BARCELONA – Barcelona and Real Madrid, faced by a historical enmity, understand it as a betrayal to see one of their footballers go through the club’s door to play for the great rival. When mention is made of the great transfers, the first name that appears on the stage is that of Luis Figo, the one that caused the most pain and animosity in Barça, and then Luis Enrique should be mentioned, badly or worse seen today around the Bernabéu .
They would be the great protagonists of this story, but not the only ones. Alfonso Albéniz, son of the composer Isaac Albéniz and later creator and first president of the Referees Committee and also a director of Real Madrid, was the first to start that path. Barcelona footballer in 1902, the transfer of his family to Madrid led to his signing for the merengue club … At a time, the dawn of football in Spain, when that fact did not cause, at all, any kind of controversy.
That would start later and with about fifty players. Of all of them this would be the Top Ten of the defectors.
LUIS FIGO
(Barcelona: 1995-2000, 249 games, 45 goals. Real Madrid: 2000-2005, 245 games, 57 goals).
Unquestionably number one on the list. Both for what his departure in the summer of 2000 days after proclaiming that he was staying at Barcelona meant and for the wound he left, and remains, around the Camp Nou.
Footballer who obtained non-negotiable consideration and esteem from the Barça fans, his disagreement with the leadership on account of the renewal of his contract was used by the then candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, who put him on the table a galactic salary and secured his signing if he won the elections with a millionaire penalty for non-compliance.
Nobody thought that Florentino would win the elections … But he won them. And Figo went to the Bernabéu. And no one forgot, or forgets after more than 20 years that escape.
LUIS ENRIQUE
(Real Madrid: 1991-1996, 241 games, 23 goals. Barcelona: 1996-2004, 333 games, 115 goals).
Coming to Real Madrid at just 21 years of age, his performance at the Merengue club was very outstanding … And his divorce was notorious since, after a confrontation with the then coach Jorge Valdano, he negotiated with Johan Cruyff his signing for Barça in the spring of 1996 taking advantage of the end of the contract.
His move to Barcelona, free, made him an enemy of Real Madrid, a circumstance that he, far from cool, fed without dissimulation.
“I see myself on the stickers and I don’t recognize myself with that shirt,” he declared when he was already an idol at the Camp Nou. Later, as a coach, that animosity only grew … And he remains a coach today national.
BERND SCHUSTER
(Barcelona: 1980-1988, 241 games, 91 goals). Real Madrid: 1988-1990, 86 games, 15 goals).
Urgent signing, and for the future, in November 1980 by a Barcelona that broke records with its price, was an indisputable star in the Barça club, idol of the fans, until after the defeat in the final of the European Cup from Seville he was set aside for a year by the presidency.
He returned to play in the 1987-88 season and free of contract he left for Real Madrid, causing great disappointment among the fans. He played two years, with great performance in the merengue club and later he went to Atlético de Madrid. Unlike Figo, Schuster recovered, like Laudrup, the love of the Barça fans.
LUIS MILLA
(Barcelona: 1988-1990, 79 games, 2 goals. Real Madrid: 1990-1997, 210 games, 3 goals).
The first youth squad who, together with Guillermo Amor, won the trust of Johan Cruyff and who was confirmed as an excellent midfielder in the Barça scheme … the one who left for Real Madrid, who paid his termination clause when the coach Dutch denied him the salary increase that Milla demanded at the Camp Nou.
A starter of great performance at the Bernabéu for six seasons, his departure from Barça soon led to Guardiola’s promotion to his post …
MICHAEL LAUDRUP
(Barcelona: 1989-1994, 229 games, 57 goals. Real Madrid: 1994-1996, 76 games, 15 goals).
The predecessor of Luis Figo, who went from loved to hated by Barcelona fans when he signed for Real Madrid days after losing the Champions League final in 1994.
Laudrup, a footballer of exquisite class, won the undisputed affection of the Barça fans during his five seasons at the club but his differences with Cruyff made him take the road to the Bernabéu, where he only stayed for two seasons: the first great, the second disappointing.
PEPE SAMITIER
(Barcelona: 1919-1932, 232 games, 187 goals. Real Madrid: 1932-1934, 22 games, 12 goals).
Known by the nickname of ‘The Lobster Man’, he was recruited by Barcelona at the age of 17, paying for his signing a suit and a watch to Internacional de Sants.
An extraordinary striker, he was the first media footballer in the history of the Barça club, the undisputed leader in the conquest of his first league title in 1929.
Disagreements with the board of directors in 1932 due to his contract caused him to go to Real Madrid, being snubbed, convinced by his friend Santiago Bernabéu, which led to protests from the fans against the leaders.
His importance in the merengue club was, however, very limited due to an injury from which he did not recover.
RONALDO NAZARIO
(Barcelona: 1996-1997, 49 games, 47 goals. Real Madrid: 2002-2007, 177 games, 104 goals).
The ‘Phenomenon’, the gifted footballer who ignited the illusion of Barcelona with a simply spectacular season, with a performance and a collection of goals that even surpassed Romario … And who in just eleven months left the club due to divorce between its representatives and the board of directors of the moment.
He left for Inter and in 2002, after the World Cup he won with Brazil, he had the opportunity to return to Barça, but then-coach Louis van Gaal rejected him and Massimo Moratti ended up selling him to Real Madrid, where without having the explosiveness of the past he swelled to score goals.
GHEORGHE HAGI
(Real Madrid: 1990-1992, 84 games, 20 goals. Barcelona: 1994-1996, 51 games, 11 goals).
Considered the best footballer in the history of Romania, known as ‘The Maradona of the Carpathians’, Madrid signed him in 1990 to make him the leader of the Quinta del Buitre team and although his performance was remarkable it coincided with the emergence of the Dream Team in Barcelona.
The disappointment at the Bernabéu was great and after only two years, despite his good performance, the club sold him to Brescia to sign Iván Zamorano. After two seasons, Cruyff recruited him for Barça as a replacement for Laudrup but, burdened by physical problems, did not reach the expected performance except at very specific times.
SAMUEL ETO’O
(Real Madrid: 1998-2000, 7 games, 0 goals. Barcelona: 2004-2009, 201 games, 131 goals).
Eto’o should not consider himself a footballer who left his mark on the two greats … But he was not because he did not want Real Madrid. Signed as a youth, he only stayed for a season and a half at the Merengue club, limiting his participation to seven games without further history.
After an unsuccessful transfer to Espanyol, he was recruited by Mallorca, taking half of his rights, and Real Madrid reserving the option of recovering him. Despite his excellent role at the Vermilion club, which became the league’s top scorer in history, and his desire to return to Madrid, Florentino Pérez never believed in him … What Laporta did, signing him for Barça in 2004 and becoming one of the best scorers in the modern history of the Barça club, which he left in 2009 due to disagreements with Pep Guardiola.
JUSTO ROOF
(Barcelona: 1952-1961, 149 games, 73 goals. Real Madrid: 1961-1963, 33 games, 10 goals).
Coming to Barcelona as a youth, he became a regular, though never indisputable, throughout the 1950s. A forward with great dribbling and vision, highly esteemed by the fans for his discreet role and excellent performance, was one of those noted after the defeat in the 1961 European Cup final against Benfica, the club refusing to renew him despite their desire to remain at the club …
And being personally recruited by Alfredo Di Stéfano for Real Madrid to fill the position of the Brazilian Canario, whose performance at the Bernabéu was very poor. He spent only two seasons at the merengue club … with which he lost again the final of the European Cup, in 1962 and against Benfica himself. At the end of the following season he left Real to sign for Espanyol, where he reunited with his friends Kubala and Di Stéfano.
.