X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Soccer Players Who Have Joined Their Rivals: Part Two

We continue our look at soccer figures that have jumped ship and joined their rivals in the last few years.

For part one of the list, you can click here.

Editor’s Note: be sure to check out all of our articles, and read more about English Premier League (EPL, BPL) fantasy analysis and European football news.

Samir Nasri (Arsenal to Man City)

Samir Nasri had his best ever season at Arsenal in the 2010/2011 season. Scoring goals, making assists and looking like a truly world class player, he was a key factor why a few were predicting Arsenal could go quite far in potentially winning four trophies that season.

However, Nasri faded away in 2011 and after a Carling Cup final loss to Birmingham in February, Arsenal's whole season collapsed as they not only got knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League, but they also lost their grip at the top of the table, eventually finishing fourth in the Premier League.

It turned out to be a season to forget and Nasri - clearly frustrated - decided to leave the following summer. What was truly frustrating for Arsenal fans was the fact that Cesc Fabregas had already left that summer and Nasri was earmarked to take his role, only for the Frenchman to leave as well to Manchester City.

 

Paul Ince (Man United to Liverpool)

Like Fabregas, Paul Ince - now an unemployed manager - didn't join Liverpool directly from Manchester United.

The former Blackburn manager had won a string of trophies at Old Trafford including back to back league titles before a move to Inter Milan beckoned. After two years in Italy, Ince made a shocking return to England by joining his previous side's arch rivals Liverpool in 1997.

He even scored a last minute equalizer against Manchester United in a 2-2 draw in front of the Liverpool fans. However, it was Sir Alex Ferguson's team who had the last laugh as they went on to win the treble that same year in 1999.

 

Michael Owen (Liverpool to Man United)

Michael Owen was brought through the Liverpool academy and quickly became one of the most devastating strikers in world football with his blistering pace and knack for scoring. However, despite winning a number of trophies with his boyhood team, he was never able to win the Premier League.

After leaving Liverpool in 2004 for Real Madrid, Liverpool ended up winning the Champions League the very next season while Owen suffered a debut season to forget in Spain. Owen eventually joined Newcastle in 2005 before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2009.

Linked with a number of clubs, he shockingly joined Manchester United where he ended up winning his first league title. Having the last laugh, he said, "As they say, if you can't beat them, join them."

 

Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea)

Torres' career took a turn for the worse when he made a record breaking £50 million move to Chelsea from rivals, Liverpool in 2011. He was one of the most feared strikers in world football at the time but suffered a knee injury the previous season which affected him more than people thought.

Liverpool decided to take the money which turned out to be the right call as despite fans' initial anger at Torres, he was never the same player. In his debut season, he only scored once in 18 games while in the whole span of his Chelsea career, he only scored 45 goals in 172 games - compare that to 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool.

It wasn't all that bad for Torres though as he did end up winning more trophies than Liverpool, including an FA Cup, Champions League, and a Europa League where he scored in the final.

 

Sol Campbell (Tottenham to Arsenal)

You've seen majority of these players leaving Arsenal but the Gunners pulled off a coup of their own with a rival player back in 2001.

Sol Campbell was captain of Tottenham, Arsenal's archrivals, and when his contract ran out, many suspected that he would go abroad with clubs like Inter Milan interested in the Englishman.

However, Campbell decided to shock the world and join Arsenal, the team he grew up hating and even stating a month before that he would never join them while burning his bridges with Tottenham fans instantly.

What made it even worse for the fans was the fact that Arsenal acquired him for absolutely nothing considering he was a free signing and in that very same season, he helped Arsenal win the league and FA Cup.

Spurs fans still call him a "Judas" today but he's cemented himself as a true Arsenal legend.

 

Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-60" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Vince Williams Jr.56 mins ago

Returning On Monday
Coby White1 hour ago

Tagged As Probable For Monday
Josh Giddey1 hour ago

Doubtful For Monday
Gary Trent Jr.1 hour ago

Cleared For Sunday
Scotty Pippen Jr.1 hour ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday
Ja Morant1 hour ago

Won't Play Monday
Aaron Nesmith2 hours ago

Questionable Versus Minnesota
Tyrese Haliburton2 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Monday Night
Michael Tonkin2 hours ago

Will Open Season On IL
Aaron Wiggins2 hours ago

Returns To Action Against Bucks
Michel Otañez2 hours ago

Michel Otanez Shut Down From Throwing
Myles Turner2 hours ago

Questionable Against Minnesota
Kyle Kuzma2 hours ago

Ready To Play Sunday
Pascal Siakam2 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Damian Lillard2 hours ago

Good To Go Sunday
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Available Against OKC
Brandon Marsh2 hours ago

Exits Early Sunday
Andrew Wiggins2 hours ago

Iffy For Monday's Game
Zion Williamson3 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday
Royce Lewis3 hours ago

Expected To Begin 2025 On IL
NFL3 hours ago

Ryan Stonehouse Signs With Dolphins
Sam Darnold3 hours ago

Could Opt-Out After One Season
Luguentz Dort3 hours ago

Will Miss Sunday's Game
Chet Holmgren3 hours ago

Ready For Action Sunday
Mark Andrews3 hours ago

Unlikely To Be Cut
Jalen Williams3 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Mike Conley3 hours ago

Resting Against Jazz
Kenyon Martin Jr.3 hours ago

Out On Sunday
Igor Shesterkin4 hours ago

Remains In Rangers Crease Sunday
John Gibson4 hours ago

Still Out On Sunday
Nick Bjugstad4 hours ago

Returns For Utah Sunday
Filip Chytil4 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Jiri Kulich5 hours ago

In Concussion Protocol
Adam Pelech5 hours ago

Out On Sunday
Zach Hyman5 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Bailey Falter5 hours ago

Ready To Go For Monday
Yu Darvish5 hours ago

Dealing With Fatigue
Clarke Schmidt5 hours ago

Won't Start On Monday
Mark Leiter Jr.5 hours ago

Should Be Ready For Opening Day
David Bednar5 hours ago

Not Officially Named Closer
Yoán Moncada6 hours ago

Yoan Moncada Could Land On Injured List
NFL6 hours ago

Keith Taylor Signs With Falcons
NFL6 hours ago

Storm Norton Back With Atlanta
Ronnie Rivers7 hours ago

Re-Ups With Rams
Mason Adams7 hours ago

Diagnosed With Flex Strain
Joey Gallo7 hours ago

White Sox Release Joey Gallo
Sean Burke7 hours ago

Named Opening Day Starter
Jung Hoo Lee8 hours ago

Expected To Remain Sidelined For A Few Days
Max Kepler8 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday After Collision
Eiberson Castellano8 hours ago

Could Win Bullpen Job
Kyle Freeland8 hours ago

Rockies Name Kyle Freeland Their Starter For Opening Day
Royce Lewis8 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Ramón Urías8 hours ago

Ramon Urias Expected To Return On Thursday
Emmanuel Rivera8 hours ago

Dealing With Sore Shoulder
Ronny Mauricio8 hours ago

Won't Play In Spring Training Games
New York Jets9 hours ago

Derrick Nnadi Signing With Jets
Washington Commanders9 hours ago

Eddie Goldman Joins Commanders On One-Year Deal
Cooper Rush10 hours ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Ravens
Baltimore Ravens12 hours ago

Ben Cleveland Remaining With Ravens
Seattle Seahawks12 hours ago

Shemar Jean-Charles Signing With Seahawks
Velus Jones Jr.12 hours ago

Signs With Saints
Christopher Bell13 hours ago

Quest For Four Wins In A Row Just Got More Difficult
Kyle Larson14 hours ago

Should Contend For Another Win At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney14 hours ago

Once Again The Chalk DFS Pick At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain14 hours ago

Fastest In Practice At Las Vegas
Chris Buescher14 hours ago

Has Sneaky Upside This Weekend
Quinton Byfield14 hours ago

Scores In Sixth Straight Contest
Chase Elliott14 hours ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
Artemi Panarin14 hours ago

Extends Point Streak To Eight Games
Pyotr Kochetkov15 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Flyers On Saturday
William Byron15 hours ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick15 hours ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Anthony Cirelli15 hours ago

Strikes Twice On Saturday
Denny Hamlin15 hours ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Alex Ovechkin15 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Connor Dewar15 hours ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
NASCAR15 hours ago

Bubba Wallace Could Be A Solid DFS Option For Las Vegas
Brad Keselowski15 hours ago

Qualifies Deep In The Field For Las Vegas
Erik Jones15 hours ago

Is Erik Jones Worth Rostering At Las Vegas This Week?
Daniel Suarez15 hours ago

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Daniel Suarez At Las Vegas?
Carson Hocevar16 hours ago

Showcases Speed And Can Be Worth Rostering At Las Vegas
Ryan Preece16 hours ago

Is Ryan Preece A DFS Fade For Las Vegas Lineups?
Joey Logano17 hours ago

Likely To Lead At Las Vegas, But Will He Lead Enough For DFS Consideration?
Michael McDowell17 hours ago

Wins Spire Motorsports' First Pole At Las Vegas
Austin Cindric17 hours ago

Qualifies Third But Is Almost Guaranteed To Lose Spots
Chase Briscoe17 hours ago

Las Vegas Performance Hard To Predict
Ty Gibbs17 hours ago

A Solid DFS Option In Theory
Shane Van Gisbergen17 hours ago

Too Inexperienced At Las Vegas For DFS Consideration
Jordan Mason23 hours ago

Vikings Acquire Jordan Mason From 49ers, Sign Him To Two-Year Deal
Dee Eskridge1 day ago

Sticking With Dolphins
JuJu Smith-Schuster1 day ago

Returning To Chiefs
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

Chidobe Awuzie Released By Titans
Parris Campbell1 day ago

Headed To Dallas
Jiri Kulich1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Tyler Myers1 day ago

Set To Return Against Blackhawks
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Good To Go Against Bruins
Yegor Chinakhov1 day ago

Rejoins Blue Jackets Lineup Saturday
Joel Armia1 day ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Available Saturday
Adam Fox1 day ago

Ready To Rejoin Rangers Lineup
Philadelphia Eagles1 day ago

Patrick Johnson Rejoins Philadelphia
Los Angeles Rams1 day ago

Larrell Murchison Back With The Rams
Kirk Cousins1 day ago

Set To Receive Roster Bonus
Aaron Rodgers1 day ago

Wants To Play In Minnesota
Eeli Tolvanen2 days ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Roman Dolidze3 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani3 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos3 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez3 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson3 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro3 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay3 days ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA3 days ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos3 days ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman4 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard4 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips4 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith4 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick5 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler5 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter5 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim5 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy5 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa5 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre5 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth5 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young5 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim5 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy5 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA5 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman5 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee5 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF