sport news Raphael Varane: How have the eight stars to have played for Man United and Real ...

sport news Raphael Varane: How have the eight stars to have played for Man United and Real ...
sport news Raphael Varane: How have the eight stars to have played for Man United and Real ...

Raphael Varane is set to become the ninth footballer to play for both Manchester United and Real Madrid ahead of his impending £42million move to the Premier League.

The 28-year-old effectively confirmed the move at the end of last week after posting a farewell message to LaLiga giants Madrid on his Instagram, and addressed his colleagues to thank them for 10 'amazing' years at the club. 

The France World Cup winner has been a long-term target for the Old Trafford club and will now join some illustrious names to have represented the Spanish capital side and the Manchester outfit.

Raphael Varane is set to become the ninth star to play for Manchester United and Real Madrid

Raphael Varane is set to become the ninth star to play for Manchester United and Real Madrid

The centre-back has won three LaLiga titles and four Champions League crowns but now joins a list of stars to have won plenty of silverware in the Premier League and in Spain.

Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham are among the more high-profile household names to feature, but not all have succeeded at both clubs to the extent of the Portuguese in particular.

Here, Sportsmail assesses the previous eight stars to have represented United and Madrid and rates their respective stints at the European giants out of 10... 

Cristiano Ronaldo

Where else can you really begin than the Portuguese machine, who became a global star in Manchester and then became recognised as one of the game's greatest players while in Madrid?

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo turned from a boy with highlights in his hair to one of the most feared players on the planet, scoring 118 goals in 292 appearances across six seasons.

Three Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League crown is nothing to scoff at, but compares unfavourably to the four European crowns and two LaLiga titles he would win in Spain.

Ronaldo scored 450 goals for Madrid

He netted 118 times during his spell at Old Trafford

Cristiano Ronaldo became a global start at United and one of the game's greats at Madrid

A previous world-record fee of £80m was paid to United by Madrid in 2009 to bring Ronaldo to Spain, and his regular tussles with Lionel Messi for the Pichichi saw him net an incredible 450 goals in 438 games.

The greatest success story to link both United and Los Blancos, Ronaldo will be remembered as a legend at both clubs and a star who elevated two enormous European names to even greater heights. 

Manchester United rating: 9/10

Real Madrid rating: 10/10 

Gabriel Heinze

Injuries looked to have marred what could have been an excellent Premier League and LaLiga career for the Argentine.

There were promising signs for Heinze after he had joined from Paris Saint-Germain in 2004, being voted the club's Player of the Season at the end of his debut campaign.

But an injury in September 2005 - limiting him to just six appearances that season - along with the signing of Patrice Evra the following summer saw Heinze lose his place in the left-back role.

Heinze won United player of the season in his debut ccampaign

Heinze never truly established himself at Madrid

Gabriel Heinze struggled with injuries in Manchester and once he had moved to Madrid

He was drafted in at centre-back by Sir Alex Ferguson due to an injury crisis once he had returned but a lack of regular first-team action saw him demand a transfer to arch rivals Liverpool, actions that Heinze later stated he regretted.

That ended his working relationship with the Scot, who refused to let him move to Merseyside, but an £8m move to Madrid soon appeared as an alternative solution in 2007.

But further injuries and some poor form meant he never truly established himself in Spain despite making 60 appearances for them, with a move to Marseille transpiring in the summer of 2009.

Manchester United rating: 6/10

Real Madrid rating: 5/10 

Angel Di Maria

Heinze's compatriot Di Maria is only one of two players prior to Varane to have swapped Madrid for the red half of Manchester.

The French defender however will hope that his time at Old Trafford proves to be exponentially more successful than the Argentina star.

There were high hopes that the current PSG winger could propel United to another level alongside the likes of Radamel Falcao after what had been an exceptional four years in Spain's capital.

Di Maria played a starring role in the 2014 Champions League final

But he fell out with Louis van Gaal at United

Angel Di Maria excelled at the Bernabeu but was an expensive flop at Old Trafford

He proved to be a constant menace under Jose Mourinho in their 2010-11 LaLiga win and delivered a stunning performance in the 2014 Champions League final against rivals Atletico.

But it was a completely different story for Di Maria in Manchester, encountering problems with Louis van Gaal and the positions he would deploy him in, as well as failing to acclimatise to English football and developing a love for the city.

After 37 goals in 194 games and six trophies with Madrid, the Argentine would go trophyless and score just 33 goals in 122 appearances for United prior to a move to PSG where he has once again discovered his magic.

Manchester United rating: 3/10

Real Madrid rating: 8/10 

Laurie Cunningham 

Cunningham became the first British player ever to sign for Real Madrid in 1979 when he joined from West Brom for a reported 110m pesetas following a protracted period of negotiations.

Cunningham's life in Madrid

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