later and went on to score 47 goals in 121 appearances. Hughes established himself as the preferred forward in the team and won the 84/85 FA Cup with United.
In the summer of 1986, Ron Atkinson decided to sell Hughes to Barcelona, a decision he would later regret. Hughes did not fare much better in Barcelona, failing to work out a strike partnership with Gary Lineker and scoring just 5 goals from 36 appearances. He was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich the following season before Sir Alex decided to bring the striker back to United ahead of the 88/89 season.
On his return to his former club, the Welshman found his form in front of goal again. He started a wonderful 7-year relation with the club, where he won 2 Premier League trophies, two more FA Cups, one Football League Cup, three Charity Shields, one European Cup winner’s cup and one European Super Cup.
By the time Hughes left for Chelsea in the summer of 1995, he had scored 116 goals from 352 appearances in his second spell and had become a United legend.
#1 Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique was a product of La Masia, the fabled Barcelona academy, and joined Manchester United in 2004 as a 17-year-old. He continued his development at Old Trafford, under Sir Alex Ferguson and got his debut for the club in the same year. The Spaniard went on to stay at United for 4 seasons and racked up 23 appearances, scoring 2 goals. He won one Premier League, one community shield and one UEFA Champions League during his time.
In the summer of 2008, the Spaniard returned to Barcelona and began building a legacy at the club. He formed a stellar partnership at the back with Skipper and Barcelona legend Carlos Puyol. The Spaniard continued to develop and soon became one of the best players in the world. He continues to be one of the most important men under Valverde and has been in fantastic form this season too.
Pique has a trophy-laden cabinet from his association with Barcelona. He has won 7 La Liga titles, 6 Copa Del Rey, 6 Supercopa de Espana, 3 UEFA Champions League, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 FIFA Club World Cups. As of now, Pique has 46 goals from 488 appearances with Barcelona and is already a Catalan legend.
