Manchester derby: Eight players who crossed the divide

Played for both Manchester clubs

Premier League champions Manchester City strolled to a 3-0 victory over United in Sunday’s derby thanks to a couple of goals from Erling Haaland and one from Phil Foden.

We look at some of the stars that have crossed the divide and played for both Manchester clubs.

Denis Law (Man City 1960-61, Man United 1962-73; Man City 1973-74)

Law is the last remaining member of the United Trinity that also comprised George Best and Charlton, key members of the squad that helped the Red Devils become the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.

Although the Scot spent 11 seasons with United, scoring 237 goals in 404 appearances in all competitions, he actually first featured for City following his move from Huddersfield.

A season with Torino followed, but a year later United paid a then-British record transfer fee of £115,000 for his services and he never looked back.

Law won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 and a year later scored 28 goals in leading United to the title for the first time since the Munich air disaster which killed eight members of the Busby Babes and 12 others.

A second league title followed in 1967 when he scored 23 times in 36 league appearances and European glory came a year later, although Law missed the final at Wembley, watching the match in hospital after undergoing knee surgery four days earlier.

However, the 1970s saw the decline of both United and Law, who was given a free transfer by Tommy Docherty in the summer of 1973 and he re-signed for City.

Law famously scored with a backheel at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, but refused to celebrate, thinking his goal had resulted in United’s relegation, but they would have gone down whatever the result.

He retired at the end of the season and to this day is United’s third top scorer of all time behind Charlton and Wayne Rooney.

Andy Cole (Man United 1995-2001, Man City 2005-06)

Cole’s shock £7million move to United from Newcastle in January 1995 proved a masterstroke.

The striker’s 93 goals in 195 appearances between 1995-2001 helped the Red Devils win five Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups under Alex Ferguson.

Cole became the main striker at United following Eric Cantona’s retirement in 1997 and went on to form a lethal partnership with Dwight Yorke in the Treble-winning 1998-99 campaign, scoring the winner against Tottenham on the final day of the Premier League season to seal the title by a point from Arsenal.

Falling behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the pecking order, Cole joined Blackburn midway through the 2001-02 season and after a spell with Fulham, moved to City in 2005 where he scored nine goals in 22 appearances only for injury to end his season in mid-February.

Cole, the Premier League’s fourth highest scorer with 187 goals, left the club for Portsmouth in the summer.

Brian Kidd (Man United 1967-74, Man City 1976-79) 

Kidd came through the youth ranks at United and turned professional in 1966.

On his 19th birthday, Kidd added his name to the history books by scoring the third goal in United’s 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final.

Kidd went on to score 52 goals in 203 league appearances for United between 1967-74, but joined Arsenal for a couple of seasons after the Red Devils were relegated.

However, Kidd then signed for rivals City in 1976, netting 44 goals in 98 appearances, including three goals against United during the 1977-78 campaign.

In 1979, Kidd made the move to Everton for a season and then Bolton before seeing out his career in the United States.

As well as having played for both Manchester clubs, Kidd also spent spells as assistant manager at United and City.

Carlos Tevez (Man United 2007-09, Man City 2009-13)

Tevez’s controversial move to United from West Ham in 2007 almost went to court over an ownership row, but when he eventually signed on loan, the Argentinean played an important role in their Champions League-winning campaign in the same season, scoring five goals.

Despite scoring 19 times in 64 appearances, Tevez was never signed permanently in his two years at United during which he won the Premier League twice and refused the offer of a five-year deal in the summer of 2009.

Linked with Liverpool, Tevez eventually signed for neighbours City, who famously erected a ‘Welcome to Manchester’ billboard in the city centre.

Tevez won the FA Cup with City in 2011 and the Premier League a year later, scoring 58 league goals in 113 appearances before he joined Juventus in 2013.

Sammy McIlroy (Man United 1971-82, Man City 1985-86)

Matt Busby’s final signing made an instant impact to his career, scoring on his debut in a 3-3 draw with City in November 1971.

The Northern Ireland midfielder spent 13 seasons with United between 1969-82, scoring 57 goals in 342 appearances, and played in every match during the 1974-75 campaign in which they made an immediate return to the First Division as champions following their relegation from the top flight.

McIlroy was at the heart of midfield as United won the FA Cup against Liverpool in 1977, but picked up a runners-up medal a year later in one of the best ever finals, a 3-2 defeat by Arsenal.

A four-year spell with Stoke followed between 1982-85, leaving the club for City on a free transfer following their relegation.

McIlroy spent one full season at Maine Road and began the following campaign at the club but went on to join Swedish side Orgryte.

Peter Schmeichel (Man United 1991-99, Man City 2002-03)

Schmeichel spent a trophy-laden eight seasons with United between 1991-99 and is widely regarded as one of the club’s greatest goalkeepers.

The Dane left the club on a high after the 1998-99 Treble-winning season, his final match coming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final where he was named captain in the absence of Roy Keane.

Schmeichel also won the Premier League five times and the FA Cup on three occasions with United where he made 292 appearances until 1999 when he joined Portuguese side Sporting.

A spell with Aston Villa followed and he ended his career with a single season at City in the 2002-03 campaign.

City were unbeaten against United that season which ensured Schmeichel was never on the losing side in a Manchester derby.

Andrei Kanchelskis (Man United 1991-95, Man City 2001)

Cult hero Kanchelskis played a key role in Alex Ferguson’s early success at Manchester United and will be forever remembered by the Red Devils faithful for scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over City in the 1994-95 season.

The Ukraine-born winger, who represented the Soviet Union and Russia on the international stage, spent five years at Old Trafford, scoring 48 league goals in 145 appearances in all competitions, but fell out with Ferguson in 1995 and was replaced by David Beckham on the right side of midfield.

Spells with Everton, Fiorentina and Rangers followed before he spent a season on loan at Manchester City, making 10 appearances and scoring once in an FA Cup tie against Liverpool.

Kanchelskis is a pub quiz favourite as the only player to score in the Merseyside, Manchester and Old Firm derbies.

Owen Hargreaves (Man United 2007-11, Man City 2011-12)

Hargreaves won the Champions League and the Premier League in his second season with United in the 2008-09 campaign, but an injury-hit four-year spell meant he only made 27 appearances for the club.

The Canada-born England midfielder moved to Old Trafford from Bayern Munich in May 2007 after protracted negotiations for around £17million and made his debut in a 1-0 defeat at rivals City.

Hargreaves played all 120 minutes in the Champions League final and scored one of the penalties in the shoot-out, but knee trouble and other injuries limited his game time and he was described by Alex Ferguson in his autobiography as one of his most disappointing signings.

He offered to play for United for free in the 2011-12 season, but was released and signed for City where he made just four appearances in all competitions, only one of which came in the Premier League.

Despite not being entitled to a winner’s medal, Hargreaves was a part of the on-pitch celebrations in City’s thrilling Premier League title-winning match against QPR.