Players who played for Manchester United and Manchester City

Carlos Tevez in action for Manchester City against former club Manchester United in April 2013.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester is home to a vibrant music scene and to two of the world’s biggest football clubs.

While Manchester United have historically been the more successful and popular of the two, Manchester City have dominated in recent times.

Since the Second World War, only 14 players have made first-team appearances for both clubs.

Here, a look at the most high-profile footballers who played for both United and City in their professional careers…

16. Len Langford

Liverpool player Matt Busby (left) gives some advice to youngster Len Langford (right) while his father, the Manchester City goalkeeper also named Len Langford, watches on. (Image credit: Getty Images)Born in Alfreton, Derbyshire in 1899, Len Langford played for both Manchester City and Manchester United as a goalkeeper in the 1930s.

Langford made over 100 appearances for City between 1930 and 1934, but played less regularly in three years at United after that. He also had a spell at Nottingham Forest.

15. Billy Meredith

Billy Meredith in action for Manchester United against Queens Park Rangers in the first ever Charity Shield match in 1908. (Image credit: Getty Images)One of football’s early stars, Billy Meredith was an outside forward who had long spells at Manchester City and Manchester United in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

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After winning a Second Division championship and an FA Cup at City, the Welsh international helped United to two First Division titles, an FA Cup and two Charity Shields – including the first one ever in 1908. He later returned to City and was almost 50 years old in his last game, making him the club’s oldest ever player.

14. Wyn Davies

Wyn Davies (middle, in red) in action for Manchester United against Derby County in September 1972. (Image credit: Getty Images)After beginning his career in Wales, Wyn Davies had long spells in England with Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United between 1962 and 1971.

The Welsh winger left Bolton to join Manchester City that year, staying for just one season and winning the 1972 Charity Shield before going on to spend the 1972/73 season at Manchester United. He was capped 34 times by Wales.

13. John Gidman

John Gidman in action for Manchester United against Notts County in March 1982. (Image credit: Getty Images)John Gidman moved to Manchester United from Everton in 1981 as Ron Atkinson’s first signing and the right-back helped the Red Devils win the FA Cup in 1985.

After five seasons at Old Trafford, the defender was sold to Manchester City in 1986 and was part of the team relegated to the Second Division in 1986/87. He stayed for one more season before joining Stoke City in 1988.

12. Sammy McIlroy

Sammy McIlroy in action for Manchester United against Tottenham in September 1980. (Image credit: Getty Images)Sammy McIlroy spent over a decade at Manchester United in the 1970s and early 1980s and made over 400 appearances for the Red Devils.

The Northern Ireland midfielder helped United win promotion back to the First Division and won the FA Cup in 1977. Following a spell at Stoke City, he signed for Manchester City in 1985, but left after just over a year at Maine Road.

11. Terry Cooke

Terry Cooke in action for Manchester City against Crystal Palace in September 1999. (Image credit: Getty Images)Terry Cooke started his career at Manchester United, but the right-sided midfielder soon found first-team opportunities hard to come by due to the emergence of a certain David Beckham at Old Trafford.

Cooke had several spells out on loan and one of those was at Manchester City in 1998/99. The former England Under-21 midfielder ended up signing for the Sky Blues in a permanent deal, staying until 2002.

10. Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes in action for Manchester City in a game against Norwich City. (Image credit: Getty Images)Peter Barnes scored for Manchester City in the Sky Blues’ League Cup final win over Newcastle in 1976 and the winger was named PFA Young Player of the Year.

Barnes played over 150 games for City, later returning for a second spell in 1987. That was after a couple of seasons at Manchester United, where he played at the very start of Alex Ferguson’s tenure and once hid in the communal bath waters in the dressing room to avoid the Scot’s infamous “hairdryer treatment”. The winger won 22 caps for England.

9. Mark Robins

Mark Robins is lifted on the shoulders of Manchester United fans after scoring an extra-time winner against Oldham in the FA Cup semi-finals in April 1990. (Image credit: Getty Images)Mark Robins started his career at Manchester United and the young striker’s header against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round in January 1990 is often credited with keeping under-fire manager Alex Ferguson in a job. Robins also scored a winner against Oldham in a semi-final replay and United went on to win the trophy.

That triumph kickstarted a special era for Ferguson and United, but may not have happened without Robins’ intervention. Later, the striker became something of a journeyman and during a spell at Greek side Panionios, he had a brief and injury-interrupted stint on loan at Manchester City.

8. Peter Beardsley

Peter Beardsley in action for England against Denmark in March 1994. (Image credit: Getty Images)Not only did Peter Beardsley play for both Liverpool and Everton in his career, but the former England attacker also turned out for both Manchester clubs – albeit not for very long.

Between spells with Vancouver Whitecaps early in his career, Beardsley briefly joined Manchester United, but featured only in a League Cup game against Bournemouth. And in 1998, he left Bolton Wanderers to join Manchester City on loan. He played six games for the Sky Blues and didn’t score, but became the only top-flight player in men’s football to represent both Liverpool and Manchester clubs.

7. Brian Kidd

Brian Kidd (right) celebrates Manchester United’s 1994 FA Cup win with manager Alex Ferguson. (Image credit: Getty Images)Brian Kidd began his playing career at Manchester United and was part of the team which won the European Cup in 1968, scoring the fourth goal as Matt Busby’s side beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time.

After leaving United, Kidd played for two years at Arsenal and then spent three years at Manchester City between 1976 and 1979. Following his retirement, he worked as an assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but the two later fell out. Back at City, Kidd worked in a variety of coaching roles. He left the club in 2021.

6. Andrei Kanchelskis

Manchester City’s Andrei Kanchelskis skips past Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard in a game in January 2001. (Image credit: Getty Images)Andrei Kanchelskis spent four years at Manchester United between 1991 and 1995, making over 150 appearances and helping Sir Alex Ferguson’s side win a European Super Cup, two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

After spells at Everton, Fiorentina and Rangers, the Russian winger returned to Manchester on loan in 2001, signing a short-term deal with Manchester City. He played just 11 games for the Sky Blues.

5. Andy Cole

Andy Cole scores for Manchester United against Manchester City at Maine Road in February 1995. (Image credit: Getty Images)Andy Cole scored over 100 goals for Manchester United and featured in five Premier League title triumphs with the Red Devils, plus the treble in 1998/99.

After leaving Old Trafford, Cole spent three seasons at Blackburn Rovers and had a season at Fulham before signing for Manchester City in 2005. The former England striker netted 10 goals in 23 games and joined Portsmouth the following summer. 

4. Owen Hargreaves

Manchester City’s Owen Hargreaves greets former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney in a derby in the FA Cup in January 2012. (Image credit: Getty Images)Owen Hargreaves won the Premier League and the Champions League in his first season at Manchester United, but the former England midfielder endured an injury nightmare after that and played only a handful of games over the next three years.

Keen to prove his fitness, Hargreaves signed for Manchester City in the summer of 2011, but played just four games and was not entitled to a Premier League winners’ medal after featuring in only one match in the competition. He did take part in the on-pitch celebrations, though.

3. Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel in action for Manchester City against Newcastle in August 2002. (Image credit: Getty Images)Peter Schmeichel spent eight seasons at Manchester United, culminating in the club’s treble triumph in 1998/99. The Dane, who won five Premier League titles at Old Trafford, opted to leave in the summer and signed for Lisbon side Sporting CP.

After winning the Portuguese title in his first season, Schmeichel was all set to return to United, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a change of heart and signed the younger Fabien Barthez instead. The Dane did return to the Premier League in 2001, with Aston Villa, and surprisingly signed for Manchester City the following summer. Manager Kevin Keegan said it took just 20 minutes to persuade him. He retired after a single season at Maine Road.

2. Denis Law

Denis Law is distraught after scoring for Manchester City against his old team Manchester United in April 1974, believing his goal has condemned his former club to relegation. (Image credit: Getty Images)Denis Law is one of Manchester United’s all-time greats and the former Scotland forward will forever be associated with the Red Devils after helping the club to two First Division titles and a first-ever European Cup in the 1960s.

But the 1964 Ballon d’Or also had a spell at Manchester City after leaving United and was distraught when he thought his goal in a derby had relegated his old club in April 1974. Law did not celebrate and left the pitch with his head bowed as he was substituted. Other results meant United were already down, though, with the derby score irrelevant.

1. Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez poses alongside Manchester City manager Mark Hughes after signing for the Sky Blues in July 2009, following a two-year spell at Manchester United. (Image credit: Getty Images)Carlos Tevez spent two years on loan at Manchester United and helped the Red Devils to two Premier League titles, a Champions League crown, a Club World Cup and a League Cup, scoring 34 goals in 99 appearances overall.

But the Argentine attacker was unhappy at not being offered a long-term deal and opted to sign for Manchester City after lengthy negotiations with the Sky Blues. City put up a big billboard in the city centre with the slogan “Welcome to Manchester”, which annoyed United. Tevez stayed at the Etihad for four seasons, winning a Premier League title and an FA Cup and scoring 73 goals in 148 games.

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world – including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America – and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.

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