Five Players Who Represented Both Clubs

Marseille meet Liverpool at The Stade Vélodrome in the UEFA Champions League tonight.

This is the first matchup in over 17 years between two prominent clubs, and both teams are looking for a win to keep their qualification hopes alive.

As they prepare for this match, let’s take a look at five notable players who have played for both clubs.

Djimi Traore

Djimi Traore had an interesting time at Liverpool. The defender faced criticism during his tenure, notably for an own goal in an FA Cup match against Burnley, which led to some mocking chants about his playing style.

Despite this, Traore left Liverpool with a strong reputation. He was a key member of the team that won the Champions League in 2005, playing the full 120 minutes and making a vital goal-line clearance against Andriy Shevchenko. Liverpool staged a remarkable comeback, overcoming a three-goal deficit to defeat AC Milan in the penalty shootout in Istanbul, with Traore playing an important role in that turnaround.

“Tactically, Rafael Benitez made a change at halftime, and I was supposed to be substituted,” Traore said. “We switched to a back three, but just before we returned to the pitch, our physio discovered that our right back, Steve Finnan, was injured. So, I was put back in the team.”

After leaving Liverpool in 2006, he played for several clubs before spending a season at Marseille in 2011-12, where he won the Coupe de la Ligue.

Djibril Cisse

Liverpool set a transfer record when they signed Djibril Cisse in 2004, following his impressive spell at Auxerre. Unfortunately, a change in management and a serious injury impacted his debut season. However, Cisse recovered in time to play in the 2005 Champions League final, scoring during the shootout victory over AC Milan.

In his second season, he netted 21 goals in 57 matches, including one in the FA Cup final against West Ham in Cardiff. Despite his good form, he was loaned to Marseille after the arrivals of Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt.

Cisse later joined Marseille permanently, finishing with an impressive record of 37 goals in 78 games.

Boudewijn Zenden

Boudweijn Zenden joined Liverpool on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in 2005 after helping them win their first major trophy, the League Cup. He was a useful squad player during his two seasons but had his playing time limited by injuries.

In 2007, Zenden moved to Marseille as a free agent after his Liverpool contract expired. He scored six goals in 76 appearances before returning to the Premier League with Sunderland.

Fernando Morientes

Fernando Morientes had a successful career overall but his stints at Liverpool and Marseille were less memorable. Before moving to England, he scored 100 goals for Real Madrid but struggled to replicate that success in the Premier League.

After a successful loan at Monaco in 2003-04, Marseille brought him back to Ligue 1 in 2009, but he managed only one goal in 19 appearances.

Mario Balotelli

In 2014, Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli to fill the gap left by Luis Suarez’s departure to Barcelona. However, Balotelli had a challenging time at Liverpool, scoring just once in the Premier League during his single season with the club.

Following his time in the Premier League, Balotelli’s career continued with moves to AC Milan, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, and Monza. At Marseille, he scored eight goals in just 15 games, but after issues arose, his contract was not extended.

The internet was broken with this one…

…And we’ve got it from every angle. There’s only ☝️ @FinallyMario, and he’s an Olympien 👇 pic.twitter.com/AmX19lLs5d

— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) March 4, 2019