10 Best Players Who Played For Both Man City & Man Utd
Manchester Derby is one of the biggest football matches in England. Bob Milarvie became the first footballer to play for both these teams when he joined Manchester City from Manchester United in 1891. Since then a lot of players switched between these two sides. In this article, let us have a look at the 10 best players who played for both Man City & Man Utd.
Other players who played for both Man City & Man Utd but didn’t make the cut in this list include Peter Beardsley, Terry Cooke, Wyn Davies, John Gidman, Owen Hargreaves, Sammy McIlroy, Mark Robins, Tony Coton, Bob Milarvie, Jimmy Bannister, Herbert Burgess, Horace Blew, Harry Rowley. Now, let us look at the ten best players who played for both Man City & Man Utd
10. Andrei Kanchelskis
Ukrainian winger Andrei Kanchelskis played for Manchester United between 1991 and 1995, scoring 36 goals in 161 matches. He then left for Everton, Fiorentina, and then Rangers, before joining Manchester City on loan from Rangers.
He only made ten appearances for Manchester City. Kanchelskis holds a rather unique record as he is the only player to have scored in each of the Manchester, Merseyside and Glasgow derbies.
9. Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes, born in Manchester, began his football career at Manchester City, where he quickly made a name for himself. At just 18, he scored in the 1976 League Cup final, helping City secure a 2–1 victory over Newcastle United, and was named Young Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association.
In 1979, Barnes was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £748,000, a record transfer fee for the club at the time. He later played for Real Betis and Coventry City before joining Manchester United in 1985, where he served as an understudy to Jesper Olsen. However, he struggled to secure a regular first-team spot.
Barnes returned to Manchester City in 1987 but soon fell out of favor. He was subsequently loaned to Bolton Wanderers, Port Vale, and Wimbledon before leaving City in 1988.
8. Sandy Turnbull
Scottish footballer Sandy Turnbull played forward for both Manchester City and Manchester United in the early 20th century. Between 1902 and 1906, he made 110 appearances and scored 53 goals while playing for Man City.
When he joined United, he went on to play there until 1915, appearing in 220 games and scoring 90 goals. After being found guilty of match-fixing in 1915, Turnbull and many other players were given lifetime bans from football. In 1919, after his death in 1917, he was reinstated.
7. Bill Dale
Bill Dale, a Manchester native, began his playing career with Sandbach Ramblers before signing on as an amateur with Manchester United in April 1925. The full-back became a professional in May 1926, and in 1928, he made his debut. Before he left United in December 1931 to join Manchester City, Dale played 64 times in United’s six-year span.
It was with the blue half of Manchester where he played more regularly. He had a six-year career with Manchester City, appearing 236 times, winning the 1937 Charity Shield against Sunderland, before leaving the club in 1938. He later played for Ipswich Town and Norwich City before the Second World War brought his career to a halt.
6. Andy Cole
Andy Cole was a part of United’s famous treble-winning side. Cole moved from Newcastle United to Manchester United in 1995 for a then-record cost of £7 million. Cole left as a legend from the Red Devils in December 2001 after six productive seasons with the team in which he scored 121 goals in 275 matches.
The Nottingham-born forward later had spells at Blackburn Rovers and Fulham before returning to Manchester with City in 2005. Cole spent one year at the Sky Blues, for whom he netted 10 times in 23 games.
5. Brian Kidd
Born and raised in Manchester, Brian Kidd advanced through the United academy before going on to score 52 goals in 203 league games and won the European Cup in 1968.
The forward left the team after their 1974 relegation and joined Arsenal, but returned to his hometown of Manchester two years later, this time wearing City’s blue jersey. During his three years at Maine Road, Kidd was a scoring machine, tallying 44 goals in 98 league games.
He spent a decade at Old Trafford after making the transition to coaching, the majority of that time serving as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant before leaving in 1998. He then completed the set by joining City’s coaching team in 2009, where he would work as an integral member of the backroom staff for 12 fruitful years.
4. Carlos Tevez
One of the most recent and controversial football players to have played for both Man City & Man Utd is Carlos Tevez. West Ham brought Tevez to the Premier League in 2006, but he only stayed there for one season, before joining Manchester United on loan.
With Manchester United, Carlos Tevez won the Champions League trophy and two consecutive Premier League championships. United was unable to finalise the loan deal in time, and City took advantage of the situation to jump in and purchase the player from West Ham. He overall made 99 appearances for Man Unt scoring 34 goals in the process.
City signed Tevez in 2009 and the player went on to win another Premier League title and a FA Cup. In 113 appearances, his goal return was 58 in all competitions for the blue half of Manchester.
3. Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel is best known for his time spent at Manchester United, where he enjoyed his greatest success and led the team to the 1999 UEFA Champions League title to complete the treble. Manchester United signed Schmeichel in the summer of 1991 for £505,000, a price described in 2000 by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson as the “bargain of the century.
He made 398 appearances for Man Utd, winning five Premier League titles, before leaving the club in 1999 for Sporting CP. He was also voted the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper in 1992 and 1993. After playing for Sporting CP and Aston Villa, Schmeichel completed a move to Manchester City in 2002, on a free transfer.
Schmeichel has an amazing track record in the Manchester derby as he never lost a game. In his only season with City, they won at Maine Road and drew at Old Trafford, whereas, during his nine years with Manchester United, they were unbeaten against Manchester City.
2. Denis Law
1. Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith was one of the first football players to play for both Manchester Clubs. He was regarded as one of football’s superstars because of his contributions to Manchester City and Manchester United.
Meredith spent 15 years for both Manchester clubs, albeit he had two separate stints at City. He began playing for City in 1894 and was a member of the team until 1906, appearing in 362 games and tallying 151 goals.
After that, in 1906, he joined United and played 335 games for them, but only managed to score 36 goals. He left United in 1921 and returned to Manchester City, where he lasted until 1924, playing 32 times and scoring twice.