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There have been quite a few top footballers who have been team-mates at different clubs. Some of them have even been team-mates in two teams which are rivals to each other while some players have had careers which have almost mirrored each other in terms of the teams they have played for.Be it Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Figo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Maxwell there have been some amazing footballers who have teamed up at some top football clubs.We take a look at some of the most famous and unexpected names who have played for two or more different clubs together
#1 Ronaldo Nazario - Luis Figo (Barcelona & Real Madrid)
The Brazilian striker Ronaldo and Luis Figo are probably the two most high-profile players who have been team-mates in the two great Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid. Ronaldo just played one season for Barcelona in 1996/1997 and he along with Figo succeeded in winning three trophies that season including Copa Del Rey, European Cup Winners Cup and Spanish Supercopa.
Ronaldo had a stunning season at Barcelona scoring 47 goals in 49 games that season which led to him becoming the youngest FIFA World Player of the Year aged just 20. Figo meanwhile spent five fruitful years with Barcelona where he was a fan favourite before he made a highly controversial move to rivals Real Madrid in 2000.
Figo won the FIFA World Player of the year in 2000 immediately after he joined Real Madrid although the award was more for his performances in Barcelona. He would team up with Ronaldo again when the Brazilian arrived in 2002 and they ended up winning the La Liga title in 2003 along with the Intercontinental cup and Spanish Super Cup.
Both Figo and Ronaldo were truly wonderful footballers and they enjoyed titles whenever and wherever they played, be it Barcelona or Real Madrid.
#2 David Beckham - Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Manchester United & Real Madrid)
David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy have been team-mates at two of the greatest clubs in the world, Manchester United and Real Madrid. While Beckham was part of the famous class of 92, the Dutchman was bought in 2001 for a then club record fee of £19 million.
The former England captain and Van Nistelrooy enjoyed a successful partnership with both of them playing important roles in Manchester United’s Premier League triumph in 2002/03 in what turned out to be Beckham’s last season in his boyhood club.
After Beckham’s transfer to Real Madrid in 2003, Van Nistelrooy cemented his position as one of the best finishers at Manchester United. The Dutchman made a transfer in 2006 to Real Madrid and soon displaced the legendary Ronaldo Lima from the starting line up even winning the pichichi award for scoring 25 goals in his debut season.
The 2006/07 season was Beckham’s last season as a Madrid player and after struggling initially, he soon became an integral member of the team which won the La Liga title in his last season.
Three seasons, two league triumphs together is not a bad return at all for the duo of David Beckham and Van Nistelrooy.
#3 Robert Lewandowski - Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich & Borussia Dortmund)
Two of the most important players in the Jurgen Klopp era of Dortmund domination, both Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski broke Dortmund fans’ hearts when they moved to bitter rivals Bayern Munich.They have both however enjoyed trophy-laden spells at both the German clubs.
The duo enjoyed their best season at Dortmund in 2011/12 when they were the stars of the team which won the League and Cup double for the first time in Dortmund’s history. They also enjoyed stellar campaigns in 2012/13, where the duo guided Dortmund to the Champions League final where they narrowly lost 1-2 to Bayern Munich.
Gotze moved to Bayern in July 2013 and he enjoyed a decent first campaign playing plenty of matches as Bayern achieved the League and Cup double. He was joined by his former Dortmund team-mate Lewandowski in 2014.
Lewandowski has been in stunning form for Bayern ever since he joined scoring a stunning 38 goals in 51 League matches. Gotze has struggled for form and fitness since the Polish striker joined Bayern and he will be hoping to rediscover his form soon.
Having already won multiple League and cup titles, the duo will now be aiming to get their hands on the Champions League trophy.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Maxwell (Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona & PSG)
While it is well known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played at plenty of clubs, what has slightly gone under the radar is that Brazilian full-back Maxwell has been his team-mate at almost all the clubs.
Both of them have had spells at Ajax, Inter, Barcelona and are now playing at PSG. While the Swedish striker's penchant of winning League titles with different clubs is much celebrated, Maxwell has also won the same amount of trophies if not more in his illustrious career.
Ibrahimovic and Maxwell are now playing together at PSG and they are showing no signs of slowing down with age. Both of them have been extremely consistent with the Swedish striker being in especially stunning form this season.
Zlatan and Maxwell share a close bond having played for so many clubs together with the Swedish international saying:
“I called Maxwell, because Maxwell came to Ajax at the same time as me, so he picked me up at the airport and I got to know him a little bit more.
“After two weeks I called Maxwell and I said I have problems, he was like 'OK', because Maxwell is the best guy in the world. I mean if you want to think of a teddy bear you have Maxwell.”
The one trophy Maxwell has won which the Swede has not is the Champions League trophy and Ibrahimovic will be looking to put that anomaly right at the earliest chance.
#5 Cesc Fabregas - Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona & Chelsea)
Two very talented Spaniards, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez have been team-mates at two of Europe’s biggest clubs Barcelona and Chelsea.
Fabregas bought from Arsenal in 2011 soon settled into the all-conquering Barcelona team as he won the Copa Del Rey, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in his first season at Barcelona along with his team-mate Pedro.
in 2012/2013, although Barcelona were eliminated in the semi-finals stage in both Champions League and Copa Del Rey, he won his first League title of his career. Following a slightly below par performance in 2013/14 season, he was sold to Chelsea.
Fabregas won the Premier League with Chelsea in his debut season for the Blues and his fellow Spaniard joined him at the beginning of this season as Chelsea looked to challenge on all fronts again.
However, Pedro’s brief spell at Chelsea has been very different from his trophy-laden spell at Barcelona with the Blues languishing in the bottom half of the League table this season.
Pedro has won the Champions League which Fabregas is yet to achieve in his spells at Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea.
#6 Edinson Cavani - Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli & PSG)
The two South Americans have been team-mates at Serie A team Napoli and at the newest European superclub Paris Saint-Germain. Lavezzi and Cavani were team-mates at Napoli for two seasons from 2010 till 2012 with Napoli performing above expectations in both the Serie A and Champions League in both the seasons.
Cavani and Lavezzi both established themselves as one of the most talented forwards in their spells at Napoli and Lavezzi moved to PSG in 2012 followed by Cavani in 2013.
While they have not been the stars of their team like they were at Napoli, their importance to the PSG team cannot be discounted.
Both Lavezzi and Cavani have made crucial contributions in PSG’s title triumphs in the last three seasons. The duo along with other talented players such as Ibrahimovic, Lucas and Di Maria have been tormenting defenses all across France and Europe.
Lavezzi became the latest superstar to join the cash-rich Chinese Super League this January and considering the spending power of the Chinese clubs, it might not be entirely impossible for Cavani and Lavezzi to be team-mates again.
#7 Thierry Henry - Alexander Hleb (Arsenal & Barcelona)
Thierry Henry and Alexander Hleb both played for clubs renowned for beautiful football, Arsenal and Barcelona. Both the players however are better known for their spells at the North London club, rather than their spells at Catalonia.
However, both Hleb and Henry won a treble in the 2008/09 season for Barcelona, claiming the Copa Del Rey, Spanish La Liga crown and the UEFA Champions League crown in a stunning season for Barcelona. Henry is considered Arsenal’s greatest ever player while Hleb was also a firm fan’s favourite at the Gunners.
Hleb and Henry spent two seasons together at Arsenal from 2005-2007 where the only highlight was Arsenal reaching the Champions League final in 2006. Henry left his beloved Arsenal to join Barcelona in 2007 and Hleb followed next season.
The duo’s first season at Barcelona was an extremely successful one in terms of trophies won with Hleb winning a treble with Barcelona in his first season. However, he made only 19 appearances in the whole season as Barcelona’s talented squad meant Hleb starting on the bench more often than not.
Even though Henry and Hleb won the Champions League at Barcelona, they are most fondly remembered for their times at Arsenal.
#8 Samir Nasri - Gael Clichy (Arsenal & Manchester City)
Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy are two Frenchmen who have played for Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester City. Nasri came to Arsenal from Marseille in 2008 and played for three seasons along with Clichy at Arsenal before both of them departed to play for Manchester City in 2011.
Nasri had a couple of solid seasons at Arsenal however, his breakthrough season came in 2010/11 season where he played spectacularly in both the Premier League and Champions League. Nasri secured a place in the PFA team of the year that season and Arsenal fans were enraged when he left the club to join Manchester City.
Clichy spent a long time at Arsenal from 2003-2011 putting in consistent performances at left back before he moved along with Nasri to Manchester City.
The decisions of Nasri and Clichy to leave Arsenal for Manchester City proved to be a right decision trophy wise as they both won the Premier League in their debut season. However, both of struggled for regular playing time with Nasri especially spending a lot of time on the bench.
Bacary Sagna is another player who has played for both Arsenal and City.
With competition from players like Silva, Toure and Navas for Nasri and Kolarov for Clichy, the former Arsenal duo have not been as important for City as their former club.
However, the duo will argue that their two Premier League titles along with the FA Cup and League Cup triumphs more than make up for it.
#9 Thibaut Courtois - Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid & Chelsea)
Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa have played for Atletico Madrid and Chelsea. One a goalkeeper while the other a combative front man, both have been equally important to their sides.
Considered one of the best goalkeepers in the game, Courtois’ saves won many extra points for Atletico while Costa’s goals guided Atletico to their stunning La Liga triumph in 2013/14 season. They also beat Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final this season.
Filipe Luis also played for both Atletico and Chelse and won the League titles with both the clubs.
Courtois was recalled from loan and Costa was signed by Chelsea on July 1 2014 for a fee of £32 million. That investment paid off for Abramovich and Jose Mourinho as both Costa and Courtois continued from where they left off and carried forward their good form from Atletico to Chelsea.
Falcao is also currently at Chelsea though he is nowhere near the striker he was during his Atletico days
Winning the Premier League in the duo’s debut seasons for Chelsea would have surely whetted their appetite for more successes in the future.
#10 Carlos Tevez - Patrice Evra (Manchester United & Juventus)
Carlos Tevez and Patrice Evra have played at two of the world’s most popular and successful clubs, Manchester United and Juventus. Wherever the duo have played together trophies have followed, with both of them winning the Premier League and Serie A.
Tevez and Evra spent two fruitful seasons at the club from 2007-2009, where Manchester United won the Premier League and the Champions League in this period with Evra and Tevez playing important roles in these successes. Tevez went on to sign with Manchester City after which he arrived at Juventus at the start of the 2013/14 season.
Paul Pogba is another player who played for both Manchester United and Juventus with Evra, however it was fair to say that he had no major role to play in Manchester United.
Tevez was joined by Evra at the start of the 2014/15 season and Evra soon established himself as one of the most important members of the dominant Juventus team.Both Tevez and Evra played crucial roles in the Turin side’s Serie A triumph and run to the Champions League final.
With Premier League triumphs, Serie A title and the Champions League title under their belts, the duo have certainly enjoyed each others company at Manchester United and Juventus.
