Eleven players, including current Barça midfielder Javier Mascherano, have played for the two teams set to clash in Sunday's Club World Cup Final
The eleven players who have played for both River Plate and FC Barcelona. / FCB PHOTOMONTAGE
With Sunday's Club World Cup Final between FC Barcelona and River Plate set to be the first official match between the two sides — who are separated by the 10,000 kilometer-wide expanse known as the Atlantic Ocean — it's worth taking a closer look at the relationship between the two clubs. Why? Because throughout history there have been eleven players who have played for both teams.
Of the eleven players listed below, Luis Cubilla, Juan Carlos Heredia and Juan Antonio Pizzi all went straight from Barça to River, while Roberto Bonano, Javier Saviola and Maxi Lápez all did the opposite, going directly from River to Barça. Saviola, moreover, is back with the team from Buenos Aires and, as he recently recognised, is about to face "one of the best teams in history."
Here's a look at the full list:
| PLAYER | NACIONALITY | POSITION | YEARS AT RIVER PLATE | YEARS AT BARÇA | OFFICIAL GAMES AND GOALS WITH BARÇA |
| Florencio Caffaratti | Argentina | Midfielder | 1939-40 | 1947-49 | 15 (7) |
| Miguel Loayza | Perú | Forward | 1966 | 1959-60 | 2 (2) |
| Luis Cubilla | Uruguay | Forward | 1964-68 | 1962-64 | 25 (4) |
| Juan Carlos Heredia | Argentina | Forward | 1980-81 | 1974-80 | 108 (29) |
| Juan Antonio Pizzi | Argentina | Forward | 1998-99 | 1996-98 | 74 (19) |
| Roberto Bonano | Argentina | Goalkeeper | 1996-01 | 2001-03 | 75 |
| Javier Saviola | Argentina | Forward | 1998-01 | 2001-04; 2006-07 | 177 (74) |
| Juan Pablo Sorín | Argentina | Defender | 1996-99 | 2003 | 15 (1) |
| Maxi López | Argentina | Forward | 2001-05 | 2005-06 | 20 (4) |
| Alexis Sánchez | Chile | Forward | 2007-08 | 2011-14 | 142 (47) |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | Defender / Midfielder | 2000-05 | 2010- | 252 |
