FC Barcelona and Milan will face each other this morning in the United States. Between the Catalan club and the Italian team, a total of 19 footballers have played for both clubs throughout their history.
Demetrius Albertini
Demetrio Albertini spent his entire life playing for the club he loved, AC Milan. He was with the Rossoneri from 1991 to 2002, a period in which he was not considered much by coach Carlo Ancelotti. This fact made Albertini emigrate to other teams until in the winter transfer market of the 2004-05 season he arrived at Barça where he would win a League and a Spanish Super Cup.
Winston Bogarde
Winston Bogarde joined Milan from Ajax in 1997, but his time with the club was poor. He only played three games and after a poor season in which Milan finished in mid-table, he signed for FC Barcelona in 1998. The Dutch defender spent two seasons at Barça, under Louis Van Gaal, becoming one of the most controversial players among fans.
Bojan Krkic
The all-time top scorer in the youth ranks of FC Barcelona, Bojan Krkic, made the jump to the first team in the 2007-08 season when he was 17 years old, becoming the youngest player in history to score a goal for the Blaugrana. Bojan was at Barça until the 2010-11 season, playing 163 games and scoring 41 goals. He then signed for Roma. After a year in the Italian capital, a strange loan took him to Milan in the 2012-13 season in which he only managed to score 3 goals in a career with a lot of shirts.
Francesco Coco
Francesco Coco made his debut for Milan in 1995 and remained with the Lombard club until 2001. During that period he was loaned to various teams such as Torino and Vicenza. His last season with Milan was his best campaign, making 30 league appearances and scoring his first two Serie A goals. His good performances that season also opened the doors to the Italian national team. The following year, the Italian full-back played on loan at FC Barcelona. With the Blaugrana he was unable to establish himself as a starter, and the Catalans rejected his permanent signing at the end of the season.
Edgar Davids
Edgar Davids was known as one of the best physical midfielders in recent years. Originally from Suriname, the Dutch player joined Milan from Ajax during the 1996-97 season but only stayed for a year in Lombardy. Juventus saw his talent and signed him for seven seasons until Barcelona secured his loan in the winter transfer market of the 2003-04 season. Davids played a crucial role in helping the team secure a runner-up position in the League that season, which was also the breakout year for Ronaldinho. After that season, Davids moved on to play for Inter Milan.
Christophe Dugarry
After a successful career at Girondins de Bordeaux alongside players like Zidane and Lizarazu, French striker Christophe Dugarry signed with Silvio Berlusconi’s Milan in 1996. Unfortunately, he had a tough season at Milan, scoring only 5 goals in 27 games. He was then loaned to Barcelona where his performance was disappointing, playing only 7 games without scoring a goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the star signing for Barcelona in the 2009-10 season. The Swedish player became the most expensive transfer in the history of the Catalan club, with a fee of 70 million euros paid to Inter Milan. Despite his contribution to the League with crucial goals, Ibrahimovic’s disagreements with coach Guardiola led to his move to Milan for 24 million euros spread over three years. During his time with the ‘rossoneri’, he played a key role in winning the Milan League title in 2010-11 and scored many goals.
Patrick Kluivert
Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert joined AC Milan after winning the 1995 European Cup from the Italians with a goal in the final in Vienna. In 1997, at the age of 21 and already one of the most sought-after players in Europe, he signed for AC Milan. However, the Dutch striker’s class was not enough to make things go well for him in the tough Italian league, where he had countless problems adapting and a bitter argument with coach Fabio Capello, which led to him being benched. In the summer of 1998, the Italian team transferred Kluivert to Barcelona for 2,000 million pesetas. At the Blaugrana team he reunited with his former coach Van Gaal and with seven of his compatriots, which made his integration into the team easier. Kluivert was a success at Barça, and in his six seasons at the Camp Nou he became the eighth highest scorer in FC Barcelona‘s history.
Maxi Lopez
Maxi López arrived at Barça in 2004 from River Plate in the winter transfer market to replace the injured Henrik Larsson. The Swedish striker suffered a serious knee injury and ‘la gallina’ Maxi took his place. The Argentine striker spent two seasons at Barça in which he barely featured for Frank Rijkaard and his most memorable performance was the goal he scored against Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League. After playing for several teams in later years, he ended up joining Milan in January 2012, playing in the second half of the League with the Italians, obtaining very modest numbers.
Michael Reiziger
After winning Europe with Ajax, Dutch right-back Michael Reiziger headed to Milan with his compatriot Patrick Kluivert, becoming one of the most talked-about transfers of the moment. Reiziger did not make it in the Calcio and was sold to Barça for 700 million pesetas. Van Gaal recruited his player who wore the Barça shirt until the 2003-04 season, in which he distinguished himself for his speed, strength, and good marking.
Vitor Borba Rivaldo
Rivaldo was one of the top players in the world back in the late 90s, and he earned this reputation through his outstanding performances in the Barça jersey. The Brazilian made his way to Camp Nou from La Coruña, after paying a release clause worth 4,000 million, with the goal of helping fans move on from Ronaldo Nazario, who had just signed with Inter Milan that same summer. Rivaldo became one of the greatest players in the history of the Barça club and even clinched the Ballon d’Or in 1999. His time at Barça had its ups and downs, and he eventually left the club in 2002. After winning the World Cup in Korea and Japan, he joined AC Milan, where he had two seasons with modest achievements.
Ronaldinho de Assis
Ronaldinho joined Barça in the 2003-04 season with Joan Laporta and Sandro Rosell, and he completely transformed a club that was struggling. Rarely has a player had such a significant impact on a team’s history like the charismatic Gaucho from Porto Alegre. ‘Ronnie’ spent five seasons at Can Barça, during which he led the team to success and brought them back to the top. He secured the Champions League title in Paris 2006 and was hailed as the best footballer in the world. However, his declining form led to his departure from the club after Guardiola took over. In 2008, he moved to Milan for 25 million euros and had a mixed two and a half seasons, showcasing flashes of brilliance alongside some struggles on and off the field.
Ronaldo Nazario
Ronaldo Nazario de Lima arrived at Camp Nou during the 1996-97 season, after the era of Johan Cruyff. Playing under Bobby Robson’s guidance, the Brazilian striker had a remarkable season, scoring 47 goals in 49 games and playing a crucial role in winning the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Cup, and the European Super Cup. His outstanding performances for the Blaugrana solidified his place in Europe, leading to a transfer to Inter Milan at the end of the season. After stints in Italy and Real Madrid, Ronaldo eventually joined Milan after the World Cup in Germany. Unfortunately, injuries plagued his time at San Siro, and he eventually returned to Brazilian football.
Mark Van Bommel
Mark van Bommel joined Barcelona in the 2005-2006 season from PSV Eindhoven. He spent only one season at the Catalan club, winning the League, the Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup. Bayern Munich later signed him to replace Michael Ballack. In 2011, he moved to Milan with six months left on his contract with Bayern, where he stayed for a year and a half.
Gianluca Zambrotta
Gianluca Zambrotta came to Barça in the 2006-07 season following the administrative relegation of his former club, Juventus, due to the Calciopoli scandal in Italy. He played during a challenging period for Barcelona under Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, and later moved back to Italy to join AC Milan after Guardiola took over. Zambrotta remained with the Italian team until the 2011-2012 season.
Pepe Reina
Since 1999, Pepe Reina trained in the youth teams of FC Barcelona, playing 30 games with the first team in the 2000 season. He only spent two seasons with the Blaugrana before moving on. From 2018 to 2020, he played 5 games for Milan.
Gerard Deulofeu
Gerard Deulofeu kicked off the 2011 season with Barça‘s reserve team, where he played 68 games and scored 27 goals. He made two appearances for the first team but didn’t get much playing time. In 2017, he went on loan to Milan. While with the Italian team, he netted four goals in 17 games.
Kevin-Prince Boateng
During his time with AC Milan, Kevin-Prince Boateng played 85 games, 74 of which were from 2010 to 2013, where he scored ten goals. He also played 11 games in the 2016 season, scoring just one goal. Later in 2019, he joined Barça on loan from Sassuolo, but only managed to play 3 games.
Franck Kessie
Franck Kessie signed up with AC Milan on loan from Cesana. He had been with Cesana from 2017 to 2022, netting 35 goals in all. After that, he moved on to FC Barcelona, where he spent just one season, from 2022 to 2023. During his time there, he played in 28 games and scored the winning goal against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.
