Top five players to play for both Bayern Munich and Manchester City

These players have played exceptionally for both the English and German clubs

The two finest clubs in European football, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, generally look forward to their matches. Let's take a closer look at this hypothetical match and what we may anticipate from the two teams. Under the leadership of manager Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have recently dominated the English Premier League.

Bayern Munich, on the reverse hand, have long dominated German football. They have topped the Bundesliga season after season and are considered to be favourites to win the Champions League. For Bayern Munich, with an excellent squad capable of competing with anyone in Europe, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich, and Manuel Neuer are outstanding players.

Here are the top five players to play for both Bayern Munich and Manchester City:

5. Roque Santa Cruz

Roque Santa Cruz, a legendary Paraguayan, moved to southern Germany in 1999 when he was just 18 years old. He played with Bayern for eight seasons, making 238 matches and scored 51 goals.

The productive streak Santa Cruz enjoyed at the Allianz Arena and Ewood Park, however, did not carry over to the Etihad Stadium. He only scored four goals while wearing a City jersey, and in 2012, he returned to Blackburn on loan before leaving City permanently.

4. Martín Demichelis

Martin Demichelis, a talented Argentine, played for both clubs and is another South American. The 39-year-old, who is now retired, took a similar route to Santa Cruz by joining Bayern in 2003 and remained with the team for seven seasons. After spending two years in Spain with Málaga and Atlético Madrid, the centre-back signed a three-year deal with City.

In contrast to his 174 appearances in the Bundesliga, Demichelis played in the Premier League more than 75 times. Since then, he has returned to Germany, where he is presently in charge of the Bayern Munich U19 team.

3. Owen Hargreaves

As a dynamic centre midfielder for Bayern in the early 2000s, Owen Hargreaves served as somewhat of a pathfinder for English players playing overseas. Canadian-born Hargreaves played seven trophy-laden years at the club after entering in the youth at the age of 16 before leaving for England.

Hargreaves moved from United to City in 2011 on a free transfer, however, he only made one Premier League appearance for the team because of his ongoing physical problems. He only played in four games and scored one goal while wearing a City jersey.

2. Jérôme Boateng

Defender Jérôme Boateng, who won the World Cup, had a different path than the other three players. Boateng started his career with Berlin's Hertha BSC before being transferred to Hamburg at the age of 19, where he attracted the City's interest.

The German winner, Bayern Munich, gave the centre-back a way to return to the Bundesliga, and ever since, he has played a key role in helping them win seven league championships, four DFB-Pokals, and a slew of European awards, including UEFA Champions League.

1. Leroy Sané

Before to moving to Manchester City in 2016, Sane started out his career at Schalke. He spent four seasons at City, winning multiple domestic cups and two Premier League titles. Sane then moved to Bayern Munich in 2020, where he has since positioned himself as a key player and assisted them in winning the Bundesliga in his first campaign.