Blog
Derby transfers, career crossovers, and the strange pleasure of football memory.
Every Kind of Player Who Crossed the Clásico Divide
Moving between Real Madrid and Barcelona is the heaviest transfer decision in football. More than thirty players made it…
EuropeThe Manchester Derby's Narrow Crossing
Since the Second World War only fourteen players have made first-team appearances for both Manchester clubs.…
EuropeMilan and Inter: The Derby That Shares a Stadium
More than thirty-five players have worn both shirts. The Derby della Madonnina is Europe's most permeable rivalry.…
EuropeCrossing Stanley Park: Liverpool and Everton
Forty-six players have moved between the two Merseyside clubs. Fifteen minutes on foot separates the grounds.…
DerbyIstanbul's Hardest Transfer: Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe
Turkish football's most taboo move. The players who wore both shirts, and why the list is shorter than you would expect.…
DerbyBeşiktaş and Fenerbahçe: The Other Istanbul Crossing
Less discussed than the Galatasaray route, and considerably more travelled. Around twenty-two players have worn both shi…
Süper LigWorld-Class Players Who Spent Time in Turkey
Champions League winners and World Cup regulars who turned up in the Süper Lig, and the connections they create.…
StrategyHow to Get Better at Football Connection Games
People who are good at these games do not know more players. They search differently.…
AnalysisWhy Some Derbies Allow Transfers and Others Do Not
Milan has shared thirty-five players. Manchester has shared fourteen. The difference is not random.…
AnalysisWhy Remembering Old Squads Feels So Good
Recalling which club a player was at in 2011 has no practical use. It is still deeply satisfying. Here is why.…
EuropeDerby d'Italia: Players Who Wore Both Shirts
Italy's most bitter rivalry is also one of its most permeable. Ninety-four footballers have played for both Inter and Ju…
EuropeThe Lisbon Derby: Players Who Crossed
More than seventy footballers have played for both of Lisbon's giants. In Portugal the crossing is a career move, not a …
EuropeThe Rome Derby: Crossing the Thinnest Line
Two clubs, one stadium, Italy's angriest derby. Seventy footballers played for both, though most of them did it quietly.…
EuropeThe Madrid Derby: Players Who Wore Both Shirts
Sixty footballers crossed the city. Among them the derby's most controversial transfer and the one man who played for al…
EuropeLe Classique: Players Who Crossed France's Great Divide
France's only real derby runs between north and south. Fifty-eight footballers wore both shirts, and some of them did it…