The former Chelsea forward is the latest player to have pledged his loyalties to both Madrid rivals
After almost a decade away from Atletico Madrid, Alvaro Morata has now returned to his former youth side on loan from Chelsea – and is another player to have donned the Atletico shirt after previously wearing the colours of Los Blancos.
Atletico and Real Madrid have one of the most intense footballing rivalries, Morata isn't the only player to have made the switch to a rival Madrid side. A handful of others have gone in the opposite direction as well, and Goal has rounded up the most notable of names.
GettyAlvaro Morata
Things never worked out for Alvaro Morata as a youth player for Atletico. He moved to the Real Madrid academy before breaking through to the first-team in 2010.
His time at the Bernabeu was fairly successful, and he spent two seasons at Juventus before moving back to Real Madrid in 2016. A club-record £60 million move to Chelsea started strongly but came to a disappointing end as he failed to re-capture his form from the beginning of his career.
After 12 years away, Morata returned to Atletico in 2019 on loan from Chelsea – completing a career full-circle.
AdvertisementGettyThibaut Courtois
A three-year loan spell at Atletico from Chelsea from 2011-14 saw Thibaut Courtois lift the Liga title and the Europa League.
His final game for the club before returning to the Blues was the 2014 Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid, which Atletico lost in extra time. He had a fruitful four-year career back at Chelsea where he emerged as one of the finest shot-stoppers in England and won the Premier League twice. The Belgium international made the move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, replacing Keylor Navas as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.
GettyJuanfran
The right-back only made the bench for two of Real Madrid's Champions League games between 2004-06 after graduating from the reserve side, never solidifying himself as a starter.
After moving to their city rivals in 2011 from Osasuna, however, he emerged as a permanent defensive stable for Atletico over the years. With Atletico, he has made 230 La Liga appearances and won the league, the Copa del Rey and two Europa League titles. He then appeared in two Champions League finals – only to be denied victory by his former side Real Madrid.
GettyRaul
It's a story of the one who got away after Atletico Madrid released future Real Madrid legend and icon Raul from their youth team. Raul switched to the rivals' academy in 1992 and became the youngest player to put on the Real Madrid shirt at 17 years and 124 days.
In a twist of fate, Raul ended up scoring his first goal in his second senior game on a home debut against Atletico. He went on to score a club-record 323 goals for Los Blancos, winning three Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles and has now returned to the Bernabeu as a youth coach.