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Players Who Played For Both Barcelona And Real Madrid

Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the most iconic and successful football clubs in the history of the sport. These two Spanish giants have dominated La Liga and European competitions over the years, and their rivalry, El Clasico, is one of the most intense in world football. Because of this bitter rivalry, transfers between the two clubs are extremely rare and often controversial. Despite the tension, there have been a few players bold enough to play for both clubs in their careers. This article talks about 10 footballers who have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona in their careers.

Players Who Played For Both Barcelona And Real Madrid

Luis Figo

Luis Figo is arguably the most controversial player to have played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Luis Figo’s transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 is still one of the most talked about transfers in football history. The Portuguese winger was a fan favourite at Barcelona, playing for the Catalan club from 1995 to 2000, winning two La Liga titles and also captaining the side. However, in a shock move, he signed for arch-rivals Real Madrid in a world-record transfer, becoming the face of Florentino Pérez’s first Galácticos era. He ended up playing for Real Madrid from 2000 to 2005 before moving to Inter Milan.

Ronaldo Nazario

🔝 Hay debuts soñados y luego está el de Ronaldo Nazario en en Real Madrid. Anotó al minuto de juego el primero de los dos goles que hizo esa noche…pic.twitter.com/jKCRrzvb7f

— Samuel Vargas (@SVargasOK) April 18, 2025

Ronaldo Nazario, one of the greatest strikers in football history, had spells at both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He first played for Barcelona, representing them for a single year in the 1996/97 season. After just one season, however, the player moved to Inter Milan. After he finished his stint at Inter Milan, he decided to move to Barcelona’s rivals, Real Madrid. He joined them in 2002 and ended up representing them from 2002 to 2006, making 177 appearances for the Los Blancos across all competitions before moving to AC Milan. While he did not manage to win the La Liga trophy with Barcelona, he did so with Real Madrid, getting his hands on the 2002/03 title.

Samuel Eto’o

Credit: Goal.com

Samuel Eto’o has a story that is quite unique. The Cameroonian football player started his professional career at Real Madrid but never quite broke into their first team. After several loan spells, he found his form at Mallorca, which earned him a move to Barcelona in 2004. The Cameroonian striker ended up playing for Barcelona from 2004 to 2009 and ended up representing them in five different seasons, making 199 appearances for the clubs across all competitions while scoring 130 goals for the club. Despite barely making any appearances for Real Madrid, Samuel Eto’o is known as one of the players who has played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique is one of the few players who switched directly from Real Madrid to Barcelona. His first stint came when he joined Real Madrid in 1991. He played for the Los Blancos from 1991 to 1996, making a total of 213 appearances for the club across all competitions. However, in 1996, he decided to make a bold switch to Barcelona. Enrique ended up playing for Barcelona in eight different seasons, making a total of 300 appearances for the club across all competitions. Luis Enrique managed to become a Barcelona legend and ended up retiring in 2004, deciding to hand up his boots and retire as one of Barcelona’s biggest legends.

Michael Laudrup

Michael Laudrup @ Barcelona

The Passing & Vision pic.twitter.com/sTALMmX4HL

— My Greatest 11 (@MyGreatest11) June 4, 2024

Michael Laudrup is often hailed as one of the most elegant players ever. The Danish playmaker was part of Johan Cruyff’s legendary Barcelona “Dream Team” that won four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. However, a fallout with Cruyff led Laudrup to move to Real Madrid in 1994. At Madrid, he won the league in his first season, helping end Barcelona’s dominance. Micheal Laudrup is loved by fans of both clubs as he won honours with both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Laudrup ended up representing Real Madrid in two different seasons, making a total of 77 appearances for them across all competitions before leaving.

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Julen Lopetegui

Credit: West Ham United

Julen Lopetegui is more known for his managerial career than his career as a player, but he has the rare distinction of being a player and later a manager connected to both clubs. As a goalkeeper, he had stints with both Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 1990s but made only a handful of appearances. He was first employed by Real Madrid and played for them from 1988 to 1991. After a stint with Logrones, he ended up moving to Barcelona, joining them ahead of the 1994/95 season. Lopetegui stayed with Barcelona from 1994 to 1997, but like with his time at Madrid, he spent most of the time on the bench and barely made any appearances for the club.

Luis Milla

Luis Milla began his professional career with Barcelona and made a decent impact during his time at the club from 1984 to 1990. He played for all three teams of Barcelona and ended up making a total of 146 appearances for the club across all competitions. However, due to contractual disputes, he made a high-profile switch to Real Madrid in 1990. He ended up playing for Real Madrid from 1990 to 1997 and made a total of 165 appearances for them across all competitions before leaving to join Valencia. Milla ended up winning various trophies with both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his career as a professional footballer.

Gheorghe Hagi

Happy Birthday Gheorghe Hagi 🎂

Undoubtedly one of the best attacking players of the 80’s and 90’s. He had spells at both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Capped 125 times by Romania scoring 35 goals #Legend 🇷🇴⚽️pic.twitter.com/MKVFRothrF

— Football Remind ⚽️ (@FootballRemind) February 5, 2024

Gheorghe Hagi was a Romanian professional football player who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona during his football career. The attacking midfielder played for Real Madrid between 1990 and 1992 before moving to Brescia. He later joined Barcelona in 1994 and stayed there for two seasons. While Hagi showed flashes of brilliance at both clubs, he couldn’t truly cement his legacy at either due to the short stays he had with both clubs. However, despite his short stints at the clubs, Hagi ended up winning trophies while playing for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning the Supercopa de Espana for both clubs.

Javier Saviola

Credit: SO FOOT.com

Javier Saviola was once considered one of the most promising young players in the world. He joined Barcelona in 2001 and played for them until 2007, making 168 appearances for the club across all competitions and scoring 70 goals. However, after falling out of favour, he shocked the footballing world by signing for Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2007. Saviola was determined to show up at Barcelona and make his name as a Real Madrid star, but he struggled to break into Madrid’s star-studded lineup and made just 29 appearances for the club across all competitions in two seasons before deciding to move to Benfica ahead of the 2009/10 season.

Albert Celades

Albert Celades is another lesser-known player who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He was a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and played for their senior team from 1995 to 1999. The player moved to Celta Vigo after deciding to leave Barcelona, but after a short stint at Celta Vigo, he joined Real Madrid in 2000. He played for Los Blancos until 2005, and while he was not a regular starter, he helped the team by providing depth. Celades won multiple trophies at both Barcelona and Real Madrid, winning two La Ligas, with each club while also winning the UEFA Champions League trophy while playing for Real Madrid.

For more news articles and informative updates on foo0tball players from Barcelona and Real Madrid as well as other football and cricket updates, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com.

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