The FC Barcelona - AC Milan connection continues
Barça’s new midfielder Franck Kessie takes the list of players that have also worn the shirt of AC Milan up to 19, and it’s the sixth time that there has been direct movement from Lombardy to Catalonia.
From Milan to Barça
The earliest cases were Christophe Dugarry, Michael Reiziger, Winston Bogarde and Patrick Kluivert, who all arrived at Camp Nou between 1997 and 1998. Reiziger was here for seven seasons, from 1997 to 2004, and Kluivert was here for six through to 2004.
The fifth was Francesco Coco when he came on loan in the 2001/02 season.
Franck Kessie now becomes the sixth player to make the same move, arriving after spending the last five years in Milan.
From Barça to Milan
Four players have gone the other way. The first was Rivaldo in 2002, later to be followed on the same journey by Ronaldinho and Zambrotta, both in 2008. The most recent case came in 2010/11, when Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic left for Milan.
Other players
A further nine players represented both clubs at some point in their careers, albeit not in direct succession. These were Ronaldo Nazario, Edgar Davids, Demetrio Albertini, Pepe Reina, Bojan Krkic, Gerard Deulofeu, Mark Van Bommel, Maxi López and Kevin-Prince Boateng.