City v FC Barcelona: Played for Both | OneFootball

Recalling the players to have represented City and FC Barcelona over the years ahead of Saturday’s pre-season showdown, presented by Joie.

The WSL and FA Cup champions welcome the UEFA Champions League holders to the Joie Stadium on Saturday 15 August for the ultimate pre-season test.

Kick-off is set for 16:00 (UK), with the match also available to watch around the world on CITY+.

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And with the Champions League draw set for early September, it could well prove a precursor for a showdown on Europe’s biggest stage in 2026/27.

There have been some memorable encounters between the two sides in recent years, and plenty of familiar faces have represented both Clubs during that time.

With Kerolin also joining FC Barcelona this summer, the Brazil international is set to join the below list when she makes her competitive debut for her new club.

For now, though, seven stars have represented both City and FC Barcelona…

Toni Duggan

A key figure in our early years as a professional outfit, former England international Duggan won every available domestic honour during a three-year stint at City between 2014 and 2017.

She scored our first-ever professional goal in a 2-1 FA Cup win over Reading and went on to find the net 34 times in 75 appearances.

Duggan made the switch to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017, two months after helping City win the FA Cup for the first time, spending two seasons in Catalonia before further spells at Atletico Madrid and, finally, Everton.

Vicky Losada

Former Spain midfielder Losada ended a trophy-laden spell at FC Barcelona to join City in the summer of 2021.

During her time in Catalonia she’d won 23 major honours, including captaining the side to UEFA Champions League glory in 2020/21, but moved to the Joie Stadium ahead of the following campaign.

She spent 18 months with the Blues, featuring 29 times and grabbing nine goals while also helping City claim the 2021/22 League Cup.

Keira Walsh

Only Steph Houghton has featured more times for City in our professional era than Walsh, who enjoyed a meteoric rise in Blue between 2014 and 2022.

The midfielder won eight major honours in as many years at the Joie Stadium before making a then-world record move to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022.

Two-and-a-half hugely successful seasons followed in Catalonia, including two Champions League titles, before she moved back to the WSL in January 2025 with Chelsea.

Lucy Bronze

Enjoying two impressive spells at City from 2015-2017 and 2020-2022, Bronze totalled 111 appearances and five major honours during her time in Blue.

Scoring in both the 2016 League Cup and 2017 FA Cup finals, she was also part of two PFA WSL Team of the Year squads while at the Club.

Two seasons at FC Barcelona followed that second stint in Manchester, where the full-back won back-to-back League and Champions League doubles.

Laia Aleixandri

Spending three years in Manchester between 2022 and 2025, Aleixandri adapted seamlessly to the demands of the WSL and was a key figure in City’s backline.

Captaining the Club on several occasions in her final season, the Spain international made 88 appearances for the Blues before switching to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2025.

Unfortunately, Laia’s debut season in Catalonia was cut short when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in February 2026, and everyone at the Club is hoping she makes a swift recovery.

Leila Ouahabi

A key figure in City’s double-winning 2025/26 squad, Ouahabi made 105 appearances for the Blues across her four-year stint in Manchester.

The full-back signed for City from FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022, where she’d enjoyed two separate spells between 2010-2013 and 2016-2022.

A hugely popular member of the Blues’ squad over her four years at the Joie Stadium, Ouahabi now plies her trade at NWSL side Chicago Stars.

Ellie Roebuck

No goalkeeper has made more appearances for City than Roebuck, who made her debut in 2016 and went on to spend eight further years in Manchester.

Winning the WSL Golden Glove in 2019/20, Ellie claimed seven major honours during a memorable spell at the Joie Stadium before moving to FC Barcelona in 2024.

After recovering from a left occipital infarct, she went on to feature twice in their Liga F title triumph in 2024/25 and is now a regular for Aston Villa back in the WSL.

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