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Players who played for both Chelsea and Manchester City
12 famous players have played for both Chelsea and Manchester City, including Frank Lampard, George Weah, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. 5 of them played for Chelsea first; 6 started at Manchester City.
Did you know?
George WeahEarliest on this list to play for both: Chelsea (2000), then Manchester City from 2000.
Mateo KovačićLatest on this list: Chelsea first, then Manchester City from 2023.- Shaun Wright-PhillipsMost separate spells: 3 across the two clubs (Chelsea 2005–2008; Manchester City 1999–2005, 2008–2011).
All 12 players, most famous first
Frank Lampard
England · Midfielder · born 1978- Chelsea
- 2001–2014
- Manchester City
- 2014–2015
- Chelsea
- 2000
- Manchester City
- 2000
Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium · Midfielder · born 1991- Chelsea
- 2012–2014
- Manchester City
- 2015–2025
Raheem SterlingEngland · Forward · born 1994- Chelsea
- 2022–2026
- Manchester City
- 2015–2022
- Nicolas Anelka
France · Forward · born 1979- Chelsea
- 2008–2012
- Manchester City
- 2002–2005
- Mateo Kovačić
Croatia · Midfielder · born 1994- Chelsea
- 2018–2023
- Manchester City
- from 2023
Cole PalmerEngland · Forward · born 2002- Chelsea
- from 2023
- Manchester City
- 2020–2023
- Daniel SturridgeEngland · Forward · born 1989
- Chelsea
- 2009–2013
- Manchester City
- 2006–2009
- Wayne BridgeEngland · Defender · born 1980
- Chelsea
- 2003–2009
- Manchester City
- 2009–2013
- Nathan Aké
Netherlands · Defender · born 1995- Chelsea
- 2012–2017
- Manchester City
- 2020–2026
- Shaun Wright-PhillipsEngland · Midfielder · born 1981
- Chelsea
- 2005–2008
- Manchester City
- 1999–2005, 2008–2011
- Willy Caballero
Argentina · Goalkeeper · born 1981- Chelsea
- from 2017
- Manchester City
- 2014–2017
Years are club stints from Wikidata (snapshot 2026-09-28); a loan that runs straight into a transfer is shown as one stint. “from YEAR” means no end year is recorded — it is not a claim about a current club.
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Questions
How many famous players have played for both Chelsea and Manchester City?
12 in our data, including Frank Lampard, George Weah, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. The list covers famous footballers only — players covered by at least 45 language editions of Wikipedia — so it is not every player who ever wore both shirts.
Who was the first player on this list to play for both clubs?
In our data, George Weah: Chelsea (2000), then Manchester City (2000).
Where does this list come from?
Club careers from Wikidata, the open database behind Wikipedia (public domain, CC0), snapshot 2026-09-28. Senior spells count, loans included when Wikidata records them; youth and reserve teams do not. Found a mistake? Tell us via the About page.