Footballers who moved from Real Madrid to Barça (and vice versa)
There are different levels of rivalry in football. Some are a little more "friendly" or "calm," and others are much more heated. The one between Real Madrid and Barcelona is closer to the latter group and has only grown over the years. Perhaps in the first half of the 20th century, it wasn't such a strong rivalry, but in the last 50 years, it's taken on a different tone. Just ask Figo.Here, we list all the cases of players who moved directly from one club to another, meaning they were with one club the previous season and then transferred to the rival. Therefore, cases like those of Miguel Soler or Robert Prosinecki aren't considered, as they were on loan at another team just before making the jump between rivals.
©
Luis Enrique (1996)
As we usually do, we're trying to start strong, and Luis Enrique is an excellent choice for this case. After five years at Real Madrid, where, according to the Spaniard himself, he felt unappreciated by the fans, he decided to sign with FC Barcelona after his contract with the Spanish capital expired in 1996. From then on, he became deeply associated with the Blaugrana team for the rest of his professional career.
©
Javier Saviola (2007)
In 2001, when the Argentine Javier Saviola was just 19 years old, Barcelona signed him for around 18 million from River Plate, and his performance at the Catalan club declined and he never managed to reach the high expectations. In 2007, when his contract expired, he signed for Real Madrid, where he never received many opportunities. He only spent two seasons with the Madrid club.Jose Quirante (1906)
This is an almost unique case because before the professionalization of Spanish football, players had other jobs. In the case of the Alicante native, who trained at Barcelona and was one of the club's leading figures during the amateur era, he moved to Madrid for work in 1906, where he played for two years with Real Madrid. He then returned to Barcelona in 1908, remaining a member of the Catalan team.Alfonso Albeniz (1902)
Quirante's case is almost unique because of Albeniz, who, for study reasons, left Barcelona (city) and Barcelona (club) for Madrid in 1902. The Catalan was the first to make the direct switch from one of Spain's two giants to the other.Luis Milla (1990)
The midfielder Luis Milla trained at Barcelona and played for Johan Cruyff, where he struggled to establish himself in the first team and also had disagreements with the board over his contract renewal. This situation led to his free transfer to Real Madrid in 1990, where he would play for seven seasons and take on a more prominent role.Nando Muñoz (1992)
His early career began with Sevilla, a club that sold him to Barcelona in 1990, with whom he won the European Cup in 1992. That same year, the Andalusian club exercised a buy-back option on Nando and sold him again, this time to Real Madrid. He was more relevant at Barcelona than he eventually became at Real Madrid.
©
Michael Laudrup (1994)
The Dane Michael Laudrup was one of the best players of his generation, both in terms of talent and performance, especially during his time at Barcelona. He joined in 1989 and was a key player in Cruyff's famous Dream Team. In 1994, after disagreements with the Dutch manager, who left him out of the UEFA Champions League final, he decided to leave, and to none other than his eternal rival. He would stay at Real Madrid for two years but left a fond memory among the fans. Interestingly, the Dane played a part in the Catalan club's 5-0 thrashing of the Madrid club and was also with Real Madrid when they defeated Barcelona by the same scoreline just a year later.Arsenio Comamala (1911)
The Catalan began his career at FC Barcelona and spent the first few years of his career there, playing alongside his brothers, Aureo and Carles. In 1911, both Arsenio and Carles left the Blaugrana club, and while Carles went to Universitary, the former decided to sign for Real Madrid, where he would only stay for a year. After joining his brother at Universitary and a stint with Casual SC, he returned to Real Madrid.Alfonso Navarro Perona (1951)
Another native of Catalonia and also a product of Barcelona's academy, after establishing himself as a striker for the Blaugrana, he decided to leave the club in 1950 to sign for Real Madrid. He would spend just one season in the Spanish capital, then stints with Valladolid, Lleida, and Osasuna before returning to Barcelona.Laszlo Kaszas (1959)
At one time, he was one of the most promising players in Hungarian football. At just 19 years old, he left his country due to the Soviet communism that had taken over Hungary and, almost following in Kubala's footsteps, ended up at Barcelona. The Hungarian Football Federation refused to release him, and he was therefore limited to playing in friendlies with the Catalan club. Just a year later, he moved to Real Madrid but found himself in the same situation. He is the only player on the list who was unable to play a single official match with either club.Josep Samitier (1932)
Samitier was part of the legendary Barcelona side of the 1920s and 1930s. He was instrumental in helping the team win its first Spanish league title, as well as five Copa del Rey titles and 12 Copa de Catalunya titles. In 1932, he fell out with the Blaugrana board and moved to Real Madrid, where he also helped them win the Spanish league title.Fernand Goyvaert (1965)
The Belgian began his career at Brugge in his home country, but his talent was quickly recognized by Barcelona, who signed him in 1962. In Catalonia, he grew in popularity, becoming the best player in the Spanish league in 1965, which led him to sign for Real Madrid. He only stayed there for two seasons, barely playing due to injuries, but he was part of the team that won Real Madrid's sixth European Cup.
©
Bernd Schuster (1988)
The German spent eight years at Barcelona, where he established himself as one of the world's best players, although his somewhat difficult personality led to disagreements with some of his coaches. In 1988, he left Barcelona for Madrid, where he joined a team based on the youth players led by Emilio Butragueño, with whom he won four trophies in two seasons. In 1990, he moved to Atlético Madrid, the only player to have played directly for three Spanish clubs.Lucien Muller (1965)
The heir to Kopa, as he was once known at Reims, signed for Real Madrid in 1959, where he played alongside players like Di Stefano, Puskas, and Gento. He was in the 1964 European Cup final, where they lost to Helenio Herrera's Inter. In 1965, he left Madrid to spend three seasons at Barcelona before returning to his home country.Evaristo Macedo (1962)
In 1957, Josep Samitier, then Barcelona's director of football, discovered Evaristo in Brazil and quickly arranged his signing. He became a key player on a team that already featured Kubala and Luis Suárez, with whom he would win several national and international titles. In 1962, after disputes with the board over his refusal to become a Spanish citizen, he decided to move to Real Madrid, where he didn't play much due to injury, although he did win Spanish championships twice.