Top 5 players who have played for Manchester United and Manchester City

Manchester United and Manchester City are one of the biggest rivals in the Premier League. The Manchester derby has suddenly become one of the most iconic matches in line with the El Clasico in La Liga and the North London derby in the Premier League. This has been one of the most epic rivalries in the football world we have seen in our lifetime. They are now one of the top teams in the league and have had some of the best matches.

With such an iconic battle between the two sides, it's difficult to believe that there would be players that would play for both these clubs. However, some players have been featured for both of these clubs. It will be interesting to take a look at the careers of these players, who have been a part of clubs that have been rivals for a long time. There will be some great players who will be featured in this list as well.

Here are the top 5 players who have represented Manchester United and Manchester City:

5. Owen Hargreaves

English midfielder Owen Hargreaves came into the scene after a stellar career with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He then joined Manchester United which was then managed by the great Alex Ferguson. He enjoyed some great success with the Red Devils as well where he won the Premier League and UEFA Champions League in the 2007-08 season. After a while, he then joined Manchester City in 2011. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a forgettable season for Hargreaves.

4. Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel was the best keeper to represent Manchester United. The Danish goalkeeper was signed by Ferguson after his successful career in the Danish Superliga. Schmeichel had one of his best years for the Red Devils where he was a 5-time Premier League and 1-time Champions League winner. He was part of United during the most dominant phase of the club's career. What the great player would want to forget is his stint in the sky blue jersey.  Schmeichel was a part of the City squad in the 2002-03 season. This was however a disappointing phase in their career.

3. Andy Cole

Along with Schmeichel another iconic player for Manchester United in the mid 90’s to early 2000’s was Andy Cole. he joined the club in 1995 and became one of the best strikers in the United team. Andy Cole was at his peak with the Red Devils being part of 5 Premier League titles and a 1998-99 Champions League title-winning squad. Cole scored 93 goals in 195 appearances for United. Andy Cole also had a single-season stint with Man City as well where he had 22 appearances and scored 9 goals, but could not gain the same success he had with United. 

Also Read: Top 5 goal scorers in Premier League history

2. Carlos Tevez

If there was one player who enjoyed his time at City after leaving United it was Argentine forward Carlos Tevez. Tevez came into the English Premier League after being loaned to Manchester United from 2007 to 2009. He did have a decent run with the Red Devils, but he came into his zone after joining Manchester City. Tevez scored 58 goals in 113 appearances for the club. He was also part of the Premier League-winning side in the 2011-12 season as well. After that Tevez’s career was filled with unnecessary controversy and indiscipline which ruined his once-promising career.

1. Denis Law

Denis Law was one of the legends of the game of football. The Scottish football player was a 1964 Ballon d'Or winner whose career was filled with more success than failure. After all, Law was part of the Holy Trinity along with other United legends such as George Best and Bobby Charlton. Denis Law was one of the most successful players for United in the 60’s and the 70’s for whom he has scored 171 goals in over 300 appearances. What people don’t know about Law is his one-season stint with Manchester City, which was not as memorable as the team finishing 14th on the table.