Played For Both: Palace & Manchester City

Club

4 Apr 2024

Crystal Palace host Manchester City at Selhurst Park in the Premier League this weekend, our first home match in just short of a month.

The Eagles have also enjoyed some eye-catching results against Pep Guardiola’s City team in recent seasons, including away victories in 2018 and 2021 and draws at the Etihad in 2022 and – of course – December 2023.

The Eagles were also the only team to stop the Citizens from scoring in 2021/22, and earlier this season staged the most dramatic of late comebacks to secure a 2-2 draw in the North-West.

To warm up ahead of the Premier League clash, then, here are just five of the players to have made recent senior appearances for both clubs…

Danny Granville

(City 1999 (loan), 1999-2001; Palace 2001-2007)

Nowadays developing himself as a coach, London-born left-back Granville burst onto the scene at Cambridge United in the mid-90s, prompting moves to Chelsea, Leeds and – initially on loan – City, where he made over 50 appearances, scoring twice and helping the Blues to win promotion to the Premier League.

Granville fell out of favour, however, spending a brief time on loan at Norwich City before moving to Palace in 2001.

During his six years in south London, Granville earned yet another promotion to the top-flight in 2004, having consolidated fans’ favourite status by netting an iconic free-kick in 2002 – the only goal of a game in which we defeated local rivals Millwall.

Sun Jihai

(Palace 1998-1999 (loan); City 2002-2008)

Sun Jihai famously sprung to the attention of Terry Venables during China’s friendly against England ahead of Euro 96 and, two years later, he recruited the defender – plus compatriot Fan Zhiyi – at the start of his second spell as Palace manager, making the duo the first-ever Chinese footballers to play in the English leagues and attracting worldwide attention in the process.

While Fan would go on to be voted the Eagles’ Player of the Year in 2001, Sun’s spell at Palace was considerably shorter-lived, as he was recalled towards the end of the 98/99 season – albeit after having made over 20 appearances – to assist Dalian in a relegation battle.

The defender eventually moved back to English football with City in February 2002, spending six years in the North-West and earning cult status among their fanbase for his efforts.

Carlo Nash

(Palace 1996-1998, City 2001-2003)

Taking an unconventional route into professional football, goalkeeper Carlo Nash played at Wembley in his first full season in the game – with Clitheroe in the FA Vase final – and, the following week, was snapped up by Palace mere days later.

The then-23-year-old’s jump up seven leagues would soon result in Nash once again playing at Wembley, however, as he became first-choice towards the end of the 96/97 campaign and enjoyed a second date with destiny at Wembley as Palace won promotion to the Premier League via the First Division play-offs.

The Bolton-born ‘stopper would return to the North-West a year later after joining Stockport County, before being sold to City in 2001, where he played his part in another promotion to the Premier League with 25 appearances in the Citizens’ First Division title-winning campaign.

Christopher ‘Kit’ Symons

(City 1995-1998, Palace 2001-2005)

Wales international Symons represented just four clubs across a 17-year career in professional football, making more than 100 league appearances for the first three: Portsmouth, City and Fulham.

He signed for Palace in 2001 for a reported fee of £400,000 and, despite a relatively short career with the club, the veteran defender put in some strong displays during a turbulent time to help keep them in the second tier.

Symons later enjoyed a successful stint as caretaker manager in 2003 as he guided the Eagles away from danger once again, and was assistant manager when the club won promotion to the Premier League in 2004.

Michael Hughes

(City 1988-1992, Palace 2003-2007)

Palace cult hero Michael Hughes' career began with semi-professional Northern Ireland outfit Carrick Rangers, from where the attacking midfielder was scouted as a teenager by City, scoring once in 32 appearances in the North-West.

Hughes switched to Strasbourg in August 1992 and, having famously denied Manchester United the 94/95 Premier League title with a goal in West Ham United colours while on loan, went on to have spells at Wimbledon and Birmingham before signing for Palace in 2003.

The Northern Irishman’s time at Selhurst Park concluded after four seasons as a die-hard fan favourite, captaining the Eagles in the Premier League and amassing almost 150 appearances for the south Londoners.

Read our recent interview with Hughes right here.

Further players

While the list above (and indeed below) is by no means exhaustive, other players to have represented both clubs include:

Emmanuel Adebayor
Clive Allen
Bill Blackshaw
Lee Bradbury
John Burridge
Malcolm Comrie
Paul Dickov
Mark Kennedy
Roy Little
Jon Macken
Ryan McGivern
Eddie McGoldrick
Alex Nimely
Jamie Pollock
Scott Sinclair
Tony Scully
Gareth Taylor

Off-the-pitch connections

Managerial crossover is a running theme between Palace and City, with seminal leader Malcolm Allison having taken the reins in both Manchester (between 1971-1973 and 1979-1980) and SE25 (1973-1976 and 1980-1981).

Allison’s time at Palace saw the club reach an FA Cup semi-final in 75/76, adopt their now-famous red-and-blue colours, and replace their former nickname ‘The Glaziers’ with the ‘Eagles’ moniker we know and love today.

Arguably Palace’s most successful modern-day manager, Steve Coppell, also led both clubs from the sidelines, taking the Eagles to the 1990 FA Cup final, victory in the Zenith Data Systems Cup, and their highest-ever league finish (third in Division One) in 90/91.

Coppell’s time in Manchester was rather more short-lived, however, as he spent 33 days in charge of City in 1996 before opting to resign.

Former Palace manager Patrick Vieira – a World Cup and Premier League winner in his playing days – closed out his career at City at the end of the 2010/11 season, moving into the role of Football Development Executive at the City Football Group before progressing onto New York City FC, Nice and Palace.

Current Palace assistant coach Paddy McCarthy graduated from City’s academy, but never featured for the first-team; and Chris Coleman, Wayne Hennessey and Michael Olise also all had time in City’s development programmes.

In addition, another former Palace boss – the late, great Trevor Francis, who led the Eagles between 2001 and 2003 – was a prolific goalscorer for City in the early ‘80s.

Former Ivory Coast international Abdul Razak spent time at both academies; Palace fans’ favourite Attilio Lombardo spent a season coaching City’s reserve squad; and Eddie McGoldrick, who represented both teams in the ‘90s as a midfielder, has been a coach at Palace’s Academy for the best part of a decade.

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