More than 35 players have played for both top Madrid clubs
El Derbi Madrileno between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid is one of the best derbies in Spanish football.
The rivalry started after 1902 when 'Madrid Foot-Ball Club' (Madrid FC) was founded with the intention of merging with smaller clubs in the region to create a footballing powerhouse.
Madrid FC also signed the best players from the clubs it could not merge with, which also made those clubs defunct when they were unable to compete against the heavyweights.
Only Athletic Club Madrid (founded in 1903, later renamed to Atletico Madrid) took a stand against Real and were able to keep most of their star players courtesy of the financial aid provided to them by their parent club Athletic Club Bilbao.
Since then till date, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been rivals and continue to carry their own respective legacies in modern day football.
Despite their enmity, many players have played for both and over the years.
Who are they? Let's take a look!
GoalPruden Sanchez
Prudencio Sanchez, commonly known as Pruden, featured for Real Madrid for the majority of his career. He moved to Atletico Madrid from Salamanca in 1940 and scored 33 goals, winning the Pichichi Trophy, while helping the club win the Liga title in his first season at the club.
He then returned to his boyhood club Salamanca in order to help them gain promotion, but failed to do so, before joining Real Madrid.
Sanchez spent five years with , winning two consecutive Copa del Rey trophies in 1946 and 1947. He scored in the final of both games.
AdvertisementCandido Martinez
One of Real Madrid's greatest goalkeepers, Candido Martinez featured for for seven years during which he helped the club win six regional championships between the 1921-22 and 1927-28 season.
In 1928, Real Madrid's board of directors decided that Martinez, who was 29 at that time, was not good enough for the club due to his increasing age.
As a result, he moved to Atletico Madrid and played one season for them before retiring from the sport.
Monchin Triana
Born in Madrid, Monchin Triana started his career at Atletico Madrid between 1919 and 1928 and became the club's all time top goalscorer during his nine year stay at the club (the record stood at 35 goals at that time). He won three regional championships with Atletico.
In 1928, he joined Real Madrid and played four years for them, scoring 17 goals in 25 appearances.
Shortly after a Spanish uprising in 1936, Republican military showed up at Triana's house, claiming him and his two brothers. They were imprisoned without trial. Monchin, who was just 34 years old at that time, was shot dead in November 1936 and his two brothers were also killed.
GettyAlvaro Morata
After starting out at youth level with Real Madrid's B team, Alvaro Morata rose up the ranks to play for the first team in 2010. In his first stint at senior level with , the Spaniard scored 10 goals in 37 appearances before joining Juventus for a €20 million fee.
After two seasons in Italy where he performed well, Real Madrid exercised their buy-back clause and brought Morata back home. The striker scored 15 goals in 26 appearances in the 2016-17 season before he was sold to Chelsea in 2017. He scored 16 goals in 47 appearances for the Blues.
In 2019, Morata left for Atletico Madrid on an initial loan before making his move permanent in 2020.