Real Madrid vs Chelsea head to head: From Robben to Hazard, stars who've worn both colours

Real Madrid and Chelsea gear up for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final showdown at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on Tuesday, April 27. Los Blancos booked their spot in the final four courtesy of a 3-1 aggregate victory over Liverpool in the quarter-finals, while Chelsea survived a late scare against Porto to beat the Primeira Liga giants 2-1 over two legs. However, ahead of the highly-anticipated UCL semi-final contest, here's a look at some of the players (past and present) that have donned the jersey for both teams. 

Players who played for both Real Madrid and Chelsea

Arjen Robben's transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2007- The Dutch winger joined Chelsea in 2004 and helped the Blues to two Premier League titles before making a move to Real Madrid in 2007. Los Blancos paid a whopping 24 million (€35 million) for Robben's services at the time and he helped the Spanish giants to a League title before leaving for Bayern Munich in 2009. 

Ricardo Carvalho transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2010- The Portuguese centre-back joined Chelsea in 2004 and spent six years at Stamford Bridge, winning three Premier League titles, before Real Madrid signed him in 2010. The Spanish side paid a reported fee of  £6.7 million (€7.9 million) for Carvalho and he won a league title with them before joining Monaco in 2013. 

Eden Hazard transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019- Eden Hazard spent seven years at Stamford Bridge, winning two PL titles before joining Real Madrid in 2019. At the time, Hazard became Real Madrid's most expensive signing at £127 million (€146.1 million). Despite his injury woes, Hazard has one league title with Real Madrid and is in line to face his former club on Tuesday. 

Thibaut Courtois transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2018- The Belgian shot-stopper joined Chelsea in 2011 but was loaned out to Atletico Madrid for three seasons. He won two PL titles with Chelsea before returning to the Spanish capital in 2018 — to join Real Madrid. Courtois became the most expensive goalkeeper signed by a LaLiga team at £35 million (€40 million). He's also the only player to have won a league title with both Atletico and Real Madrid and is also in line to face his former club on Tuesday night. 

Claude Makelele transfer from Real Madrid to Chelsea in 2003- The French midfielder spent three years at the Spanish capital, winning the UCL and two league titles with the Spanish giants. He then moved to London to join Chelsea in 2003 in a deal worth £16.8 million (€19.3 million) and won two PL titles with the English side during his five-year stay. 

Real Madrid vs Chelsea prediction and preview

Real Madrid go into this game on the back of a disappointing goalless stalemate with Real Betis in LaLiga. Zinedine Zidane's men are now in second place on the Spanish league table, two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

Meanwhile, Chelsea boosted their top-four prospects with a 1-0 win at West Ham United. Thomas Tuchel's Blues are now three points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United. 

Given that Real Madrid had been serial winners of the competition in Zidane's first tenure, the Frenchman is aware of how to handle big games towards the business end of the season. However, Tuchel also recently guided PSG to their maiden UCL final appearance only to lose out to Bayern Munich. Our prediction for the first leg is a 2-1 win for Real Madrid. 

Real Madrid vs Chelsea head to head record

These two teams have played each other in European competitions three times. Chelsea have come out victorious on two occasions with one game ending in a draw. Real Madrid are yet to register a competitive win over the Blues. 

Image Credits - Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois Instagram / premierleague.com