Five who played for both: Arsenal and Real Madrid | OneFootball

Arsenal face Real Madrid tonight in a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final showdown.

Mikel Arteta’s men are aiming to prove they belong among the best in Europe and holders Real Madrid offer the perfect test of those credentials. Arsenal and Real Madrid have met in the competition just once before but have plenty of shared history when it comes to players.

Here are five of the best players to have played for Arsenal and Real Madrid.

Five who played for both: Arsenal and Real Madrid

Nicolas Anelka

Nicolas Anelka’s electric emergence at Arsenal took the Premier League by storm in the late nineties. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain as a 17-year-old, Anelka wasted no time in making an impact. He helped the Gunners to a Premier League and FA Cup double during his debut season and scored in the latter final win over Newcastle at Wembley.

The following season, Anelka scored 17 times in the Premier League to earn the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.

His performances did not go unnoticed and Real Madrid made their move. The Spanish side parted with a £22.3 million transfer fee to sign the French forward in 1999.

Anelka endured an up-and-down time in Spain. He admitted to struggling with the pressure cooker of representing Los Blancos and was briefly suspended from training after a disagreement with head coach Vicente del Bosque.

Anelka returned to help Real Madrid to Champions League success, scoring in both legs of the semi-final win over Bayern Munich. However, after just one season he returned to PSG, having scored seven times in 31 appearances for the Spanish side.

Jose Antonio Reyes

Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign Jose Antonio Reyes from Sevilla in January 2004. The Spanish starlet arrived in a deal worth up to £17m as the Gunners looked to improve their firepower. Reyes’ first six months in North London ended in title success as Arsenal won the Premier League without losing a game.

He won the FA Cup the following season – though became just the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final – and helped Arsenal to the 2006 Champions League final. However, reports of homesickness led to an exit and he joined Real Madrid on loan in 2006/07.

Reyes scored seven times in 38 games for Real Madrid and won the La Liga title during his sole season. He came off the bench to score twice as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Mallorca on the final day, pipping Barcelona to the title on goal difference in the process.

Reyes crossed the Madrid divide to sign for Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal in 2007.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor was one of several gems Arsene Wenger plucked from French football during his time at Arsenal. The Togolese target man arrived from Monaco for a bargain fee of £3m and evolved into one of the Premier League’s best forwards.

After a period of adaptation, Adebayor exploded during the 2007/08 season. He scored 30 goals and win the 2008 African Footballer of the Year Award. Adebayor joined Manchester City in a controversial £25m deal in 2009 and severed his ties with Arsenal after an infamous celebration after scoring against the Gunners.

After falling out of favour at the Etihad, he joined Real Madrid on a six-month loan deal in January 2011. Adebayor scored eight goals in 22 games for the Spanish side.

Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil shot to prominence as part of a new-look Germany team at the 2010 World Cup. The creative hub of a swashbuckling side, Real Madrid swooped to land Ozil from Werder Bremen.

The German emerged as one of Europe’s top creators at Real Madrid, leading La Liga for assists in three straight seasons. He was a key part of the club’s 2011/12 league title, creating 17 goals as Los Blancos scored a record-breaking 121 times in La Liga.

Ozil joined Arsenal in a club-record £42.5m deal in 2013, in a statement signing for the Gunners. He won four FA Cups with the Gunners, with the first ending a nine-year trophy drought. His finest football came in 2015/16, as Ozil recorded the second most assists ever (19) in a Premier League season.

The midfielder is the only player to have led the Bundesliga, La Liga and Premier League for assists in a season.

Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard will take on his old employers tonight as Arsenal face Real Madrid.

Odegaard was signed by Real Madrid as a 15-year-old, as the Spanish giants won a competitive race to sign the Norwegian wonderkid from Strømsgodset. However, Odegaard’s career with the club failed to take off, despite impressive loan spells at Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad. He made just 11 appearances for Real Madrid before joining Arsenal, after an initial loan, for a fee of around £30m.

Odegaard has fulfilled his potential in the Premier League to shine as the heartbeat of the Arsenal team. He’s captain of club and country and has been a crucial part of Arsenal’s climb back into contention for major prizes under Mikel Arteta.

Read – Arteta says Real Madrid have ‘earned’ Champions League aura

See more – Arteta says Real Madrid game his ‘biggest night in management’

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