10 Best Players To Play For Both Leeds United And Chelsea
Leeds United and Chelsea have shared a rivalry since the 1960s. It emerged after a series of fiercely contested and controversial matches during that era. At that time, both clubs were frequently involved in the pursuit of domestic and European honours culminating in the 1970 FA Cup Final, which is regarded as one of the most physical matches in English football history.
In this article, we will look at some players who played for both Leeds United and Chelsea. Some of these transfers were direct, while others involved other clubs in between.
Here are the ten best players to have played for both Leeds United and Chelsea.
10. David Rocastle
Leeds United – 1992-93
Chelsea – 1994-98
Rocastle spent the best years of his career at Arsenal. He signed for reigning champions Leeds as their record signing in 1992, but his time at Elland Road was disrupted by injuries.
Rocky joined Chelsea in 1994, having spent a season at Manchester City. He wasn’t able to overcome his injury problems and that led to him making only 37 appearances during a four-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
9. Neil Sullivan
Chelsea – 2003-04
Leeds United- 2004-07
Sullivan joined Chelsea from Tottenham in 2003. He was signed as a replacement for the secondary-choice goalkeeper, Jurgen Macho, who picked up a serious knee injury. In his one season with Chelsea, Sullivan only made eight appearances.
Leeds United manager Kevin Blackwell decided to sign him in 2004 to replace the departing Paul Robinson. He went on to become the first-choice goalkeeper, overcoming competition from young Scott Carson.
8. David Hopkin
Chelsea – 1992-95
Leeds United- 1997-2000
Hopkin started his career at Morton before earning a move to Chelsea in 1992. He was in and out of the team during his time with the Blues. He left the club in 1995 to join Crystal Palace. At Selhurst Park he wrote himself into Palace folklore by scoring a 90th-minute winner in the 1997 First Division play-off final against Sheffield United, to put Palace into the Premier League.
After two years with Palace, Hopkin moved on to Leeds United, thus becoming one of the players to have played for both Leeds United and Chelsea. He spent three seasons with the club before joining Bradford in 2000.
7. Jody Morris
Chelsea – 1996-03
Leeds United- 2003-04
Morris came through the youth ranks of Chelsea. He was a technically gifted midfielder who became the youngest player to play for Chelsea in the Premier League, at 17 years and 43 days old. He was named Chelsea’s Young Player of the Year for 1996–97.
However, when Claudio Ranieri took over from Vialli as Chelsea boss, Morris’ first-team opportunities diminished, and he left for Leeds United in 2003. His career at Leeds never took off, as he only made 12 league apps before joining Rotherham United in 2004.
6. Michael Duberry
Chelsea – 1993-99
Leeds United- 1999-2005
Duberry started his professional career with the Blues having come through the youth ranks. The centre-back made a total of 115 appearances for Chelsea and scored 3 goals. He won the League Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup with Chelsea, all in 1998, but faced stiff competition for a place in the side from the likes of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf.
Seeking regular football, Duberry joined Leeds in 1999. Although he struggled to break into the first-team at Leeds United, Duberry did play in the memorable victory over AC Milan at Elland Road in their 2000-2001 Champions League campaign.
5. Duncan McKenzie
Leeds United – 1974-76
Chelsea – 1978-79
McKenzie was signed for Leeds United by Brian Clough during his 44-day reign as manager of Leeds, and was the only one of his signings to subsequently flourish at the club. McKenzie gained the respect of fans and players alike with some sparkling goalscoring performances.
He finished 1975/76 as top scorer and promptly broke the hearts of the Elland Road faithful by moving to Anderlecht. In September 1978 he joined Chelsea from Everton, where, much like the rest of his career, he dazzled the fans with his skills and eccentricity. He left the club less than a year later having made just 16 appearances and scored four goals. He is one of the best players to have played for both Leeds United and Chelsea.