Barcelona vs Real Madrid: 7 stars who have played for both clubs ahead of the El Classico

Football fans are in for a festive treat on Saturday lunchtime as Real Madrid do battle with Barcelona in the first La Liga El Clasico of the season.

The fierce rivalry between the two clubs is well documented, but that hasn't stopped a number of players pulling on the shirts of both sides during their careers.

Ahead of this weekend's huge game at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Sports Brief takes a closer look at 7 of the stars to have played for Spain's big two.

Luis Figo

Famous for the most controversial crossing of the Barcelona-Madrid divide, Figo ensured his legacy was well and truly tarnished at the Nou Camp when he moved to the Spanish capital in a then-world-record £37.4million deal in 2000.

He went on to win two La Liga titles and the Champions League in the white of Real, adding to the two league titles and Cup Winners' Cup he had lifted with Barca.

Ill feeling from supporters remains to this day, more than 15 years after a fan launched a pig's head at him during his second game back at the Nou Camp.

Samuel Eto'o

You could be forgiven for forgetting that Eto'o began his professional career with Real Madrid, where he made six appearances and was sent on loan three times.

However, it was during his permanent spell at Mallorca that he really caught the eye and earned a move to Barcelona in 2004.

Five years, eight trophies and 130 goals later, he departed for Inter Milan as a firm fans' favourite at the Nou Camp.

Luis Enrique

The only man on our list to have moved directly from Real Madrid to Barcelona, Enrique has also experienced El Clasico as a manager, having been in charge of the Nou Camp giants between 2014 and 2017.

He made his name as a player at the Bernabeu, making over 200 appearances before moving to Barca on a free transfer in 1996.

He would go on to win seven trophies in eight years before hanging up his boots in 2004 and moving into coaching.

Bernd Schuster

Another of the players to have moved directly from Barcelona to Real Madrid, Schuster won one La Liga title during his eight years at the Nou Camp before lifting back-to-back trophies during his two-season spell at the Bernabeu.

As if swapping Barca for Real wasn't enough, he left the champions in 1990 to sign for their city rivals Atletico, spending three years there before returning to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.

Ronaldo Nazario

Ronaldo spent just a single season at Barcelona after joining from PSV in 1996, scoring an incredible 47 goals in 49 games to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award and earn a then-world-record move to Inter Milan.

After five years in Serie A he returned to Spain with Real Madrid, going on to win two La Liga titles but failing to get his hands on the Champions League trophy.

Javier Saviola

Saviola settled in well at Barcelona after joining from River Plate in 2001, making more than 30 league appearances in each of his first three seasons and scoring a total of 44 La Liga goals.

However, after dropping down the pecking order and spending time on loan at Monaco and Sevilla, he made a surprise move to Real in 2001. Two years and 29 appearances later, he was off to Benfica.

Gheorghe Hagi

Widely regarded as Romania's greatest-ever player, Hagi made the huge move from Steaua Bucharest to Real Madrid in 1990 and spent two years at the Bernabeu with just the Spanish Super Cup to show for his efforts.

After two years in Italy with Brescia, he returned to Spain with Barca and spent another two seasons in La Liga before a trophy-laden spell in Turkey with Galatasaray.