Two of the most fearsome Spanish giants will face each other on March 18. Atletico Madrid will take on FC Barcelona as the match will take place at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid. As the rivalry grows bitter and tenser there are top 5 players who played for both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
No 5. Joao Felix
The Portuguese forward joined Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a whopping transfer worth 126 million Euros. He even helped the team to win the La Liga during the 2020-21 season in his second season. The relationship between Felix and the sporting director grew tense.
He then decided to join Chelsea on a loan but the Chelsea manager Maurizio Pochettino did not have any intentions of signing him as a permanent deal. Later on, Felix’s fantasy of joining Barca came into reality when he joined Barcelona on July 18.
No 4. Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia was born in Barcelona and has been a Culer ever since he joined the Barcelona Academy. He made his professional debut on August 22, 1999, where he lost his first match 1-0 against CD Numancia. In the 2002-03 season, Garcia was sold to Atletico Madrid for 3.6 million Euros.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have any impact on Atletico Madrid, and later on, he was sold to Liverpool. Rafa Benitez bought the Spaniard on August 20, 2004.
No 3. David Villa
The Spanish forward is known for his finishing flair and his backheel touch. David Villa joined Barcelona on May 19 2010 after an agreement with Valencia for a 40 million transfer fee. Villa carried Barcelona as the club carried on with their prime ultimate form.
Unfortunately things got turned out to be worse when David Villa signed Atletico Madrid on July 8 2013 for the deal of 5.1 million Euros. He even lured Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League finals against Real Madrid.
No 2. Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann’s attacking flair with his football IQ describes him as one of the well known player. He joined Atletico Madrid on July 28, 2014. Atletico Madrid reached an agreement with Real Sociedad for a transfer fee of 30 million euros. Later on, Griezmann began to realize his full potential as he became the star player for Atletico Marid.
As the time passed by, Barcelona decided to sign Antoine Griezmann for a humongous amount of 120 million euros. His declination of form for Barcelona continued which led Griezmann to return back to Atletico.
No 1. Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan striker and lethal finishing talisman joined Barcelona on July 11, 2014. The transfer fee worth 82.3 million euros as Luis Suarez did not disappoint the club and lived up to his worth. Suarez’s brilliance bought Barcelona a treble in the 2014-15 season.
He was also a part of world’s legendary trio (MSN) and led to his club multiple trophies. The prime of Barcelona ended when Suarez left Barcelona due to the bitter relationship with the former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman. Leading him to join their rivals Atletico Madrid on 2020 for 6 million euros.
These are the top 5 players who played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. As the two Spanish mightiest clubs will take on each other who will triumph in the upcoming battle of La Liga?