Conor Gallagher is on the verge of completing a transfer to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea with the England midfielder set for a new venture in Spain.
Gallagher will become the latest big name to have represented both Chelsea and the Spanish side, joining a rich history of players who have worn the colours of both clubs.
The 24-year-old will become the 16th player to have played for both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid and we’ve remembered five of the best to have done so.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Atletico Madrid capitalised on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s contact dispute at Leeds to sign the forward in a £10m deal in 1999. The Dutchman had won a share of the the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 1998-99 before his dissatisfaction with a contract offer led to an Elland Road exit.
Hasselbaink was an immediate hit in Spain as he scored 33 goals in 43 appearances, including a brace as Atletico beat arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu for the first time in nine years.
His 24 league goals saw Hasselbaink finish as runner-up for the Pichich Trophy as La Liga’s leading score, though his individual exploits were in contrast to Atletico’s results. The capital club ended the campaign 19th and were relegated to the Segunda Division, with Chelsea snapping up Hasselbaink in a £15m deal.
‘Oh Jimmy, Jimmy…’
What a goal. ???? pic.twitter.com/JfrIF8ZmN5
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 31, 2020
That fee represented a joint-Premier League record but Hasselbaink lived up to his billing. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in his debut season, becoming just the second player after Alan Shearer to have won the award with two different clubs.
Hasselbaink scored 87 goals in 177 appearances across four seasons at Chelsea before departing for Middlesbrough in 2004.
Iconic Duos: Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen – Fire and Ice
Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres became the hometown hope for Atletico Madrid after emerging from the academy ranks to help the capital club back into La Liga.
After establishing himself in the top-flight with a 13-goal campaign in 2002-03, Torres was named Atletico captain aged just 19. He scored 91 goals in 244 appearances for the Rojiblancos before Liverpool came calling to sign the Spanish striker in a £20m deal.
A day ‘El Niño’ won’t forget. ????⚽️#OnThisDay in 2001, @Torres scored his first goal for @atletienglish whilst playing in #LaLigaSmartBank! ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/pgiyA00FtL
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) June 3, 2020
Across three-and-a-half years at Anfield, Torres emerged as one of the finest forwards in European football as he struck 65 goals in 102 Premier League appearances. Chelsea then broke the British transfer record to sign ‘El Nino’ in January 2011 as the Blues parted with £50m for his services.
Torres failed to live up to expectations in West London, failing to muster more than eight league goals in any of his three seasons with the club. He did, however, have some big moments including a vital semi-final goal en route to Champions League success in 2012 and a crucial role in the club’s Europa League triumph a season later.
Torres returned to Atletico for a second spell in January 2015 and won the 2017-18 Europa League to claim his first major title with his boyhood side. He is the sixth-highest goalscorer in the club’s history.
Noughties Nines: Fernando Torres – El Niño
Radamel Falcao
Another striker who shone in Spain but struggled at Stamford Bridge. Atletico Madrid broke their transfer record by signing Falcao from FC Porto after the Colombian’s prolific exploits in Portugal.
Falcao had fired Porto to the Europa League in record-breaking fashion in 2010-11 before repeating the feat at Atletico during his debut season.
He scored 36 goals in all competitions, with his highlights including becoming the first La Liga player in a decade to score five goals in a single fixture and a brace in the Europa League final win over Athletic Bilbao.
#OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣
⚽️⚽️⚽️ @FALCAO ???? Chelsea ????????#Supercup | @Atleti | @atletienglish | @AtletiFR pic.twitter.com/2MfPIiKCVT
— UEFA.com DE (@UEFAcom_de) August 31, 2021
A Super Cup hat-trick downed European champions Chelsea to kick-start a 2012-13 campaign that ended with Copa del Rey success.
Falcao ended his time with Atleti having scored 70 goals in 91 games before a move to Monaco.
‘El Tigre’ signed on loan for Chelsea in 2015-16 after an ACL injury had halted his prolific form in France. He looked a shadow of his former self, however, scoring just once in 12 appearances.
Iconic Performances: Falcao hits hat-trick to stun Chelsea
Diego Costa
Chelsea’s search for the centre-forward presence that had been missing since Didier Drogba’s exit saw the Blues sign Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid.
The forward had scored 64 goals in 135 games for the Spanish side to earn interest from West London, including a 27-goal return as Atleti upset the odds to win La Liga in his final season. Chelsea, suitably convinced, splashed out £32m to bring him to the Premier League.
Costa proved to be an instant hit as he played an integral part in the club’s title success in 2014-15, scoring 20 times in the Premier League. Unafraid to ruffle the feathers of opposition defenders, the snarling Spaniard added a second Premier League title two seasons later and ended his time at Chelsea with 52 goals in just 89 league appearances.
Diego Costa at his peak was frightening ????@diegocosta | @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/pZXcwGPyaj
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 16, 2024
Costa returned to Atletico Madrid for a second spell after leaving England but was less prolific upon his return. He did, however, play his part in the club’s 2020-21 La Liga title win.
Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea’s farming of emerging talent has had its fair share of hits and misses, though Thibaut Courtois certainly fits into the former group.
The shot-stopper arrived from Genk before being loaned to Atletico Madrid, where across three seasons he developed into one of the world’s best goalkeepers.
Courtois helped Atleti to a host of honours, including the Europa League, Copa del Rey, La Liga and the 2014 Champions League final. He was also twice awarded the Zamora Trophy handed to the La Liga goalkeeper who has the lowest ‘goals-to-game’ ratio.
Chelsea brought back the Belgian to replace club great Petr Cech and Courtois won a clean sweep of domestic honours across four seasons at Chelsea, including Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017.
He departed for Real Madrid in 2018, where he has since claimed three league titles and two Champions League crowns.
Read – Ranked! Chelsea’s best ever Premier League goals
See more – Five of the best Chelsea kits of the Premier League era
