Can You Name the Last 10 Players to Play for Both Man United and Real Madrid?

Manchester United and Real Madrid are two of the biggest names in world football, and over the years a select group of players have had the rare privilege of representing both clubs. It's a genuinely exclusive list - most players spend their careers at one elite club, let alone two of this size - which makes it perfect trivia territory. See how many of the last ten you can name before scrolling down, then put your mates on the spot with it.

The Challenge

Without looking, try to name the last ten players to have played for both Manchester United and Real Madrid. Some are obvious. A couple will genuinely catch people out.

The Answers

1. Casemiro — Joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022 for an initial £60 million, bringing Champions League-winning experience and defensive steel to Erik ten Hag's midfield.

2. Raphael Varane — Signed by United in 2021 after a decade at the Bernabéu, where he'd won four Champions League titles. He spent three seasons at Old Trafford before moving on to Como in 2024.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo — The most famous name on this list by some distance. Ronaldo went Manchester United (2003-09) to Real Madrid (2009-18), becoming the most expensive transfer in football history at the time, before an emotional return to Old Trafford for the 2021-22 season.

4. Sergio Reguilón — A genuine deep-cut. A product of Real Madrid's academy who made 48 appearances for the first team, Reguilón went out on loan to Manchester United in September 2023 during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

5. Ángel Di María — Signed by Manchester United in 2014 straight from Real Madrid, where he'd been a key part of their "La Décima" Champions League triumph. His spell in England was short-lived, lasting just one season before he moved to Paris Saint-Germain.

6. Javier Hernández — Chicharito was a cult hero at Manchester United between 2010 and 2014, often used as an impact substitute. He spent the 2014-15 season on loan at Real Madrid, scoring 18 goals and assists across 33 appearances.

7. Michael Owen — The only player on this list who didn't move directly between the two clubs. Owen joined Real Madrid from Liverpool in 2004, then signed for Manchester United on a free transfer in 2009, where he famously scored a last-minute winner in the Manchester derby.

8. Ruud van Nistelrooy — One of the most prolific strikers to wear either shirt. Van Nistelrooy scored well over 100 goals for Manchester United before moving to Real Madrid in 2006, where he continued his goalscoring form in La Liga.

9. Gabriel Heinze — The Argentine left-back was a key figure in Manchester United's title-winning 2006-07 campaign before forcing a move to Real Madrid in 2007, becoming the third player at the time to make that exact switch after Beckham and Van Nistelrooy.

10. David Beckham — A Manchester United academy graduate and treble winner in 1999, Beckham's high-profile 2003 move to Real Madrid's original "Galácticos" era was one of the biggest transfer stories of its time.

Why This List Is Such Good Trivia

What makes this such a good test is that a few of these names are instantly obvious - Ronaldo and Beckham practically everyone gets - but the list also has genuine surprises tucked in. Reguilón in particular tends to catch people out completely, since his Real Madrid connection came through the academy rather than a headline transfer, and his United spell was a relatively low-key loan spell rather than a big-money move.

If you got all ten without help, you clearly know your football history better than most. If you want more of this kind of test - the sort of trivia that goes beyond the obvious — FootEx's daily challenge is exactly the place to find out how you really stack up against your friends.