Top 10 players to play for both Manchester United and Leeds United | OneFootball

Manchester United and Leeds United are bitter rivals, but who are the most notable players to have played for both famous clubs?

The rivalry goes all the way back to the War of the Roses in the 15th century, which was fought between the royal houses of Lancashire and Yorkshire. This, added to economic competition during the industrial revolution, set the tone for the strong historical dislike between the clubs and their fanbases.

That still hasn’t stopped numerous players from playing for both sides, with some moving directly across the Pennines or stopping off there at different junctures in their careers.

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Here are the 10 most notable players to have played for both Manchester United and Leeds United.

10. Dan James

Notable as he’s the latest player to play for both clubs, with several interesting facts included. James initially was set to join Leeds in January 2019 before the move broke down at the last minute. He had even conducted in-house interviews and been pictured in his supposed new club’s kit before things fell apart.

After Leeds missed out on promotion, he instead joined Manchester United the next summer for £15 million, scoring goals in three of his first four games for the club before gradually becoming a bit-part player. In the 2020/21 season, he scored for United in a 6-2 win vs Leeds at Old Trafford.

His final game at Old Trafford also came against Leeds at the start of the following season, with the Welsh winger then finally signing on for Marcelo Bielsa two weeks later for £30 million. Bielsa’s replacement Jesse Marsch was happy to loan him out to Fulham for the 2022/23 season, and of course, he then scored against Manchester United with them. Intertwined.

9. Lee Sharpe

19 FEB 1995: LEE SHARPE OF MANCHESTER UNITED AND DAVID WHITE OF LEEDS UNITED IN ACTION DURING A FA CUP FIFTH ROUND MATCH AT OLD TRAFFORD. MANCHESTER WON THE GAME 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT

From one wide man to another, Sharpe was a young star of Old Trafford alongside Ryan Giggs in the early 1990s – he won the 1990/91 PFA Young Player of the Year award and even scored a League Cup hat-trick against Arsenal at Highbury in a memorable 6-2 win.

Across eight years, he played 265 games for United and scored 36 goals, most of which were celebrated in iconic fashion. He was a member of Fergie’s first two great United sides, winning three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, a League Cup and the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup.

The summer of 1996 saw him move to Leeds for £4.5 million but just a month into the new season, manager Howard Wilkinson was sacked and soon Sharpe’s career spiralled downwards due to a combination of injuries and managerial preferences.

8. Joe Jordan

Joe Jordan is perhaps most famous to younger readers for squaring up to AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso in a February 2011 Champions League game while he was Harry Redknapp’s assistant at Spurs.

Decades before that, Jordan was a legend at both Leeds and United, with him being nicknamed “Jaws” due to him missing his front teeth (in reality, he wore dentures, but it was unsafe to do so while playing).

He was part of the so-called “Scottish Mafia” at Leeds in their ‘70s heyday, winning the 1973/74 Division One title and finishing runners-up in several cups, which was a theme of the Don Revie era. As Leeds declined, he moved to United in 1978, spending three and a half years at Old Trafford.

7. Gordon McQueen

10th August 1974: Gordon McQueen (centre) of Leeds United FC watches as referee R Matthenson sends off Kevin Keegan from Liverpool FC and Billy Bremner (1942 -1997) of Leeds United FC for trading punches during a testy Charity Shield match at Wembley. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

McQueen was another member of that mafia at Elland Road and like Jordan, he moved to Old Trafford in 1978, at the time claiming “99% of players want to play for Manchester United and the rest are liars” (via Bleacher Report), which did little to placate the Leeds’ fans anger.

Success came for the centre-back at both clubs, with a league title at Leeds (1972-78) and an FA Cup with United (1978-85). In his post-playing career, he split his time between Gillette Soccer Saturday and appearances as a United legend, which tells you enough about where his heart lies.

6. Denis Irwin

The only player on this list not to move directly between the great rivals, Irwin started his professional career with Leeds in 1983 after making the move from his native Cork in Ireland. His three seasons in the first team saw him make 82 appearances as the club struggled to get out of the second division.

The fullback then moved on a free transfer to Oldham, where he spent the next four seasons. It was only in 1990 at the age of 25 that he finally made his way to the top flight, signing on for United for £625,000. It would be one of the best pieces ever done by Fergie, who named him in his dream United XI.

Across 12 years at the club, he made 529 appearances and scored 33 goals, many of them free kicks and penalties. He won the lot with the club, making him the most successful Irish footballer and a genuine legend of Old Trafford.

5. Alan Smith

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Alan Smith of Leeds scores the equalising goal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford on February 21, 2004 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Possibly the one that hurt the most on this list, Smith was the definition of “one of our own” for Leeds’ fans. He was the embodiment of the fanbase on the pitch, and he famously said the one club he would never play for was Man United in a Soccer AM feature.

Smith was part of David O’Leary’s ultra-exciting young side, which briefly threatened to break up the United-Arsenal duopoly in the early 2000s. As Leeds fell into financial ruin, Smith remained one of the few players loyal to the cause, even scoring an equaliser at Old Trafford in a 1-1 draw in 2003/04.

Leeds suffered relegation at the end of that season, leaving the local lad inconsolable. He dried his tears enough to join their greatest rivals for £7 million weeks later, in a move that potentially saved the Elland Road’s short-term future. He won the league with United, but did he fully tarnish his once-perfect legacy?

4. Gordon Strachan

Strachan was a genius footballer both in his native Scotland and England, being a key man in Sir Alex’s Aberdeen side that broke the Rangers-Celtic dominance, and even winning the Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid.

He departed Pittodrie for Old Trafford in the summer of 1984, instantly becoming a fan favourite and a midfield partner to captain Bryan Robson. The FA Cup came in his first season, but soon so did Fergie, reuniting a pair who allegedly never saw eye to eye.

As Strachan moved into his 30s, Fergie moved him and several others on as he looked to build his own side, selling him to Leeds, then in the second tier. The move revitalised him, becoming captain of the side, bringing them up and then beating his old boss to the final Division One title (1991/92) before the dawn of the Premier League.

3. John Giles

LONDON - APRIL 27: Terry Venables of Queens Park Rangers gives orders to his team-mates as Johnny Giles of Leeds United looks on during the League Division One match held on April 27, 1974 at Loftus Road, in London. Leeds United won the match 1-0. (Photo by Getty Images)

One of many Irish players to break through the ranks at Old Trafford at the time, Giles was part of the post-Munich United side, which won the FA Cup in 1963. Despite his obvious talent, he was rarely a regular and soon got a move to Leeds.

His signing kickstarted the Revie era at Elland Road, with promotion secured in his first season and challenging for honours against Sir Matt Busby’s United and Liverpool directly after. Alongside Billy Bremner in the midfield, they were the heart and soul of the team.

527 appearances and 115 goals came in 12 seasons in Yorkshire, as well as two league titles and an FA and League Cup apiece, as well as several near-misses which characterised the era.

via Transfermarkt

2. Rio Ferdinand

A certified Manchester United legend and perhaps the greatest centre-back in the club’s history, Ferdinand’s first big move was to Leeds from his boyhood club West Ham in November 2000. The £18 million move would be the first of two world-record transfer fees for a defender that defined his career.

Rio soon became Leeds’ captain in the place of the injured Lucas Radebe, leading the young side to a Champions League semi-final in 2001 and to the top spot in the Premier League on New Year’s Day 2002. However, both times the club fell short and a failure to qualify for the Champions League in 2000/01 and 2001/02 sent the club into financial turmoil.

Ferdinand was one of the first players to go, with £30 million being paid for his services. He wanted to go, which deeply upset Leeds fans who had taken to him. His decision was vindicated by six league titles and a Champions League win amongst other major successes at Old Trafford.

1. Eric Cantona

12th May 1996; Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona with the FA Cup and Premiership trophy on their arrival at Manchester's Victoria station. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT

The most famous player to play for both clubs and without a doubt the most famous transfer between Leeds and Manchester United.

The “enfant terrible” of French football pitched up at Elland Road in January 1992, helping them land the Division One title ahead of his future club in a titanic title tussle. He followed this up with a hat-trick in the 1992 Community Shield and several league goals in the first Premier League season.

In November of that year, Leeds enquired about re-signing Denis Irwin and instead agreed to sell Cantona to their great rivals, with a need for finances being cited as the primary reason. Fans were not happy, but no one could have envisioned the Frenchman’s impact at Old Trafford.

He was the missing piece from the 26-year championship jigsaw, acting as the catalyst for all of United’s success in the 1990s and beyond. His six seasons in English football saw him win five titles (one with Leeds, four with United) and in the other, he of course was suspended for that kung-fu kick.

In a cruel twist of fate, a 4-0 United win at Elland Road in 1996, in which he scored, signalled the end of Howard Wilkinson at Leeds, the man who had first taken a punt on him four years earlier. He is one of the biggest Manchester United icons ever, something which must have Leeds fans cursing the sale even 30+ years on. Ooh ah!