The Round of 16 fixture in the UEFA Champions League between Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid will be the most anticipated match due to many reasons. Messi will be facing his old rival and one of his favourite opponents. Sergio Ramos will be facing his beloved club after leaving at the beginning of this season. This might be the last and final time Kylian Mbappe will be facing Real Madrid if the rumours of him moving to Santiago Bernabeu at the end of this season becomes true.
Let’s have a look at some players who have played for PSG and Real Madrid in the past:
David Beckham
With Manchester United, David Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.
Beckham joined PSG when he was about to retire from football in 2013. He signed a five-month deal with the club in January 2013 and won a fourth different top-flight winners’ medal after PSG beat Lyon 1–0 to claim the Ligue 1 title.
Nicolas Anelka
Anelka began his career at Paris Saint Germain but soon moved to Arsenal. He became a first-team regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. He moved to Real Madrid for 22.3 million pounds in 1999 but did not settle well and returned to PSG in a 20 million pound deal. Despite regular first-team football in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League once more, moving on loan to Liverpool in January 2002, but joining Manchester City for 13 million pounds at the start of the 2002–03 season.
Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria is one of the few players who had succeeded in both clubs equally. He moved to Real Madrid in 2010 for around 20 million euros, where he won a La Liga title, two Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. He scored 36 goals in his 190 appearances.
In 2015, he joined PSG from Manchester United. In France, Di María won four league titles, five Coupe de France and four Coupe de la Ligue, which includes three domestic quadruples, and helped the club reach its first Champions League Final. He is also the club’s ninth-highest goalscorer and all-time leader in assists.
Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos left Real Madrid after winning five La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies, three Super Cups and four Club World Cups. His departure was a heartbreak for all the Real Madrid fans as he was the pillar of their club for more than 15 years.
Ramos has not yet found his 100% fitness. If he plays at Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg of the Round of 16, it will be an emotional scene for both the fans and the player.
