Ranking every player who has played for both Liverpool and Everton | OneFootball

Highlights

The rivalry between Liverpool and Everton is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most fierce in English football. Although the gap in quality between the two sides has perhaps never been as wide as it is now, they are two of the most successful clubs in the country's history. Even though Anfield and Goodison Park are only a quarter of a mile apart, the intensity of the dislike between each set of supporters means that only 12 players have crossed that divide and represented both teams since the end of the Second World War.

At GIVEMESPORT, we thought we'd rank these players based on their ability and see if their footballing prowess was enough to win over their fans despite who they may have previously played for. To qualify for this list, the player must have made a senior appearance for both teams, so the likes of Dave Watson and Alan Harper, who went on to win major honours with the blue half of Merseyside after coming through the ranks at Liverpool, are not included.

12 Abel Xavier

Abel Xavier was an accomplished defender who was in and out of the Portugal national team by the time he joined Everton in September 1999 for £1.5m. Despite his experience, he was unable to nail down a starting spot in the team throughout his two-and-a-bit years at Goodison Park.

This didn't stop Liverpool coming in for him in January 2002 and the defender made the trip across Stanley Park despite his Everton teammate Paul Gascoigne's best efforts to get him to stay! Xavier would appear just 21 times for the Reds before he left in 2003, but did help them win the League Cup.

11 David Burrows

David Burrows was a left-back tipped for big things after coming through the ranks at West Brom and getting snapped up at the age of 19 by league champions Liverpool in 1988. He would enjoy a successful five years at Anfield, winning a league title and FA Cup, before he was sold to West Ham.

Burrows would spend only a year in East London before returning to Merseyside, this time with Everton. He was an unpopular signing with supporters, not only for being a former Red, but also for the fact that he had been exchanged for Toffees icon Tony Cottee, and would spend only six months at Goodison Park before he joined Coventry City.

10 Sander Westerveld

Most Liverpool fans above a certain age will be able to recall Sander Westerveld, but how many of them will remember that he also made a couple of appearances for Everton? The Dutchman became the most expensive goalkeeper in England when he joined Liverpool in 1999, and helped them to win a treble comprising of the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in his second season.

However, he soon fell out of favour with manager Gerard Houllier and was replaced by Jerzy Dudek before being sold in December 2001. One of Westerveld's more infamous moments in a Liverpool shirt was when both he and Everton forward Francis Jeffers were sent off after coming to blows during a heated Merseyside derby, which made it all the more curious when the Dutchman joined the Toffees on an emergency loan in 2006, making two appearances. While another was having scored the craziest disallowed goal ever, the incident occurred when the goalkeeper attempted to kick the ball from inside his own penalty area, but it hit Don Hutchinson's back instead. As a result, the ball looped over the Liverpool goalkeeper and went into the back of the net, but the goal was not allowed as the referee, Graham Poll, had already blown the whistle for full-time before the ball crossed the line.

9 Conor Coady

Much was made about Conor Coady joining Everton on loan for the 2022/23 season. After coming through the ranks of boyhood club Liverpool, the centre-back would make a name for himself at Wolves, captaining the team as they won promotion from the Championship and cemented themselves as an established Premier League team.

After being told he wasn't part of manager Bruno Lage's plans, he went to Goodison Park and played a crucial role in helping them retain their Premier League status on the final day of the season. Questions over any lingering allegiance to the red half of Merseyside were quickly eradicated when he jubilantly celebrated scoring a goal in the derby which would end up being disallowed. Coady now plays for Leicester City in the Championship after being sold by Wolves last summer.

8 Nick Barmby

Nick Barmby's switch from Everton to Liverpool is one of the most contentious on this list. The midfielder became the Toffees' record signing in 1996, when he signed from Middlesbrough for £5.5m, and he enjoyed a fruitful four years at Goodison Park, where his good form even earned him a recall to the England national team.

However, he went from hero to villain with Blues supporters when he agreed to join Liverpool in 2000 for £6m. In his first derby as a Red, he opened the scoring with a header and celebrated wildly, only serving to antagonise the Evertonians further. Some will argue that, when Barmby left Liverpool, he ended up regretting it.

7 Don Hutchison

Don Hutchison joined Liverpool in 1990 as a 19-year-old but was unable to truly shine in four years at Anfield and was eventually sold to West Ham in 1994. He spent just 18 months with the Hammers, before joining Sheffield United where he thrived and manager Howard Kendall brought the Scotsman with him when he returned to Everton for his third spell as their manager.

Hutchison quickly became an important player for the Toffees, weighing in with ten league goals and even looked to have scored a bizarre last-gasp winner in the Merseyside derby in April 2000, but it was controversially ruled out by Graham Poll. After a disagreement over a new contract, he left Everton that summer.

6 Dave Hickson

Dave Hickson is remembered as one of the Everton greats and even a brief tenure with Liverpool towards the end of his career has not blighted that. Nicknamed 'the Cannonball Kid' for his willingness to challenge for every ball, he signed for the Toffees in 1948 and was a prolific goalscorer during the club's three years in the Second Division between 1951 and 1954.

He was controversially sold in 1955 but returned two years later for another stint at Goodison before he was sold again, this time in an even more controversial fashion, to Liverpool. Hickson was one of the first stars in the legendary managerial reign of Bill Shankly, scoring a bucketload of goals before he left in 1961, at the age of 32. Hickson sadly passed away recently in July 2023 after a short spell of illness.

5 David Johnson

David Johnson is the only man on this list who went from Everton to Liverpool and then back to the Toffees. The forward came through the ranks at Goodison Park before being sold to Ipswich Town in 1972 at the age of 21 when his career went on to improve.

He impressed at Portman Road which prompted Liverpool to part with a club record £200,000 to sign him in 1976. Johnson enjoyed a trophy-filled six years with the Reds, becoming the first player to score in a Merseyside derby for both clubs, before he returned to Everton for a short spell in 1982.

4 Johnny Morrissey

Johnny Morrissey was a key figure in two of the greatest sides in Everton's history during the 1960s. However, the left-winger made his breakthrough with Liverpool before he was sold to their arch-rivals without the knowledge of an incensed Bill Shankly.

Morrissey scored on his debut, a 2-2 draw against the Reds, and went on to help the Toffees win the 1962/63 league title in his first season and remained a crucial part of the team that repeated the trick seven years later. He spent eleven seasons with Everton before seeing his career out with Oldham Athletic, and his son of the same name would also go on to play for the Blues before forging a successful career with Tranmere Rovers.

3 Steve McMahon

Steve McMahon was a key player in Kenny Dalglish's all-conquering Liverpool side of the late 1980s, but it all could have gone very differently. The midfielder came through at Everton, earning the captain's armband by the age of 21, before he joined Aston Villa in 1983, to the bitter disappointment of the Everton supporters.

Two years later, he became Dalglish's first signing as Liverpool manager and scored his first goal for the club in a thrilling 3-2 Merseyside derby win in September 1985. He would enjoy plenty of success during his six years with the Reds, helping them win three league titles and two FA Cups (beating Everton in both finals) before he signed for Manchester City in 1991.

2 Kevin Sheedy

Kevin Sheedy was a member of Everton's greatest-ever team during the 1984/85 season. Having failed to make the grade at Liverpool, the left winger 'crossed the park' in 1982 having made just three senior appearances in four years at Anfield.

Sheedy was renowned for his wand of a left foot and his spectacular free-kick ability and scored more free-kicks in the English top flight during the 1980s than anyone else. He spent ten years with Everton and played a key role in the Blues winning two league titles, an FA Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup between the years of 1984 and 1987.

1 Peter Beardsley

Peter Beardsley is undoubtedly the most talented footballer to have played for both Merseyside clubs. After coming to the nation's attention for his performances at Newcastle United, the club with which he is most synonymous, he was signed by Liverpool in 1987 for a British record fee of £1.9m.

The forward spent four years with the Reds, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, before falling down the pecking order and being allowed to join Everton. He immediately became a fan favourite at Goodison Park as they entered the Premier League era, becoming the second player after David Johnson to score in a Merseyside derby for both clubs, but only spent two seasons with the Toffees before returning to his beloved Newcastle in 1993.