Next Varane: The eight players to play for both Man Utd and Real Madrid

Manchester United and Real Madrid are two of the biggest clubs in the world, which means only a few players have them both on their CVs.

Having won everything in his 10 years at Madrid, Raphael Varane is set to join United on a £ 34million deal this summer.

We took a look at the eight players who have already represented both clubs.

Laurie Cunningham

After trading the Hawthorns for the Bernabeu in the summer of 1979, Cunningham became the first English player to represent Real Madrid.

The winger won La Liga and Copa del Rey in his debut season and received a standing ovation from Barcelona fans after an outstanding performance at Camp Nou in February 1980.

“I don’t think his qualities were less than those of Cristiano Ronaldo,” former Madrid team-mate Vicente Del Bosque said in 2013. “Madrid considered him one of the most distinguished footballers in Europe.

“It was a time when there weren’t a lot of international signings and the club made a special financial effort to sign Laurie, to sign a star, because almost everyone else was on the youth squad.”

After a series of injury issues hampered his progress, he returned to England in 1983 and joined Manchester United on loan, reuniting with former West Brom manager Ron Atkinson.

Cunningham had only a brief stint at Old Trafford, scoring one goal in five appearances. He left Madrid in 1984 and was sadly killed in a car accident five years later.

David Beckham

Part of the famous class of 92, Beckham rose through the ranks at United and announced himself to the world with this goal against Wimbledon.

He went on to play a starring role in United’s historic triple success in 1998-99 before a flying boot marked the end of his career at Old Trafford four years later.

Although he seems ready to move to Barcelona, ​​the former England international has finally joined Madrid in a £ 24.5million deal.

He couldn’t have joined Los Blancos at a worse time, as the All-Star team went three seasons without winning a major trophy.

The midfielder always produced regular moments of magic and signed a La Liga title before leaving for MLS LA Galaxy in 2007.

READ: 17 of the best quotes about David Beckham: ‘Real winners are relentless’

Ruud van Nistelrooy

One of the most prolific goalscorers in United history, Van Nistelrooy has scored 150 goals in 219 appearances during his five years at the club.

But the forward decided to leave Old Trafford after an explosive breakup with Sir Alex Ferguson on the final day of the 2005-06 season.

Madrid broke in and they scored 53 goals in their first two seasons in Spain, winning back-to-back La Liga titles. After injuries started to take their toll in his third season, Van Nistelrooy joined the Bundesliga squad in Hamburg in 2010.

“I never regretted it because it was over it was time to move on for me and the club,” said Van Nistelrooy, reflecting on his United career in 2015. “If I had stayed, I would have stayed. , it wouldn’t have been the same Real Madrid were a good move.

“Subconsciously, I was one or two percent less hungry than I needed at the end of United. I was in a comfort zone, the fans loved me and I took things a little too slowly. I can see it now.

“At Real Madrid you come in and they say ‘who are you?’ and you are just one name among many.

READ: A tribute to Ruud van Nistelrooy and the playground art of shooting on goal

Gabriel Heinze

Heinze joined United from PSG in 2004 and had a promising first season, winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.

After falling behind Patrice Evra in the pecking order, he then angered United fans by trying to force a move to Liverpool’s big rivals in 2007.

Both sides have brought in lawyers, but Ferguson has consistently refused to sanction the deal and accepted an £ 8million offer from Real Madrid instead.

Former Argentina international won a La Liga title and made 58 appearances during his two years in Spain before moving to Marseille in 2009.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Signed as a direct replacement for Beckham in 2003, Ronaldo inherited the No.7 shirt and became one of the best players in the world.

But the forward wanted to follow in Beckham’s footsteps for the second time and made public his desire to move to the Bernabeu.

Although Ferguson insisted he would not sell the virus to Madrid, United eventually accepted an offer of £ 80million for the Portugal international in 2009.

In Spain, Ronaldo’s game has taken to a whole new level as he has scored 438 goals in 450 appearances and won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in nine years.

United, meanwhile, unsurprisingly struggled to replace him.

READ: Where are they now? Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid debut squad

Michael owen

The only player on this list not to have passed directly between the two clubs, Owen started his career at Liverpool before joining Madrid in 2004.

“I had to go and taste it – the Galacticos, that white kit, where everyone was prancing like an angel, this amazing stadium, a different culture,” Owen told FourFourTwo in 2019.

He was overshadowed by Ronaldo and Raul and returned to England with Newcastle United in 2005, having scored 16 goals in 45 appearances for Real.

The Liverpool academy graduate joined Manchester United on a free transfer in 2009 after Ferguson was clearly impressed with his brochure.

While his time at Old Trafford was hampered by a string of injury issues, it was worth it for this 96th-minute winner against Manchester City.

Angel Di Maria

Having gained a lot of admirers during his stay at Benfica, Di Maria became Jose Mourinho’s first signing at Madrid in 2010 and played alongside Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.

Despite Producing a man of the match performance in the 2014 Champions League final, he was cleared to leave after the arrival of James Rodriguez.

The Argentina international joined Manchester United on a £ 59.7million contract and scored three goals in his first five Premier League games, including a fabulous effort against Leicester City.

But everything went downhill from there, and he was shipped to Paris Saint Germain for around £ 44million in 2015.

“I only stayed for a year. It wasn’t the best time of my career, or they didn’t let me have my best time there, ”Di Maria told France Bleu in February 2019.

“There were problems with the coach at the time. But thank God, I was able to come to PSG and become myself again. “

READ: An ode to Angel Di Maria at Real and the best help you’ve ever seen

Javier Hernandez

Although Hernandez was never United’s main man, he still managed to score 59 goals in all competitions over four seasons as a regular first-team player.

After being deemed surplus by Louis van Gaal, Chicharito made a surprise loan to Real Madrid in August 2014.

The striker failed to establish himself as a regular on the team and Unsurprisingly, Los Blancos have chosen not to take their option to buy at the end of the season.

A momentous moment came in Hernandez’s time at Real, with him scoring the Champions League quarter-final winner against bitter rivals Atletico.


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