Every star to play for both Man City and Liverpool: Sterling, Balotelli and more

Raheem Sterling broke through in Liverpool colors before joining Manchester City
(Getty Images)

Manchester City and Liverpool are both fighting for success on multiple competitive fronts, with both sides eyeing glory for the end of this season.

Separated by a single point in the Premier League, the two sides now meet in the FA Cup semi-finals. They could also face each other in the UEFA Champions League final, should Liverpool advance past Villarreal, and City past Real Madrid. 

These two have engaged in an epic rivalry over recent years, and they have a legitimate claim to calling their meeting the biggest game in club football at the current time.

Ahead of their next showdown, The Sporting News looks at every name to have played for both sides over the Premier League era. 

MORE: How many trophies will Liverpool win this season? 

James Milner

One player who is currently active is James Milner; a Premier League veteran with over 807 total professional appearances, as well as over 550 in the league. 

He joined Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2010, and went on to win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup in five years at the club.

Liverpool then acquired his services, and he went on to be a key squad player for the club, winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Championship with the Reds.

At 36 he doesn't feature regularly, but his positional flexibility over the years has been key for both sides and will go down as one of the most underrated players in Premier League history.

HD James Milner Liverpool

Dietmar Hamann

A midfield general, Dietmar Hamann was a stalwart of the Liverpool side between 1999-2006, anchoring the Reds at the turn of the century.

Having been successful at Bayern Munich, he won eight trophies at Liverpool, including the 2004/05 Champions League. He managed to score his penalty in the shoot-out win, despite having a broken foot. 

Joining City in 2006, he made 54 appearances in three years. However, his best days were certainly at Liverpool.

Robbie Fowler 

A Premier League legend who has featured for both sides, striker Robbie Fowler made his name at Liverpool, before moving to Manchester City in his later years. 

Coming through the academy, Fowler is Liverpool through and through, and was a revelation with his 120 goals in 236 games. 

Joining City in 2003, he enjoyed three years there and scored 21 goals in 80 games. 

Then he made a sensational return to Merseyside in 2006, but only for a single season. He bagged eight goals in 30 games as he enjoyed another spell at his boyhood club.

Robbie Fowler Liverpool

Mario Balotelli 

A truly unique and divisive player, two very different versions of Mario Balotelli played for City and Liverpool. 

Joining City in 2010, he enjoyed three years at the club which saw him lay on the assist for the iconic Sergio Aguero goal to win the Premier League title in 2012 — his only assist of that season in the league.

However, following a falling out with manager Roberto Mancini, plus some rather controversial moments on and off the pitch, he left for AC Milan in 2013. Having spent one season there, he joined Liverpool but only played for the 2014-15 season, before heading back to Milan on loan before departing for OGC Nice in 2016.

He endured a torrid time in front of goal in that single season at Liverpool, scoring just a single goal in 16 games, as he was part of the infamous strike force that included Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini. 

Mario Balotelli Manchester City Why Always Me

Mark Kennedy

A lesser-known player perhaps, but Mark Kennedy was a Republic of Ireland international who featured for both sides predominately at left-back.

He joined Liverpool in 1995 after three years at Millwall, but only featured 20 times for the club. Moving on to Wimbledon for a season, he then spent two years with City from 1999, where he was a much more influential figure.

He featured 72 times, scoring eight goals as they won promotion to the Premier League in his first season, before then getting relegated straight away. He was allowed to leave when Kevin Keegan took the reins.

Raheem Sterling

A controversial figure in Merseyside, Raheem Sterling divides opinion. He riled up Liverpool fans in 2015, when he moved to Manchester City for a fee of $77 million (£50 million).

Having featured 95 times in three years, he bagged 18 goals as part of the side that so nearly clinched the Premier League title. Making his debut at age 17, he was the third youngest player ever to do so for the club.

The aforementioned move for Sterling was in the summer of 2015, as he joined City making him the most expensive English player at the time. His career took off when Pep Guardiola took over that season, as he elevated his game from a tricky, inconsistent winger to one of the most dangerous and unique goal scorers in the league.

Flash forward to 2022, and he's scored 128 goals and dished out 93 assists in 329 games for the club. He's won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five EFL Cups. However, he's only scored twice against his former club, as he is usually a victim of extensive booing from the Liverpool faithful.

Raheem Sterling - Manchester City - PSG - November 24, 2021

Scott Carson

Another active player is Scott Carson, who is currently residing as Manchester City's third choice goalkeeper. 

He did feature recently in the UEFA Champions League against Sporting Lisbon, but only for 17 minutes with City already five goals up on aggregate. He even managed to make a brilliant one-on-one save to keep a clean sheet. 

Back in 2005, he was part of the Liverpool squad that won the Champions League, but he only featured four times in three years for the Reds.

He then joined City in 2021 in what many believed was a purely tactical signing for the club since it helped them fulfill their quota of homegrown English players though he was in his mid-30s.

Daniel Sturridge

Breaking through via the Man City academy, the highly rated youngster only featured for City 21 times before moving to Chelsea on a free transfer. 

He gained vital experience at Stamford Bridge, scoring 13 times in 63 games and was part of a squad that won the Champions League and the FA Cup (twice) 

Liverpool came calling, and Sturridge found the regular football he craved as he starred in one of the best seasons from a forward we've seen in the league. His partnership with Luis Suarez was breathtaking, as he managed 24 goals in all competitions with Liverpool narrowly missing out on the Premier League title.

His best moment after that was his opening goal in the Europa League final against Sevilla, but they then lost out 3-1 on the night. He stayed at the club officially until 2021, where after a few loan spells, he moved to Perth Glory in Australia. 

HD Daniel Sturridge

Steve McManaman

In his time at Liverpool, his boyhood club, Steve McManaman rose to prominence as one of the most exciting midfielders in the league.

He went on to score 66 goals, and won the FA Cup and League Cup before departing for Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999.

At Madrid, he achieved great success, becoming the first English player to win the Champions League twice as well as earning a Super Cup, two La Liga titles and a Supercopa de Espana, too.

He then joined City in 2003 for two years, where he linked up with former Liverpool players David James, Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Fowler. 

Nicolas Anelka

Anelka joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in 2002, on a short-term loan deal until the end of the season. 

He helped Liverpool push for 2nd place in the table in the latter half of the season, but manager Gerard Houllier opted not to offer him a permanent deal.

Whilst Liverpool didn’t want the forward, City swooped in, signing the Frenchman for £13 million - a club high at the time. Spending three years there, he was successful with the Citizens, bagging 37 goals in 89 games.

Anelka produced some big moments for City, such as a goal in the derby against Manchester United, a last-minute winner at Anfield, and even won and scored the penalty that led to Chelsea’s only defeat in the Blues' famous 2004/05 season.

Nicolas Anelka Manchester City

David James 

Making his Liverpool debut in 1992, the former England goalkeeper spent seven years on Merseyside, making over 214 appearances. 

He had to battle for his place over the course of his Liverpool career, with his errors earning him the nickname "Calamity James", as he struggled for consistent runs as the No.1. They did manage to win the League Cup in 1995, though.

Joining City in 2004, he spent two years in Manchester but his most infamous appearance came when he made a six-minute cameo as a striker against Middlesborough in 2005. They needed to win to ensure UEFA Cup football, and in desperation, Stuart Pearce turned to James.

His career at City ended prematurely, with James moving down to Portsmouth to be closer to his children.

Craig Bellamy

A tricky Welsh forward, Craig Bellamy spent two spells at Liverpool and one at City. He joined Liverpool in 2006 following a very good season with Blackburn Rovers.

Bellamy was a boyhood fan of Liverpool and the move was a dream-come-true. He managed to score against Barcelona in the Reds' Champions League win over the Catalan giants, but his time there was plagued by off-pitch antics.

Joining City in 2009, he signed for a fee of around £14 million, and arrived as a result of City’s increased spending following the club’s takeover. His best performance saw him score two goals in the Manchester derby, but he fell on the losing side after Michael Owen’s 95th-minute winner.

Re-joining Liverpool in 2011, Bellamy featured primarily as a squad player, and struggled to hold down a regular starting place. He did contribute to Liverpool’s League Cup victory of 2011/12, and was part of the side that lost out to Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Craig Bellamy, Liverpool

Albert Riera

Despite featuring for both sides, Albert Riera is remembered mostly at Liverpool, rather than the short-term loan he experienced at City. He was with Espanyol at the time, and loaned out in his first season at the club to City, where he featured 15 times. 

Riera signed for Liverpool in 2008 and was a key player of Rafael Benitez’s side on the left flank. He played 56 times for the Reds in two years, managing five goals and nine assists in that time. A cultured player with a great left foot, he was a great addition. 

Liverpool pushed for the title in 2008/09 before falling short, meaning he left England trophyless. 

Kolo Toure

In the years following his highly-successful time at Arsenal as one of the league’s best centre-backs, Kolo Toure managed two innocuous spells at Liverpool and Manchester City.

Joining City after seven years at Arsenal, he featured 82 times across four years as he helped his side win the Community Shield and the famous 2011/12 league title.

Next was a move to Liverpool on a free transfer, but his time on Merseyside was generally underwhelming, despite making 20 league appearances in Liverpool's 2013/14 title charge. 

He featured less and less after that, as Jurgen Klopp was happy to let him run down his contract before a move to link back up with former manager Brendan Rodgers at Celtic. 

Kolo Toure of Manchester City

Nigel Clough

Just about making the Premier League cutoff is Nigel Clough, son of managerial legend Brian Clough, who played for both Liverpool and City in the early days of the new division. 

He managed nine goals and four assists in 44 games for Liverpool, following his period at Nottingham Forest, managed by his father.

Clough moved onto City for two years, but spent half a season on loan back at Forest. His time at City wasn’t great, as he only managed four goals in 39 appearances before he went on to be player-manager for Burton Albion. 

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