Liverpool and Everton: Players To Play For Both Sides

For more Redmen TV content including podcasts, subscriber exclusives and three new shows every week subscribe now  Unlike other rivalries in the country, Liverpool vs Everton is so fierce that even to think about joining the other side is an act of betrayal. Unlike down south where players move freely between the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs etc. you would have a rough time from one of the two sides if you were to cross over Stanley Park.Believe it or not, there are actually a few players who have ended up playing in both the red of Liverpool and Blue of Everton, but in the 125 years that both clubs have existed there have been 38 players to have played for both sides; here are the top five most recognisable names to have put on a Liverpool and Everton shirt:Gary AblettLiverpool 1986 – 1992Everton 1992 – 1996A product of Liverpool’s academy, Ablett never truly nailed down a constant starting place in the side until the 1988/89 season. In his six years at Liverpool he made 147 appearances and scored his only goal for the club four months after his debut in a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest. Whilst at Liverpool, Gary Ablett won two division titles in 1987/88 and 1989/90 whilst also picking up the FA Cup in 1989.Upon Souness’ arrival at the club following Kenny Dalglish’s resignation, Ablett started in defence for the new manager but just a year later was sold to Everton for £750,000. He would spend two years less at Everton but make nine more appearances with 156 and score six goals in his time there. In 1995, Ablett made history as Everton beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final; he had become the only player to win the FA Cup with both Liverpool and Everton.Nick BarmbyEverton 1996 2000Liverpool 2000 2002Starting his career at Tottenham, Barmby eventually signed for Everton from Middlesbrough for a then club record fee of £5.75 million. The Hull born player would be at Everton for four years making 119 appearances and scoring 18 goals, he was a part of the Everton side that barely escaped relegation during his first season and whilst the club under-performed in the 1999/2000 season, Barmby would only miss one game and score nine goals putting in performances that got him his move to Liverpool.Being the first player that Everton had sold to Liverpool since Dave Hickson in 1959, Barmby came under scrutiny from the fans he left behind. He would only stay at Liverpool for two seasons but in his short time claimed a League Cup and UEFA Cup medal and score eight goals in 58 appearances. Peter BeardsleyLiverpool 1987 1991Everton 1991 1993Beardsley impressed during his time at Newcastle and got his move to Liverpool in 1987 for £1.9 million. Alongside John Aldridge, Peter Beardsley would take over as the new look strike partnership from Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish; arriving in the same summer as John Barnes they hit the ground running and would win the division title in 1988 and 1990 as well as the FA Cup in 1989, making 175 appearances and scoring 59 goals in his time at Liverpool.Liverpool then sold Beardsley to Everton where he would spend just two seasons before moving back to Newcastle. Beardsley would play 95 times for Everton and score 32 goals, he also scored against Liverpool to become only one of three players to score for both teams in a Merseyside derby.Sander WesterveldLiverpool 1999 2001Everton (loan) 2006Westerveld was signed from Dutch side Vitesse for £4 million in June 1999 a week after his international debut against Brazil for the Netherlands. In his two years at the club Westerveld made 75 appearances and was part of the treble winning side in 2001, picking up all three medals during the run. The signing of Jerzy Dudek signalled the end of Westerveld’s Liverpool career and he was promptly sold to Real Sociedad.The Dutch keeper moved to Portsmouth for the 2005/06 season and when Nigel Martin and Richard Wright got injured and Iain Turner got suspended, Everton needed to sign a goalkeeper quick to cover the missing players. Westerveld had found opportunities at Portsmouth limited and was the emergency loan for Everton, he only made two appearances before moving back to his parent club.Abel Xavier Everton 1999 2002Liverpool 2002 2003Not the best transfer that Liverpool have made in the past 20 years, Abel Xavier was signed by Everton from PSV Eindhoven and would spend four years at the club making 45 appearances. The Portuguese emerged from that league and was a champion in 1994 with Benfica, in the 2002/03 season Xavier would play on opposing sides for the two Merseyside derbies; becoming the only ever player to record such a feat.Xavier was well and truly a flop at Liverpool, he made 21 appearances in his year at Liverpool and was loaned out to Galatasary after falling out with Gerard Houllier. He would then permanently move to Hannover in 2004 and played for a total of 11 clubs in his career, playing in Portugal, Italy, Spain, England, Germany and America during his 21-year career.For more Redmen TV content including podcasts, subscriber exclusives and three new shows every week subscribe now and get your first month for FREE http://bit.ly/RMTVjoinArticle by Louis ConnorTwitter: @Loui_Connor