Manchester City and Inter Milan meet in Saturday's Champions League final and, as well as having that in common, they have also shared plenty of players over the years.

Some have played more significant roles, with one current Nerazzurri star hoping to bring his former employers down in Istanbul.

City are 2/9 To Lift the Trophy for the first time, while a fourth Inter success is 10/3.

Ousmane Dabo

A France international who was selected alongside the World Cup winners Bixente Lizarazu, Robert Pires, Marcel Desailly, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram and Fabian Barthez for the 2003 Confederations Cup, Dabo also won two Coppa Italias with Lazio, either side of two seasons as a Citizens.

His time in Manchester between 2006 and 2008 did not prove successful and it was arguably in Italy where he played his best football, making his first steps into Serie A with Inter in 1998 and also enjoying spells with Parma and Atalanta.

Felipe Caicedo

A broad-shouldered striker who failed to throw his weight around, Caicedo had the potential to be a superstar but could not settle in England, scoring just seven times.

City’s spending was also against him, with Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez’s arrivals coinciding with his time in England.

He played his best football on loan in Portugal and Spain before signing for Lokomotiv Moscow in 2011.

After a decent run at Lazio, he joined Genoa in August 2021, but switched to Inter on loan for the rest of that season, failing to net in three appearances and he currently features for Saudi side Abha.

Patrick Vieira

Roberto Mancini's first signing as City manager, Vieira was 33 when he joined from Inter in January 2010, but after successful spells with Arsenal, Juventus and the Nerazzurri, it was widely viewed that his best days were behind him.

However, a key attribute that Mancini had identified in the Frenchman was bringing a “winner's mentality” to the Etihad as he looked to take the club to the next level following the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.

Vieira's legs may have gone, but his off-field influence remained, staying on for an extra season and making a late appearance as a substitute in the 2011 FA Cup final before retiring to take on a development role with the Citizens.

Mario Balotelli

Why always me? T-shirts aside, Balotelli never fulfilled his talent, but still had his moments for both clubs and currently plays in Switzerland for Sion.

The forward made 40 appearances during Inter's treble-winning season of 2009/10 before switching to the Citizens that summer to reunite with former Nerazzurri boss Mancini.

Balotelli started the following season's FA Cup final, helping the club claim their first major trophy in 35 years, before laying on the assist for Sergio Aguero's famous final day winner against Queens Park Rangers.

Aleksandar Kolarov

Another Serie A star to join City from Serie A in 2010 was Kolarov, a swashbuckling left-back who eventually found himself as a ball-playing centre-half under Pep Guardiola.

After helping City win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a pair of EFL Cups, he departed for Roma in 2017, spending three seasons in the Eternal City before joining Inter.

Similar to Vieira, while Kolarov's best days were behind him, he brought a fierce determination to the Nerazzurri's dressing room and his off-field influence helped the club win the Scudetto in 2020/21.

Stevan Jovetic

Jovetic was a bright young thing when he joined City from Fiorentina in 2013 but struggled to transfer his Serie A form to the Premier League.

The Montenegrin helped win the Premier League and EFL Cup in 2013/14, but failed to find a regular place in the team.

A loan move to Inter came around in 2015/16 before he joined permanently in 2016/17, but again struggled for regular gametime and, after spells with Sevilla and Monaco, is currently playing in Germany for recently-relegated Hertha Berlin.

David Pizarro

Pizarro also played a role in the 2011/12 Premier League title win, making five league appearances after joining on loan from Roma in January 2012.

The diminutive yet feisty midfielder’s lack of action meant he failed to meet the criteria to earn a medal and he most notably scored off the bench in the Europa League against Porto.

City decided not to pursue a permanent deal and Roma sold him to Fiorentina, his fourth Italian club after earlier spending time with Udinese and Inter, helping the latter claim the 2005/06 Serie A and Coppa Italia under Mancini.

Maicon

Signed in the summer of 2012, Maicon was another former Inter star who reunited with Mancini at the Etihad.

The Brazilian played a significant role in Mourinho's treble-winning season, providing attacking thrust down the right flank and played his part in four straight Serie A successes between 2006-10.

Maicon's form slipped as Inter's did and he joined City in 2012, but could not recapture his previous heights, heading back to Italy and Roma the following year.

Edin Dzeko

A player who scored one of the most important goals in City's history, but who will be looking to take them down on Saturday.

Dzeko netted the equaliser to pave the way for Aguero's winner in the famous 3-2 final day win over QPR in 2011/12.

After scoring 72 goals in 189 games in all competitions for City between 2011 and 2015, the 37-year-old left for Roma in 2015, initially on loan, before switching to Inter in 2021 and is 4/1 to score at Anytime on Saturday.

Joao Cancelo

Another player still in the picture, albeit somewhat out of focus, is Joao Cancelo, who has picked up league winners' medals with both City and Bayern Munich this season.

Formerly a darling of Guardiola due to his ability to step into midfield from left-back, the pair look to have fallen out and the 29-year-old was sent out on loan to Bayern in January.

There appears to be no way back and he could be set to join another of Europe's great clubs.

Having come through the ranks at Benfica and gone on to Valencia and Juventus, Cancelo also spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Inter, before signing for Juve the following summer.

bet365 News Team

• Manchester City F.C.
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