Top 11 players to play for both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid

Over the years few great footballers have played for both the club

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have officially agreed to a January deal of Portuguese attacker Joao Felix to Stamford Bridge. As Felix was unable to demonstrate his worth in the red and white, he was a key member of the Portugal team in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Chelsea were interested in signing him because they need a game-changer in the second half of the season following a bad performance previously.

The Blues are ready to cover Felix's loan fee, which is estimated to be approximately £9 million, according to the report. Chelsea are committed to covering the player's entire salary for the remaining portion of the season.

Over time, both teams have had a positive connection in the transfer market. Similarly, a few players have had the honour of representing Atletico Madrid and Chelsea during their playing careers. Felix is presently a player who has played for both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid. We present the top ten players to play for both sides.

11. Jao Felix

Jao Felix is one of the big-money players that failed to perform at his best during his time with Atletico. The 126 million euros player was the most expensive in the history of Atletico Madrid. In 131 appearances he scored 34 goals and had 14 assists for the Red Madrid side. However, his Chelsea debut didn’t go as planned as the player was shown a red card against Fulham.

10. Tiago

Tiago was one of several Portuguese recruits during Jose Mourinho's first summer as Chelsea manager, and he was part of the team that won the club's first league title in 50 years during his one season at Stamford Bridge. Following loan spells with Lyon and Juventus, he joined Atletico Madrid in 2010 on a loan and went on to enjoy a spectacular seven-year tenure in the Spanish capital, winning La Liga and the Europa League.

He stepped into management with the Spanish side and briefly served as assistant manager before taking over as manager of Vitória S.C. in Portugal.

9. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Chelsea signed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from Atletico Madrid in a Premier League record £15 million transaction in 2000, matching Newcastle's cost for Alan Shearer four years earlier. Hasselbaink previously played in the Premier League for Leeds. Winning the Golden Boot in 1998-99 before moving to Madrid due to a contract dispute at Elland Road.

Despite finishing 33 goals across all competitions during his rookie season. He was unable to prevent Atletico Madrid from being relegated, and he moved to Chelsea after only one season, becoming an instant hit at Stamford Bridge.

8. Jesper Gronkjaer

Gronkjaer joined Chelsea from Ajax in 2000, being the most valuable Danish footballer of all time after signing for £7.8 million from the Dutch club. The winger's pace and direct approach resulted in numerous memorable moments. But he lacked consistency, going on to Birmingham City following brief stints at Atletico Madrid and Stuttgart. Gronkjaer, on the other hand, will be remembered warmly for scoring the vital goal against Liverpool in 2002/03 that sealed Chelsea's qualification to the Champions League, paving the way for Roman Abramovich's revolutionary takeover at Stamford Bridge.

7. Maniche

Maniche, the second consecutive Portuguese international to appear on this list, had a small contribution to Chelsea's 2005/06 title triumph after joining on loan from Dynamo Moscow for the second half of the season.

He fared slightly better after three seasons with Atletico Madrid before leaving after a quarrel with manager Abel Resino, and he won 52 caps for Spain, albeit neither club remembers him fondly.

6. Filipe Luis

Full-back Luis, who spent two seasons at Atletico Madrid before joining Chelsea, was a member of the Spanish club's 2013/14 title-winning squad before going to the Premier League. He won the Premier League title in his single season with the Blues, but he was often on the outside looking in, moving to Atletico and spending four more seasons in Spain. For Atletico, he made 333 appearances in all competitions and won six titles, as well as reaching the Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016.

5. Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata's career has taken him to a number of the best teams in Europe. He has played for both sides of the Madrid rivalry, as well as for Juventus twice and Chelsea once. All of this, though, hasn't really shown that he can be a regular goal scorer, and the Spain international has only ever scored 15 goals in a league season once.

In 2017, Morata signed with Chelsea for a club-record £60 million. However, after a strong start, he quickly started to lose form and confidence. He became a much-maligned figure at Stamford Bridge. He went to Atletico Madrid, where he played for two seasons and scored 22 goals in 61 games. Then, during the summer transfer window last year, he went back to Juventus.

4. Radamel Falcao

Falcao is one of a number of big names whose reputations were hurt after they had a hard time in English football. He struggled during loan stints at Manchester United and Chelsea, where he only scored once in 10 league games. Still, it's important to remember how big of a deal the forward was when he played for Atletico. He came to Madrid from Porto in a club-record deal.

Falcao was sometimes impossible to stop as he tormented teams at home and in Europe. At his best, El Tigre was probably the best number nine in the world.

3. Fernando Torres

Few players get to see the love of Atleti's die-hard fans and Fernando Torres is one of them. He came up through the club's ranks and became a source of optimism for a struggling team just after the turn of the century. Torres became captain of Atletico Madrid when he was still a teenager. He quickly became one of the most exciting players in Spanish football, scoring 82 goals in 214 league games before moving to Liverpool in 2007.

During his time on Merseyside, the Spanish striker was one of the best forwards in the world. He scored 65 goals in 102 games before making a controversial record-breaking move to Chelsea. Torres struggled at Stamford Bridge because of how much was expected of him. He didn't score as many goals as he had in the past, but he was still an important part of the club's Champions League and FA Cup wins in 2012.

After a disappointing time with Chelsea, he went on loan to AC Milan and came back to a hero's welcome at Atletico. In 2018, he won his first major trophy with his hometown team, Atletico, before ending his career in Japan. Torres won the World Cup and two European Championships, and he is Spain's third-highest scorer of all time. Because of this, the Atleti fans see him as an icon.

2. Thibaut Courtois

The young goalkeeper was signed by Chelsea when he was a teenager as part of the club's search for new talent around the world. Since Petr Cech was blocking his way to the first team, he was loaned a loan to Atletico Madrid to continue his development. Courtois played for Atletico Madrid for three straight seasons. During that time, he became one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga and won the Europa League, Copa del Rey, and La Liga.

He went back to Chelsea and was their number-one goalkeeper for four years, during which time they won two league titles and both the FA Cup and the League Cup. The Belgium international decided to move to Real Madrid in 2018, and he is now in a tough title race with the team he used to play for.

1. Diego Costa

If there was ever a player who summed up Diego Simeone's time at Atletico Madrid, it would be Costa. He was a tough, aggressive forward who led the line well when the club was at its most successful. The player was a key part of the club's title-winning season in 2014 when he scored 36 goals in all competitions. His performance drew attention from the Premier League, and Chelsea bought him for £32 million.

Costa only played in 89 league games for West London. But he scored 52 goals and won two league titles during that time. He then went back to Atletico Madrid to play with Simeone again in Spain. His second time with the club was less successful, though, as he only scored 12 league goals before leaving on good terms last year.