Top 5 Players who were successful with Real Madrid and Inter Milan
Inter Milan and Real Madrid are some of the biggest clubs in the world of football. Both of the teams have won a combined total of twenty-five European and ten international titles.
Over the years, Real Madrid have faced Inter Milan sixteen times across different European ties. Neither team has dominated the other, with both of them having seven wins each. That being said, Real Madrid have had the better of their opponents in the Champions League.
With Inter Milan set to host Real Madrid at San Siro, here are five players who have been successful playing for both of them.
Five players who were successful with Real Madrid and Inter Milan
#5 Fabio Cannavaro
Cannavaro is one of the greatest defenders in football history. The Italian joined Inter Milan in 2002 after an impressive spell with Parma. Cannavaro had an impressive debut season for the Nerazzurri as Inter Milan finished runners-up to Juventus in Serie A. But an injury-prone second season saw the Nerazzurri hierarchy having doubts about the defender.
In one of the most bizarre transfers of all-time, Inter Milan swapped Cannavaro with Juventus in 2004 for Fabian Carini. Despite his good performances, the Italian left the club trophyless. During his short stint, Cannavaro made 74 appearances and scored thrice for the Nerazzurri.
Fabio Cannavaro moved to Real Madrid in 2006 following Juventus's relegation to Serie B. The Bianconeri had won back-to-back titles but their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal saw their titles stripped, and the Old Lady relegated to Serie B.
Cannavaro was an in-demand defender following Juventus' relegation. The Italian had just led his national team to the World Cup title and was in the best phase of his career.
Real Madrid secured the signing of Cannavaro in 2007. The Italian's arrival had an immediate impact on Real Madrid. With Cannavaro in defence, Real Madrid won back-to-back La Liga titles in his first two seasons.
His advancing age, though, saw the Italian spending just three seasons at Madrid. Cannavaro left Real Madrid in 2009 after making 118 appearances and scoring one goal.
#4 Clarence Seedorf
One of the greatest midfielders of all time, Clarence Seedorf joined Real Madrid in 1996 following impressive spells with Sampdoria and Ajax. Seedorf's impact was immediate. He proved to be irreplaceable for Los Blancos as they won their first Champions League in the competition's current form. The Dutchman hardly missed a game for Real Madrid in his first three seasons, making over 150 appearances in three seasons.Â
The arrival of Gus Hiddink saw Seedorf struggling to find a place in the starting lineup. Finally, after 159 appearances and 20 goals, Seedorf left Madrid to return to Italy, joining Inter Milan in 1999.
Seedorf didn't win any silverware with the Nerazzurri. He was a fan-favourite at the club and played an important role for them during an impressive two and a half-season stint.
Like Cannavaro, Seedorf was part of a bizarre swap deal. The Nerazzurri swapped the Dutch midfielder with AC Milan in 2002 for Francesco Coco. Inter went onto regret their decision as Seedorf helped AC Milan re-establish themselves as the best team in Italy.
Despite being trophyless during his Inter stint, the Dutchman produced some of his best performances with Inter. Seedorf, though, only spent two seasons at the club. During this period, the midfielder made 93 appearances and scored 14 goals.Â