They played for both Liverpool and Man City – but who got the better deal?

They played for both Liverpool and Man City - but who got the better deal?

Liverpool and Manchester City have been fond of trading players throughout their histories, with several footballers having sampled life at both clubs – particularly in the Premier League era.

In this slideshow we take a look at 16 players who represented both the Reds and the Citizens, as well as deciding which club got the better deal overall...

16. Nigel Clough

Clough spent nine successful seasons at Nottingham Forest, making over 400 appearances for the East Midlands club before signing for Liverpool for £2.75m in 1993. Despite netting twice on his debut and a further two times in his first month, Clough soon found himself down the pecking order thanks to Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush’s brilliant partnership.

The forward joined relegation-battlers City in January 1996, but a return of two goals in 15 league games wasn’t enough to keep his new employers in the division.

Rating per club: Liverpool 3/10, Man City 3/10

15. Mark Kennedy

Kennedy became the most expensive teenager in British football history when Liverpool paid Millwall £1.5m for the 18-year-old’s services in 1995. But his chances at Anfield were limited to just 16 league appearances across his three years at the club, with Kennedy loaned out to QPR during his final season. 

After a brief stint at Wimbledon, the midfielder joined City in 1999 and was part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League in his first season. The Citizens returned to the second tier the following season, though, and Kennedy left for Wolves.

Rating per club: Liverpool 2/10, Man City 5/10

14. Mario Balotelli

The talented but controversial Italian arrived in English football in 2010, joining City from Inter for €21.8m. Balotelli was both brilliant and bonkers at the Etihad Stadium – often in the same game – helping Roberto Mancini’s men win the title and FA Cup but also missing 11 matches through suspension.

After 18 months at boyhood club Milan, Balotelli returned to the Premier League with Liverpool in August 2014. He failed to make a positive impression at Anfield, though, scoring just four times and being shipped back to San Siro on loan in 2015/16.

Rating per club: Liverpool 2/10, Man City 6/10

13. Peter Beardsley

Beardsley joined Liverpool alongside John Barnes in 1987, forming a deadly partnership with John Aldridge as the Reds eased to the league title but lost the FA Cup final to Wimbledon. With Aldridge departing in 1989, Beardsley partnered Rush as Liverpool won the title again in 1990, but the arrivals of Ronny Rosenthal and David Speedie subsequently limited his chances at Anfield.

After making 175 appearances and finding the net 59 times, Beardsley departed for rivals Everton in August 1991, before spells at Newcastle and Bolton. Wanderers suffered relegation during his season there, with Beardsley spending a month on loan at Manchester City, where he made five appearances. 

Rating per club: Liverpool 8/10, Man City 2/10

12. Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge made his first-team debut for City in February 2007, but an injury sustained soon after kept him out for the rest of the year. The striker had to wait until the following January to score his first senior goal, with Sturridge voted the club’s Young Player of the Year in 2008/09, but limited opportunities persuaded him to join Chelsea when his contract expired that summer.

He signed for Liverpool three-and-a-half years later, getting his career on Merseyside off to the perfect start with three goals in his first three games. A lethal strike partnership with Luis Suarez almost fired the Reds to the title in 2013/14, but Sturridge has been beset by injuries since then and looks set to leave Liverpool in 2018.

Rating per club: Liverpool 6/10, Man City 5/10

11. Kolo Toure

Following seven successful years at Arsenal, Toure joined Manchester City in 2009 and was made club captain by Mark Hughes. City finished fifth in his first season, but Hughes was replaced by Roberto Mancini and the Italian handed the armband to Carlos Tevez. Toure became a squad player in 2011/12, making only 14 league appearances as City won the title.

After another season as a bit-part player, Toure joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2013, narrowly missing out on another league winner’s medal in his debut campaign. The centre-back scored his first goal in over five years in the 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in February 2016, before moving to Celtic that summer. 

Rating per club: Liverpool 5/10, Man City 7/10 

10. Steve McManaman

Boyhood Everton fan McManaman joined Liverpool as a schoolboy and made his first-team debut in a 2-0 triumph over Sheffield United in 1990. He was named Man of the Match in the victorious FA Cup final two years’ later, and became one of the Reds’ most important players as the decade wore on.

The winger-cum-midfielder departed Anfield in 1999, joining Real Madrid on a free transfer. After four years in Spain he returned to England with City, where he made 44 appearances in two largely unremarkable seasons.

Rating per club: Liverpool 9/10, Man City 3/10

9. Steve McMahon

McMahon began his career at Everton, but by 1985 he was playing his football for the city’s other club. Kenny Dalglish’s first signing at Liverpool, the midfielder filled the Graeme Souness-shaped void at the heart of the team, combining tough tackling with sharp technique. By the time he was sold to City by Souness in 1991, McMahon had won three league titles and two FA Cups.

His two-and-a-half years at Maine Road weren’t quite as successful, but the England international still made 87 league appearances for the club, who finished fifth, nine and 16th during his time on the books.

Rating per club: Liverpool 8/10, Man City 5/10

8. Craig Bellamy

Bellamy joined Liverpool from Blackburn in 2006, but it took him a while to recapture his best form. A brace against Wigan in December seemed to kick-start the Welshman’s Anfield career; by the time of his departure at the end of the season, the forward had scored nine times for the Reds.

After a season-and-a-half at West Ham, Bellamy returned to the north with City in January 2009. Bellamy hit the ground running by scoring the winner against Newcastle on his debut, before notching another 14 goals over the next 18 months. He later returned to Liverpool, spending the 2011/12 season as one of Kenny Dalglish’s attacking options.

Rating per club: Liverpool 7/10, Man City 6/10

7. Dietmar Hamann

Hamann progressed through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, before spending five years in the first team and joining Newcastle for a season immediately after the 1998 World Cup. He made the switch to Anfield in 1999 and played an influential role during his seven years at the club, winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup (twice), League Cup (twice) and Champions League.

Hamann signed a pre-contract agreement with Bolton in 2006, but spent only a day on the club’s books before joining City instead. The German spent three years in Manchester, playing 71 times and scoring one goal.

Rating per club: Liverpool 8/10, Man City 5/10

6. James Milner

Milner joined City in summer 2010 after an impressive spell at Aston Villa, making his debut in a comfortable 3-0 win over Liverpool. The versatile midfielder provided two assists in the famous 6-1 triumph at Old Trafford the following year, which was one of his 26 league appearances in City’s title-winning campaign under Roberto Mancini.

Milner also won the league at the Etihad in 2014, before joining Liverpool a year later. He was deployed at left-back by Jurgen Klopp for much of 2016/17, but is now one of many midfield options available to the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

Rating per club: Liverpool 6/10, Man City 7/10

5. David James

James signed for Liverpool from Watford for £1.25m in July 1992 and went on to make 277 appearances for the club. The goalkeeper lost his starting place to Bruce Grobbelaar early on in his Anfield career, but fought back to help the Reds win the League Cup in 1995.

After spells at Aston Villa and West Ham, the England shot-stopper signed for City in January 2004, but won only four of the 17 matches he started that season. He was memorably deployed as a striker in the latter stages of a game against Middlesbrough on the final day of the 2004/05 campaign, which was one of his 100 outings for the Citizens.

Rating per club: Liverpool 7/10, Man City 6/10

4. Raheem Sterling

Liverpool signed Sterling as a 15-year-old in 2010, with the winger going on to make his senior debut at the age of 17 two years later. The former QPR youngster excelled alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in 2013/14, earning a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year award as the Reds finished second under Brendan Rodgers.

Sterling signed for City in summer 2014, with Liverpool pocketing £49m from his sale. The England international initially struggled for form and consistency, but he’s made great strides under Pep Guardiola and has been one of the Premier League’s best players this term.

Rating per club: Liverpool 7/10, Man City 8/10

3. Nicolas Anelka

Anelka joined Liverpool on loan from PSG for the second half of the 2001/02 season and scored some crucial goals as the Reds finish second. Gerard Houllier opted to sign El Hadji Diouf at the end of the season, though, turning down the chance to make Anelka’s deal permanent.

Instead, the French forward signed for Kevin Keegan’s City side for a club-record fee of £13m. He finished his first season at Maine Road as the club’s top scorer on 14, before bagging 25 the following campaign.

Rating per club: Liverpool 6/10, Man City 8/10

2. Matt Busby

Despite being known for his connections to mutual rivals Manchester United, Busby (second left in the picture above) spent almost his entire playing career at City and Liverpool. He joined the former at the age of 18 in 1928 but was forced to wait 18 months before making his debut; United later tried to tempt Busby to Old Trafford, but they were unable to meet City’s £150 asking price and the right-half stayed put to help win the FA Cup in 1934.

The Scot joined Liverpool two years later and, after establishing himself in the side, was handed the captaincy at Anfield. Busby took a young Bob Paisley under his wing, but his career was ended by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Rating per club: Liverpool 7/10, Man City 8/10

1. Robbie Fowler

A man nicknamed ‘God’ by Liverpool fans, Fowler remains one of the best strikers to have represented the club in the Premier League era. The striker scored more than 30 goals in 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97, as well as 17 when the Reds won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup in 2000/01.

Injuries halted Fowler’s progress, though, and his inability to stay fit contributed to his move to Leeds in summer 2001. The frontman later joined City in January 2003, spending two-and-a-half years at the club and scoring 20 league goals. Fowler then returned to Liverpool in the middle of the 2005/06 campaign, adding another 12 strikes to his overall tally for his boyhood side before departing 18 months later.

Rating per club: Liverpool 10/10, Man City 6/10

Overall ratings: Liverpool 105, Man City 86