When Liverpool  and Real Madrid meet in the 2021-22 Champions League final on May 28 in Paris, it will be the next chapter in a rivalry that has seen both teams produce World Cup and Ballon d’Or winners.

Some of its talents have directly transferred between the Bernabeu and Anfield, while others have played for both heavyweights after previously playing for other clubs.

Sahin, Nuri
Surin, a Turkish midfielder, was 23 years old and the Bundesliga Player of the Year when he joined Real Madrid in 2011, signing for Jose Mourinho in a deal that fell short of his expectations as one of Europe’s most exciting possibilities.

Surin’s unlucky number was 12, since he was limited to only 12 appearances in Madrid due to injury, and only 12 times during a five-month loan at Liverpool the following season. He returned to Dortmund from 2014 and 2018, and is now the manager of Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Fernando Morientes
Targetman Morientes won La Liga twice and the Champions League three times during an extravagantly successful spell with Madrid between 1997 and 2005.

After averaging more than a goal every three games for his former club, Morientes managed less than one in five for Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup and Super Cup but was cup-tied for the Reds’ Champions League triumph shortly after he joined them.

The 2003-04 Champions League top scorer returned to Spain with Valencia in 2006 and moved to Marseille in 2009, retiring the following year.

Fabinho
Brazil midfielder Fabinho could be seen as a player Madrid let escape their grasp, having somewhat mysteriously played for the club’s reserves and made a sole senior appearance during a loan move from Portuguese side Rio Ave during the 2012-13 season.

Five years at Monaco – the first two on loan – culminated in Fabinho catching the eye of Klopp, who signed him in 2018 for around £39 million ($47.5 million).

Fabinho completed his move little more than a month after Liverpool lost the 2018 Champions League final 3-1 to Madrid, and Klopp hopes he will be available to face the Spanish champions in the 2022 final.

The 28-year-old appeared to clutch his hamstring as he was forced off during Liverpool’s Premier League win at Aston Villa on May 10, but his manager says he should be ready to return at the Parc des Princes.

Owen, Michael
When he scored on his debut for Liverpool as a 17-year-old in 2017, England’s sixth-highest goal scorer looked every inch the potential Three Lions icon.

Owen won the Ballon d’Or in 2001, beating Real Madrid icon Raul, by which time he had made a magnificent debut on the international stage.

After joining Real Madrid in 2004, Owen had to compete for a starting spot with the likes of Raul and Ronaldo, and he left a season later with a decent record – for a player who was mostly used as a replacement – of 16 goals in 46 games.

Owen was a faded force by then, despite the fact that he had not yet reached peak age for most strikers. His fall from grace was as quick as his rise to the hall of fame.

Owen went on to have unremarkable periods with Newcastle, Manchester United, and Stoke City, where he won his only league trophy, in 2011.

Steve McManaman
Owen was perhaps hoping to emulate the success of former team-mate Steve McManaman’s path from Merseyside to Madrid.

The tricky winger had been a key figure in Liverpool’s success between 1990 and 1999 and one of the best widemen of the early Premier League years, tempting Madrid to swoop when he could not agree a new contract.

The move paid off handsomely for the man whose solitary FA Cup and EFL Cup wins had seemed scant return for his often-thrilling performances in a red shirt.

McManaman won the Champions League twice between 1999 and 2002, La Liga in 2001 and 2003 and the Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Super Cup.

He joined Manchester City between 2003 and 2005 and can now occasionally be seen alongside Owen in their roles as pundits.

Nunez, Antonio
While it would be an exaggeration to call Nunez a one-season wonder for either club, the right-winger spent the 2003-04 season as a supporting player for Real Madrid before joining Liverpool as part of the Owen transfer ahead of the start of the next season.

Nunez was a semi-regular with Liverpool for one season, winning the Champions League and became the club’s only player to score in a cup final.

Alonso, Xabi
When Alonso, the elegant midfielder who scored the equalizer in Liverpool’s thrilling Champions League final win over AC Milan, left for Real Madrid for £30 million ($36.5 million) in 2009, Liverpool fans were upset.

Alonso is also a fan favorite at Real Madrid, where he helped the club win La Liga and the Champions League in 2013-14, among other honors.

It’s no surprise that Pep Guardiola signed Alonso to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he won the Bundesliga in each of his three seasons with the club. He has since coached at the youth level for Real Madrid.