Before the gala match at the Stade Louis-II between the Rouge et Blanc and the Citizens (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), for the second matchday of the Champions League, here’s an overview of the 10 players who have worn the jerseys of both teams.
It’s a confrontation that inevitably evokes good memories for the Principality’s club supporters. AS AS Monaco and Manchester City meet again this Wednesday evening at the Stade Louis-II (21:00 kickoff), to face each other once again on Matchday Two of the Champions League league phase, the two sides have also shared many players in their ranks. 🔎
Two members from the 2017 team 🏆
And among the ten to have worn each jersey, one of them will be on the pitch at Fontvieille, in the person of Bernardo Silva. A favorite of Monaco fans, the Portuguese maestro played for the Club between 2014 and 2017, taking part in 147 matches. A member of the French league-winning team in 2017, he also reached the semifinals of the Champions League, eliminating… the Citizens in the last 16, alongside Benjamin Mendy.
The shooting star Yaya Touré 🌠
Both joined the Sky Blues that following summer, and they were able to rub shoulders with Yaya Touré for a season. A true legend at the club from the Northwest of England where he played 316 matches between 2010 and 2018 (80 goals) and won three Premier Leagues, the Ivorian midfielder had previously played in the Principality in 2006-2007. Although he only stayed for one year, he still had time to show the full extent of his talent at only 23 years old (27 matches, 5 goals).
🤯 Insane footage from @YayaToure‘s #ASMonaco days ! One of the best to do it 🔥🔥🔥
𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙣 🥳 pic.twitter.com/AKmz8N84OD
— AS Monaco EN 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_EN) May 13, 2021
Several great African players 🌍
Having then moved on to Barça, he is not the only player from the African continent to have worn the jersey of AS Monaco and Manchester City. We can think, for example, of the Algerian Ali Benarbia, champion of France in 1997, then winner of the English second division in 2002, or the Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor, member of the epic run in the Champions League in 2004, abefore playing three seasons across the Channel (2009-2012).
The only African Ballon d’Or winner 🥇
But when we talk about the cradle of humanity, how can we not mention Liberian George Weah. Having spent time in the Principality between 1988 and 1992, the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner won the 1991 Coupe de France and scored 66 golas, making him the club’s 12th-highest scorer. The striker then moved to PSG, before joining Manchester City a few years later, in 2000.
Inter Milan as a common link 🤝
Other big names have also worn both jerseys, such as Maicon. While the defender particularly shone at Inter Milan, where he made 248 appearances and won numerous titles, he previously spent two seasons at AS Monaco between 2004 and 2006, before moving to England in 2012-2013.
🔙 La fusée 🚀 Maicon en action lors de la J22 de la saison 04/05 👊 #WAG pic.twitter.com/MT9OJM9Vjc
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 31, 2020
It’s a move that that inspired Stevan Jovetić, who played for the Nerazzurri, but also in the Principality, from 2017 to 2021 (77 matches, 21 goals), as well as for the Citizens between 2013 and 2015. Just like Ousmane Dabo, in Rouge et Blanc in 2000-2001, then with the Sky Blues between 2006 and 2008.
🗓️ The list of 10 players who have played for Monaco and Manchester City:
🚧 Defenders: Maicon, Benjamin Mendy
🎯 Midfielders: Ali Benarbia, Ousmane Dabo, Rony Lopes, Bernardo Silva, Yaya Touré
⚽ Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor, Stevan Jovetić, George Weah
