The 13 players who played for Arsenal and Man City

For the last two seasons, Arsenal and Man City have been locked throughout the entire campaigns in two heated Premier League title races. While current managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have a good relationship with each other, there is a subtle Premier League rivalry growing between the two clubs.

This got me thinking, which players throughout history have played for both clubs? Let's take a look at the 13 players who played for Arsenal and Man City...

The 13 players who played for Arsenal and Man City

Niall Quinn

The first example of a player who played for both Arsenal and Man City is Irish international Niall Quinn. He actually made the switch from Arsenal to Man City in 1990, after making 67 league appearances in seven years for Arsenal. He is mostly recognised for his time with Man City, despite winning the League Cup with the Gunners.

David Rocastle

The legend who is David "Rocky" Rocastle is remembered fondly by Arsenal fans of the 1980s. He won two first division titles with Arsenal, including THAT title at Anfield in 1989. Rocastle also spent one season playing for Man City in the 1993/94 season but without a doubt, the energetic playmaker spent his best days with the Gunners.

READ MORE: Ranking the 5 best Arsenal wingers/attacking midfielders of all-time

Paul Dickov

Coming through the youth academy at Arsenal, Paul Dickov struggled to make a name for himself in his early days under George Graham. After two loan spells and only scoring 3 league goals for Arsenal in six years, Dickov was eventually sold to Man City in 1996. Like Quinn, he is mostly recognised for representing Man City, despite winning no honours with them.

David Seaman

Regarded by many as Arsenal's greatest goalkeeper of all-time, not many people are aware that David Seaman also played for Man City. Having won three league titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal, Seaman retired at Man City, spending just one season there. Ironically and unfortunately for Seaman, he played for Man City during the season of the infamous Arsenal Invincibles.

Patrick Vieira

Speaking of the Arsenal Invincibles, Patrick Vieira is one of three examples of that team who actually played for Arsenal and Man City. The French international spent nine years with Arsenal, playing 279 league matches and winning one golden Premier League trophy, two more Premier League titles and four FA Cups. Then, he signed for Juventus before a one-year spell with Man City, winning the FA Cup.

Nicolas Anelka

One of the biggest examples of a "journeyman" in modern football, Nicolas Anelka started his career at Arsenal and emerged as one of the most promising young strikers in the world. He earned himself a move to Real Madrid before eventually joining newly-promoted Man City in 2002. Having played for 12 different clubs, Anelka is unfortunately a club legend at zero of them.

Kolo Toure

The second Arsenal Invincible to make this list, it's Kolo Toure. Toure infamously won one golden Premier League trophy, forming a great relationship with Spurs fan favourite Sol Campbell. He stayed with Arsenal until 2009 before joining Man City, where he also won a Premier League trophy - It was silver though, it must be said.

Gaël Clichy

The third and final Arsenal Invincible to make this list is Gaël Clichy. He played for Arsenal between the years 2003–2011, winning one golden Premier League trophy. He then signed for Man City, making him a bitter player in the Arsenal camp. He won two Premier League trophies in Manchester but again, neither of them were golden.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Famously, Emmanuel Adebayor played for both Arsenal and Man City. I am conscious that this is an Arsenal fan website, so the less said about Adebayor, the better.

Bacary Sagna

Known as being one of the best full-backs in the world during his time at Arsenal, it certainly hurt fans to see him sign for Man City in 2014. Seeing a reduction in his minutes at the Manchester side, he probably should've stayed under Arsene Wenger.

Samir Nasri

The money-hungry turncoat needs no introduction to Arsenal fans, who cheered on the steady downfall of Samir Nasri. Given the world by Arsene Wenger as a youngster, he turned his back on the club to sign for Man City in 2011.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

The Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko played his final game for Man City in 2022, winning the Premier League title, before joining his former assistant manager Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. He was one of two signings from Man City in the 2022 summer transfer window.

Gabriel Jesus

The other of those signings was, of course, Gabriel Jesus. Reliable goal-scorer Gabriel Jesus often struggled for minutes in Manchester, so he was excited by the opportunity to join the young Arsenal side, led by a manager he knew well, Mikel Arteta.