Chelsea and Barcelona are two of the most followed and most successful football clubs in European football. Founded in 1905, the Blues have won the league title on six occasions and the UEFA Champions League once. They are the 2016/17 Premier League Champions and possesses a great squad at the moment.
Barcelona and Chelsea have a history of players switching allegiance between them. Though some are not direct transfers involving these two clubs, until now, 13 footballers have played for both Barcelona and Chelsea. Players like Ricardo Quaresma, Oriol Romeu, Boudewijn Zenden, Emmanuel Petit, and Mark Hughes have played at both Stamford Bridge and Camp Nou.
On that note, let’s take a look at the 5 incredible footballers who have played for both Barcelona and Chelsea.
#5 Samuel Eto’o
Eto’o joined Barcelona from Mallorca in 2004. He went on to win three La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles with the Catalan giants. Eto’o has scored 130 goals in 199 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona. With 26 La Liga goals during the 2005/06 season, the Cameroon international won the Pichichi Trophy for most goals scored in a La Liga season.
#4 Deco
Chelsea signed Deco from Barcelona in 2008. Deco spent two seasons at the Stamford Bridge and was sold to Fluminense in 2010. Deco scored six goals in his Chelsea career and also lifted the Premier League title in 2010. Deco is one of those rare footballers who have won the UEFA Champions League title with two different clubs, Porto and Barcelona.
#3 Eidur Gudjohnsen
Gudjohnsen has spent six years at Chelsea and was one of their key players during their title-winning 2004/05 Premier League season. The Iceland international has played 186 Premier League games for Chelsea and scored 54 goals. He has won back to back Premier League titles with Chelsea and was their star striker between 2000 and 2006.
#2 Pedro
Pedro moved to Chelsea in 2015 after spending most of his later part of Barcelona career under the shadow of Lionel Messi and Neymar. The Spaniard has so far played 138 games in all competitions for Chelsea and scored 31 times. The 31-year-old has played a stellar role in Chelsea’s title-winning 2016/17 Premier League campaign. Primarily a winger, Pedro was an integral part of the Spain national team that lifted the FIFA World Cup title in 2010.
#1 Cesc Fabregas
The Spaniard takes the No.1 spot on the list because of his sheer quality and the impact he created at both the clubs. A product of La Masia, Cesc Fàbregas moved to the Premier League with Arsenal when he was only a teenager. He had a hugely successful career at Arsenal where he played 212 Premier League games.
He made his move to Barcelona in 2011 and went on to play 151 games for the Catalan side. He stayed at the club for three years and helped them to a La Liga title during the 2012/13 campaign. He then moved back to the Premier League in 2014, but this time with Chelsea.