CHELSEA travel to Spain to take on Real Madrid in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Tuesday night.
And the big news going into the game revolved around Eden Hazard.
The Belgian superstar, 30, quit the Blues to join Los Blancos in the summer of 2019 but has seen his time in the Spanish capital plagued by injuries.
However, Hazard is fit to take on his former club on Tuesday, with Zinedine Zidane considering throwing him into his starting XI after coming off the bench in the 0-0 draw with Real Betis on Saturday.
Hazard isn’t the only former Chelsea ace set to take to the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Tuesday night either, with Thibaut Courtois set to start.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the best XI of stars to have played for both Chelsea AND Real Madrid through history…
GK – THIBAUT COURTOIS
Chelsea: 2011-2018
Games: 154
Real Madrid: 2018-present
Games: 122*
THE giant Belgian goalkeeper joined the Blues in 2011 from Genk, but was shipped off on loan to Atletico Madrid for THREE straight seasons, stuck behind Petr Cech in the pecking order.
But Courtois finally made the No1 jersey his own – winning two Premier League titles – before being sold to Real Madrid in 2018.
After a tricky start to life in Spain, Courtois has rediscovered his top form at Los Blancos and helped them win the LaLiga crown last term.
CB – CHRISTIAN PANUCCI
Chelsea: 2000-01 (loan)
Games: 10
Real Madrid: 1996-1999
Games: 96
PRECIOUS few defenders have played for both Real and Chelsea – but Italian right-back Panucci is one of them.
Panucci – who started his career at AC Milan – spent three years at Los Blancos, racking up close to 100 games in all competitions.
He even started the 1998 Super Cup final defeat at the hands of Chelsea in 1998, while winning one LaLiga and one Champions League title apiece.
After joining Inter Milan, Panucci spent a season on loan at the Blues, playing just ten games.
Panucci was later loaned to Monaco, before playing for Roma and Parma.
Most-recently, the Italian was Albania’s national team manager between 2017 and 2019, having also led Ternana, Livorno following a spell as Russia’s No2.
SW – CLAUDE MAKELELE
Chelsea: 2003-2008
Games: 217
Real Madrid: 2000-2003
Games: 140
MAKELELE endured eight seasons or near anonymity plying his trade at Nantes, Marseille and Celta Vigo before getting his big break at Real Madrid.
At Los Blancos the 71-cap former France international became a global star, winning two LaLiga titles and one Champions League crown as part of the Galacticos.
His hot form caught the eye of Chelsea where he made ‘the Makelele’ role – the deep-lying playmaker position – his own.
At the Blues, he won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup – to go with two League Cup crowns.
Makelele later spent three years at Paris Saint-Germain, before retiring in 2011 and becoming assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti soon after.
He is now technical mentor at Chelsea having held various roles at Swansea (No2), Bastia and Eupen (both manager).
Due to a lack of defenders to play for both clubs, we’ve stuck Makelele in a more Franz Beckenbauer-esque sweeper position in an ultra-attacking XI.
CB – RICARDO CARVALHO
Chelsea: 2004-2010
Games: 210
Real Madrid: 2010-2013
Games: 77
AFTER starring at Jose Mourinho’s Porto, Carvalho followed the Portuguese boss to Chelsea in 2004.
In six years at the club, Carvalho won three Premier League crowns, to go with one FA Cup and three League Cups.
But once again he followed Mourinho – this time to Real Madrid – where he would win one LaLiga and the Copa del Rey in three seasons.
After life the Bernabeu, Carvalho spent three years at Monaco before enjoying a brief spell at Shanghai SIPG.
He served as Marseille assistant manager under Andre Villas-Boas between 2019 and 2021.
CHELSEA & REAL MADRID: Best of the rest
MARCOS ALONSO – Real Madrid (2010), Chelsea (2016-present)
SAMUEL ETO’O – Real Madrid (1997-2000), Chelsea (2013-14)
GEREMI – Real Madrid (1999-2003), Chelsea (2003-2007)
LASSANA DIARRA – Chelsea (2005-2007), Real Madrid (2009-2012)
RM – ARJEN ROBBEN
Chelsea: 2004-2007
Games: 106
Real Madrid: 2007-2009
Games: 65
THE Dutch winger has gone down as a true footballing great, but arguably didn’t hit his stride until AFTER both Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Having started his career at Groningen and PSV Eindhoven, the Blues signed Robben in 2004, where he would win two Premier League titles, as well as an FA Cup and two League Cups.
He was sold to Real in 2007 – winning the LaLiga title in his first season.
But it was at Bayern Munich where Robben enjoyed most success, getting his hands on an astonishing eight Bundesliga titles in ten years.
Robben also won the 2012-13 Champions League and five DFB-Pokals.
After a year out of football, Robben is now back at Groningen, where he has played three times in the Eredivisie this season at the age of 37.
CM – MATEO KOVACIC
Chelsea: 2018-19 (loan), 2019-present
Games: 137*
Real Madrid: 2015-2019
Games: 109
AFTER making a name for himself at Inter Milan, Kovacic signed for Los Blancos in 2015.
The ex-Dinamo Zagreb midfielder would win one LaLiga crown and THREE Champions League titles as a Galactico.
But he was loaned to Chelsea for the 2018-19 season, where his move was made permanent the following summer.
Kovacic has played 137 times in all competitions for the Blues, winning the Europa League title in his loan season.
He also helped Chelsea reach the FA Cup final last season – losing to Arsenal – and this season where the Blues face Leicester in May.
CM – MICHAEL ESSIEN
Chelsea: 2005-2014
Games: 256
Real Madrid: 2012-13 (loan)
Games: 35
THE Ghanaian ace spent nearly a decade at Chelsea, winning two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League following a trophy-laden two years at Lyon.
Essien racked up more than 250 appearances for the Blues – with all but nine of those coming before his loan season at Real.
The midfielder was a key part of Madrid’s squad in 2012-13, playing 35 times – but failed to help win a trophy.
That season, Real finished second in LaLiga, crashed out in the semi-finals of the Champions League and lost in the Copa del Rey final, winning only the Supercopa de Espana.
Essien played nine times in all competitions in the 2013-14 season, before being sold to AC Milan.
He later turned out for Panathinaikos, Indonesian side Persib Bandung and Azerbaijani club Sabail.
Most-recently, Essien has taken on the role of player-coach of Danish club Nordsjaelland.
LM – EDEN HAZARD
Chelsea: 2012-2019
Games: 352
Real Madrid: 2019-present
Games: 37
AFTER making a name for himself at Lille, Hazard set the world alight at Chelsea where he quickly became one of the greatest footballers on the planet.
In seven years at Stamford Bridge, Hazard won two Premier League gongs and two Europa League titles, as well as one FA Cup and League Cup apiece.
He also won a huge amount of personal accolades, including 2014-15 Premier League Player of the Season and club Player of the Year four times.
But after making his £150million move to Real Madrid, Hazard’s career has ground to a disappointing halt.
The Belgian admitted he turned up to the club overweight and has since been in-and-out of the team through injury, managing just 26 LaLiga games in almost two seasons.
ST – NICOLAS ANELKA
Chelsea: 2008-2012
Games: 184
Real Madrid: 1999-2000
Games: 31
HAVING already starred at both PSG and Arsenal, Anelka enjoyed a one-year cameo at Real Madrid before moving back to the French capital.
Anelka managed just seven goals at the Galacticos, but did help them win the Champions League that season.
After bouncing around the globe with spells at Liverpool (loan), Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Bolton, Anelka finally reached Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchman settled down a little at the Blues, spending four-and-a-half years at the club, helping to win one Premier League title and two FA Cups in his near-200 games.
Anelka would later play for Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus (loan), West Brom and Mumbai City before retiring.
He is now sporting director at French fourth-tier side Hyeres having spent two years as youth coach at Lille.
ST – GONZALO HIGUAIN
Chelsea: 2019 (loan)
Games: 264
Real Madrid: 2007-2013
Games: 19
THE Argentine moved to Europe from River Plate in 2007 before enjoying six glittering seasons at Real.
Higuain scored 121 times for the Bernabeu side, winning three LaLiga titles during his spell.
The striker joined Napoli in 2013 and would break the Serie A single-season scoring record in 2015-16 with 36 goals in just 35 games before moving to Juventus.
After two incredible seasons, he was loaned out to AC Milan and Chelsea, where his career unravelled somewhat, scoring just five times in 19 games.
Higuain was let go by Juve and is now playing for David Beckham’s MLS franchise, Inter Miami.
ST – ALVARO MORATA
Chelsea: 2017-2019
Games: 72
Real Madrid: 2010-2014, 2016-17
Games: 95
THE Spaniard actually started his youth career at Atletico Madrid, but finished it at Real via Getafe.
However, he spent much of his formative years in the Castilla team – or ‘B’ team – and played just 52 times in all competitions before moving to Juventus.
Morata shone in Italy, with real activating their buy-back clause to bring him back in the summer of 2016.
But after one season – in which scored 20 goals in 43 games – Chelsea swooped to sign him in a £65m deal.
In three years on the books of Chelsea, Morata scored just 24 times in 72 games before being loaned -and then sold – to Atleti.
Morata was immediately loaned out to Juventus after Atletico brought in Luis Suarez – and following Moussa Dembele’s arrival he’s likely to never play for the Rojiblancos again.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
