Top players who failed in both Real Madrid and Barcelona

 

Several top players had attempted to thrive in both Real Madrid and Barcelona in their careers but failed.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are undoubtedly two of the most famous elite clubs in the world. Thus, a chance to play in either one or even both of them is too good to turn down. Such would not only improve their career but also their level of performance, winning mentality, and even exposure.

Some players managed to shine in one of them, whereas a few were even able to thrive on both sides. The likes of Ronaldo Luiz Nazario, Luis Figo, and Michael Laudrup are the perfect example of the latter. Unfortunately, some others have not succeeded in neither team, despite having the rare opportunity to play for both La Liga powerhouses in a star-studded squad.

Here are several top players who had failed stints in both Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou. Two of them were even considered legendary figures in their home soil and Eastern Europe.

Alfonso Perez

Alfonso Perez was one of the regular players in La Furia Roja in the 1990s. He was part of the 1992 Olympic squad when Spain U23 won the gold medal, as well as a member of the EURO 1996 and 2000 squad plus the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was known as the speedy Real Betis forward who also excelled in aerial duel and netted a winning goal in a dramatic 4-3 over Yugoslavia in EURO 2000, which helped Spain to go through the quarterfinal.

The Getafe-born man was initially a Los Merengues player in the early 1990s, but only as an understudy for Emilio Butragueno and Ivan Zamorano. His famous contribution was only known when he brought Real Madrid a win in El Classico for the Spanish Super Cup in 1993. Perez scored a brace in the first leg. It was the only three silverwares he enjoyed in the capital. The other two were Copa del Rey 1993 and La Liga 1995.

After his success with Real Betis, as he helped them reach the final in the Copa del Rey 1997 and finish fourth in the same season, Perez signed for Barcelona in 2000. Unfortunately, he arrived during the dark days of the Catalan giant as he was once again the second or third in the pecking order with Patrick Kluivert, Rivaldo, and Javier Saviola as the first choice and even went trophyless in Camp Nou. The former striker with 38 international caps was even loaned out to Marseille in the second half of the 2001/02 season.

	Number of games	Goals (assists)	Number of El Classico (contribution)
In Real Madrid (1991-1995)	119	22    (16)	7  (2 goals (1 assist)) (Scoring twice  in the 1st leg of Supercopa de Espana 1993 (3-1); Assisting one in the 2nd leg of Copa del Rey semifinal 1992/93 (2-1))
In Barcelona (2000-2002)	38	5 (1)	2 (1 assist) (Assisting the second goal in La Liga home game 2000/01 (2-0))

Dani Garcia Lara

He was one of the top strikers in La Liga from mid-1990s to early 2000s. Dani Garcia was one of the famous key players when Mallorca reached the Winners Cup final in 1999, won the Spanish Super Cup, and finished fourth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League playoff, which was the first in the club’s history. The former Espanyol man also helped Real Zaragoza win their last title, Copa del Rey 2004, alongside young David Villa.

Dani was the first Los Blancos man too. Yet he was even far down the pecking order in Bernabeu and loaned out to Real Zaragoza for two seasons in 1995 to 1997. Despite enjoying La Liga titles in 1995 and UCL 1998, he was never Real Madrid’s main choice in the first team.

Following his success in Mallorca under Hector Cuper, the forward with only five international caps joined Barcelona in 1999. Although his minutes were improving in Catalan, especially in the first season, Dani was not the first choice either. He did help Barcelona advance to the semifinal in UCL 2000 but lost his place in 2000/01 due to his long-term injuries and did not lift a single trophy for the Catalan giant. In fact, he was unable to regain his form when he was back on the pitch. 

	Number of games	Goals (assists)	Number of El Classico (contribution)
In Real Madrid (1994-1998)	15	2 (1)	1  (-)
In Barca (1999-2003)	85	19 (9)	2 (-)

Robert Prosinecki

The former Croatian star in 1990s was once a promising Yugoslav talent in late 1980s as he brought his country to win 1987 FIFA U20 World Cup. Prosinecki was also part of the Red Star Belgrade squad when they won European Cup in 1991. His summer move to the major European league was inevitable as Real Madrid came with their big offer.

His stint in Madrid sadly did not impress their fans. He failed to live up to expectation as his time day was marred with long term injuries and inconsistency. His only memorable contribution was a goal in his first El Classico back in 1991. The current Montenegro boss was loaned out to Real Oviedo in 1994, when he revived his form as he netted three times in 21 games.

In summer 1995, Prosinecki decided to switch side to Madrid’s archrival to prove them wrong in offloading him. Unfortunately, his spell in Catalan did not end well either. He was once again struggling with injuries and physical fitness and unable to make an impact in Camp Nou. Consequently, he was sold to Sevilla in the following season.

	Number of games	Goals (assists)	Number of El Classico (contribution)
In Real Madrid (1991-1995)	74	12 (5)	7 (1 goal ( 0 assist))
In Barca (1995/96)	26	2 (1)	1 (-)

Gheorghe Hagi

Prosinecki’s former teammate, Hagi, appeared to have the same fate as the Croatian. Despite being deemed Romania’s football legend for leading his nation to three FIFA World Cup editions, his spells in both La Liga giant did not leave any impact to them. The former Steaua Bucharest man firstly joined Real Madrid in 1990 but did not win any major trophies there.

Hagi then moved to Italian Serie A’s Brescia in 1992 to revitalize his form and joined his countryman who became the coach there, Mircea Lucescu, before going to Barcelona after 1994 World Cup. Unfortunately, his time in Barcelona was not so much different from his days in the Spanish capital. The current Farul Constanta boss was never able to cement his place in the starting XI as the key figure of the team. He also did not lift any major trophies too under Johan Cryuff. In the end, he opted to leave Spain in summer 1996 to sign for Galatasaray, where he became the club’s legend.

	Number of games	Goals (assists)	Number of El Classico (contribution)
In Real Madrid (1990-1992)	84	20 (12)	5 (-)
In Barca (1994-96)	51	11 (6)	2 (-)

Marcos Alonso

Last but not least, there is Spain’s underrated talent, Marcos Alonso. He was more famous as Chelsea’s key man when The Blues won a number of silverwares, including Premier League 2017, FA Cup 2018, Europa League 2019, Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup 2021.

However, his spells in both La Liga giant did not exactly leave great mark in his career. The current Celta Vigo man was the product of Real Madrid academy but only made one appearance for Los Blancos. He then switched sides to Bolton, Fiorentina and Chelsea before joining Blaugrana on free transfer. Alonso did win a league title under Xavi in 2023 but was not able to replicate his top form with the Catalan side.

	Number of games	Goals (assists)	Number of El Classico (contribution)
In Real Madrid (2008-2010)	1	-	-
In Barca (2022-2024)	45	3 (-)	2 (-)