Whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona face each other, the entire world stops to see the biggest rivalry in the game. Any fan of the beautiful game knows what a match between these sides means, especially in modern society. The game has such an incredible magnitude that it became known in Spain as ‘El Clasico‘ and is now the term that every league has adopted to describe their biggest domestic rivalry.
Every team cannot stand being defeated by their fiercest rival. However, the historical and ‘political’ ramifications ‘El Clasico’ has make it even more painful for the losing side. There is always controversy surrounding this historic Spanish rivalry, especially when it comes to players deciding to switch their allegiances.
Despite the dislike they have for each other, there are a good number of players that know what it is like to play on both sides of the rivalry. While many have played for both clubs via transfers from other teams (like Eto’o or Ronaldo), there are some who have directly made the daring switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid and vice versa.
There is always tension whenever somebody crosses the ‘El Clasico’ divide, but it reaches a completely different level when a player makes the switch directly. With that in mind, who are those players that made the daring switch between teams, and how did things go for them with the rival club? Here are the players that made the direct switch between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
5. Javier Saviola
While tensions are usually high when players make the direct switch, it is safe to say that this is a rear exception as Saviola can probably stroll through the city of Barcelona without even the slightest heckle or insult.
The Argentine striker signed for Barcelona in 2001 from River Plate and enjoyed a decent spell with the Azulgranas, but did not play at the level that was initially expected. The team loaned him to AS Monaco and Sevilla where he won the UEFA Cup. Interestingly, his only goals against Real Madrid came while playing on loan at Sevilla. Despite his good performances, he missed out on Barcelona’s consecutive league titles and the Champions League success. His only title with the Blaugranas would be the Spanish Supercup in 2006. After a trophy-less 2006/2007 campaign, he would leave Barcelona on a free transfer.
However, his next club would be surprising as Real Madrid made the decision to sign him. While with the all-whites, he enjoyed more collective success, winning another Spanish Supercup and a league title that saw Real Madrid receive a guard of honor from Barcelona that season. Despite this, he barely made any appearances and did not play in any Clasicos during his period with the club; eventually leaving in 2009 with not much sorrow nor glory.