From Owen to Cruyff: The biggest traitors in football history who played for the arch rivals

In the world of football, transferring to a rival club is seen as treason. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of players who do it however, whether it be for money, for titles, or, in some cases, simply in a feeling of despise for their former club.

A special flavor to the famous rivalries or derbies is tasted when remembering and watching the players who, without any remorse, put on the shirt of the hated arch rival and played for both teams. One thing that is certain is that the fans never forget the treachery and the feeling of heartbreak when their favourite player leaves the club to join the rivals. There have been many players who switched sides over the years and these are the authentic “Judases” of soccer that will remain in history for their controversial passage from one rival to another. 

Infamous traitors cum Glory hunters in Football

Today we will see a flashback of what happened when some infamous players across Europe signed for their clubs’ direct rivals in a treacherous move that marred their reputation for the rest of the career and made them villains in the eyes of many.

5. Johan Cruyff (Ajax, Feyenoord)

Johan Cruyff is famously regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time all over the world. The indomitable Dutch had won seven Eredivisie titles and three European Cups during his first spell with Ajax between 1964 and 1973, and was the face of the club’s golden era of “Total Football.” He enjoyed not one, but two successful spells at Ajax during his illustrious career, and was thought to be an untouchable figure at Amsterdam. At the age of 36 in the summer of 1983, he had just helped Ajax win a domestic league and cup double. But Ajax were delirious as they opted not to give their greatest-ever player a new contract.

The man who’d shaped Ajax’s destiny, as much as anyone, was understandably inflamed. Cruyff’s second spell at the club in the twilight of his career did not get the ending it deserved however, as at the end of the 1982/83 season, Ajax decided not to offer him a new contract, which resulted in him signing for Rotterdam rivals Feyenoord. 

Cruyff, again being an ever-present character in the team as always, retaliated by helping a faltering Feyenoord to their first title in a decade, a KNVB Cup, and was named Dutch Player of the Year.

4. Michael Owen (Liverpool, Manchester United)

Michael Owen was undoubtedly a Liverpool icon during his spell with the Reds, scoring 157 goals for his boyhood club since coming to the limelight at only 17 years of age. In 2001, his two goals in the FA Cup final against Arsenal enabled Liverpool to complete a treble, and was adjudged the best player in the world that season by winning the Ballon D’or.

The former decorated England striker, however, did the unthinkable when in 2009 he joined Liverpool’s most hated rivals Manchester United on a free transfer, as his contract with Newcastle had ended. Owen’s Liverpool legacy was then forever tarnished, with many Reds fans even asking for him to be stripped of his ambassadorial role at the club. Inspite of his history with Liverpool, Owen could not resist the urge to move to bitter rivals Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson on a pay-as-you-play deal.

The strategy had worked, and Owen had been a successful backup and cup striker for Manchester United also had his memorable moments, such as his famous winning goal in the Manchester derby in the 2009-10 Premier league season.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus)

The self proclaimed ‘God of football’, ‘the lion’, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been known for his loyalty. Zlatan is an icon among the players who have played for rival teams. He first came to Italy to play for Juventus where he scored plenty of goals on the way to their Serie A title. After Juventus were stripped of their two Scudetti in the Calciopoli scandal, not only did Zlatan Ibrahimovic threaten to pursue legal action to get himself out of his contract, but he also moved to Inter Milan, Juventus’ biggest rival in Serie A. He became the record the goal scorer in a single season for Inter as they romped their way to the Serie A title. He would have won more with Inter had he not moved to Barcelona.

The Milan derby is one of the biggest rivalries in the entire world, so when Ibrahimovic decided to join the AC Milan squad after his stint in Barcelona, the move did not come without controversy. Ibrahimovic was persona non-grata in the red half of Milan where he scored more than 50 goals across two seasons, but was crudely remembered for tormenting the Rossoneri during his time at Inter Milan, their crosstown rivals with whom they share the San Siro.

Inter Milan fans were aggrieved when Ibrahimovic joined AC after falling out with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, passing over a chance to resign for them. His statue was recently vandalised and the word ‘Judas’ sprayed on a property he owns in Stockholm after it was revealed that he chose to invest in Hammarby, a rival of his hometown club, Malmo.

2. Ronaldo Nazario (Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid)

Ronaldo is considered one of the best players of all time and probably the deadliest striker in football history. His dribbling was exceptional and a pleasure to watch and he popularized the step-overs and trick-moves by integrating them seamlessly into his ruthless playstyle. His finishing, vision and generic attacking-mindedness were second to none. He won the World Cup twice with Brazil in 1998 and 2002 and had multiple laurels to his name, in addition to the massive count of goals he scored for club and country.

History will always remember the magnifico Brazilian striker for his poaching ability, but it is unlikely that he will be remembered as an lovable icon of club football. Although he never switched directly over from one rival team to the other, he had the uncertain distinction of upsetting the fan bases of Europe’s famous clubs. Ronaldo seemed to absolutely embrace the attention of switching between rival clubs as he did this exact thing in both Italy and Spain. Ronaldo played for both Inter Milan and AC Milan, as well as El Clasico rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid. However, he had never transferred directly between rival clubs.

In the summer 1996 Ronaldo joined Catalan club Barcelona and after a fairly short stint in which he had averaged almost a goal per game with the Blaugranas, Ronaldo was purchased by Italian side Inter Milan. After spending 5 years with Inter Ronaldo would come back to Spain, only this time with his former club’s rivals Real Madrid. After 5 years at the Spanish capital the Brazilian once again chose to join a rival of his previous side, signing with AC Milan in Italy. Ronaldo joined the short list of the players to have played for both Inter Milan and A.C. in the Derby della Madonnina, and is one of few players to have scored for both the teams in the Milan derby, the others being players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Giuseppe Meazza, Enrico Candiani and Aldo Cevenini.

However, Ronaldo’s most controversial move was in signing for the Brazilian team Corinthians after neglecting his boyhood club Flamengo. To add salt to injury, Ronaldo scored against Flamengo in the 2010 Copa Libertadores.

1. Luis Figo (Barcelona, Real Madrid)

Commercial drawbacks often force big clubs to sell players to rival teams, but few players force their way through the door. Luis Figo was a cult figure at the Camp Nou, helping Barcelona secure consecutive La Liga league titles in 1998 and 1999. The star Portuguese winger became close to local fans by lending support to a Catalonian cause. Winning the title with Barçelona, he even once dyed his hair red and blue and chanted ‘White cry-babies, salute the champions!’. But what followed was treachery. Considered by many to be the most controversial transfer of all time, Real Madrid met the £53m buy-out clause in Luis Figo’s contract at Barcelona in 2000, a world record fee at the time in what was the beginning of the “Galáctico era”. The Portuguese winger had been Barcelona’s star player for the previous five years, and this move was considered by their fans as being the ultimate act of betrayal. 

Thereafter, every time Figo returned to the Camp Nou, he was met with aloud jeers and banners reading ‘Judas’ and ‘traitor’. He would not take corners for fear of being hit with objects such as bottles and lighters that flew his way whenever he was near the Barcelona fans stand. On his second match back at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Figo was nearly covered in debris thrown at him from the stands. One of the many items thrown at him was a head of a pig, an image which would become infamous and the icon of the Barcelona versus Real Madrid rivalry. Figo famously commented, “I was worried that some madman might lose his head.”

Luis Figo’s move to Real Madrid was particularly considered as the worst case of treachery, as he was one of the most loved players at Barcelona during his time there, and had won a great deal of trophies with the Blaugranas.

Other Notable Players to do the same – Robin Van Persie(Arsenal to Manchester United), Sol Campbell(Tottenham to Arsenal), Roberto Baggio(Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan), Bernd Schuster(Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid), Ashley Cole(Arsenal To Chelsea) and Mo Johnstone(Celtic to Rangers).

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