Manchester United meet Bayern Munich in a must-win Champions League showdown this week, with the Red Devils needing to win to have any chance of progress to the knockout rounds.
The fixture is a group stage glamour tie between two teams with nine European Cups between them, with the sides having memorably met in the 1999 final at the Camp Nou.
Throughout the years several players have represented both clubs and we’ve picked out five names who have adorned the colours of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Five who played for both – Man United and Bayern Munich:
Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes represented both clubs with the Welshman having spent time on the continent in between two successful stints at Manchester United. Hughes came through the academy at Manchester United and scored 47 goals in 121 games for the Red Devils, before signing for Barcelona in 1986.
The forward endured a tough time in Catalonia however, scoring just five goals during his debut season, before being loaned to Bayern Munich. He proved a popular figure in Germany and memorably won admiration for playing two competitive fixtures in one day, representing Wales in a Euro ’88 qualifier against Czechoslovakia, before flying across the border to take part in Bayern’s DFB-Pokal clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Catch the ‘keeper out on the volley ????
Magical from @ManUtd‘s Mark Hughes#MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/d9aTu0djTz
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 24, 2019
Hughes scored six goals in 16 games for Bayern, before returning to Manchester United in a £1.8m club record deal in 1988. During his second spell, he was twice named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and won a host of major trophies, including two Premier League titles and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Hughes scored both goals in the latter final success in 1991, as former club Barcelona were beaten in Rotterdam.
Owen Hargreaves
Owen Hargreaves became the first player to represent England having not lived in the country, having been brought up in Canada before beginning his professional career in Germany. The midfielder broke into the Bayern Munich team as a teenager and spent seven seasons with the Bavarians, where he won four Bundesliga titles and the 2001 Champions League.
Hargreaves signed for Manchester United in a £17m deal in 2007 and impressed during his debut campaign as the Red Devils won a Premier League and Champions League double. However, fitness problems plagued his time with the club and he made just 27 league appearances across four seasons at Old Trafford.
Happy birthday, two-time #UCL winner Owen Hargreaves! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/6ZJqQH0nqR
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 20, 2017
Bastian Schweinsteiger
One of Bayern Munich’s modern greats, Bastian Schweinsteiger won it all during an illustrious career with the German giants.
Just nine players have ever made more appearances for Bayern Munich than Schweinsteiger, who turned out for the Bavarians on 500 occasions in all competitions. That period coincided with huge success, as Schweinsteiger won eight Bundesliga titles, seven DFB-Pokal titles and the 2013 UEFA Champions League.
Fußballgott ✅
???? Wish Bastian Schweinsteiger a happy birthday! @BSchweinsteiger | #HBD | #UCL pic.twitter.com/hYVHx8IiUc
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 1, 2022
A World Cup winner with Germany, the midfielder took on a new challenge when signing for Manchester United in 2015. However, Schweinsteiger – who became the first German to play for the Red Devils – showed signs of decline after moving to English football.
He made just 35 appearances, winning the FA Cup during his debut campaign, before moving to MLS to sign for Chicago Fire.
Daley Blind
Daley Blind became one of Louis van Gaal’s first signings at Manchester United after joining the club in a £13.8 million deal from Ajax.
Van Gaal was keen to reunite with the versatile Dutchman after coaching Blind during his time in charge of the Netherlands. Blind spent four seasons at Manchester United and made 141 appearances in all competitions, offering adaptability as he covered positions in midfield and the backline. He was surprisingly allowed to depart in 2018, and re-signed for Ajax for a fee of €16m.
Blind won seven Eredivise titles during his two spells at Ajax, before making a shock move to Bayern Munich in January 2023. The veteran signed a short-term deal with the Germans, for who he made five appearances and won a Bundesliga title last season.
The 33-year-old signed for Spanish high-flyers Girona on a free transfer last summer.
Marcel Sabitzer
Marcel Sabizter has spent time at both clubs, having joined Manchester United on loan from Bayern Munich during the 2022/23 campaign.
Sabitzer forged a reputation as one of the Bundesliga’s best box-to-box midfielders at RB Leipzig, but failed to cement a regular role after signing for Bayern Munich in 2021. The Austrian won a Bundesliga title during his first season in Munich, but was allowed to join Manchester United for the second half of last season.
Sabitzer made 18 appearances, scoring three goals, during his loan spell in the Premier League.
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