Liverpool take on Aston Villa at the weekend and, as it goes, a substantial number of players have represented both sides down the years.
Christian Benteke moved from Villa Park to Anfield last summer for a whopping £32.5m, and hasn’t had the impact that Reds fans would’ve hoped.
Stewart Downing was another recent big money signing from Villa that didn’t work out for the Reds.
Here’s an XI of guys that have pulled on both teams’ colours, some more successfully so than others.
GK: David James
The former England goalkeeper is fourth on the list of all-time Premier League appearances, and a large chunk of those – 214 to be precise – came at Liverpool before he moved on to Villa for £1.8m in 1999.
RB: Steve Staunton
The Irishman, who could play virtually anywhere and do a sterling job, had two spells for both clubs between 1986 and 2003.
CB: Tiago Ilori
Alright, this is kind of cheating, because he never actually appeared for Villa, but our options in defence are limited, so you’ll have to let us off.
CB: Stephen Warnock
The current Derby County defender was deployed mostly at left-back for the Reds, but played plenty of games at centre-back as a youngster coming through the academy. He left Anfield for Blackburn Rovers in 2007, and joined Villa two years later.
LB: Aly Cissokho
Nearly won the league with the Reds. He gave us plenty of memories during that season – not all of them good ones. Signed a four-year deal at Villa Park in 2014.
RM: James Milner
Had a season on loan at Villa from Newcastle in 2005-06, and returned to the West Midlands on a permanent basis in 2008. In total, Milner racked up 122 appearances for Villa, scoring 23 goals.
CM: Ray Houghton
A two-time league winner with the Reds, Houghton signed for Villa in 1992 and made his debut in their first ever Premier League game against Ipswich Town.
CM: Steve McMahon
Widely regarded as one of Liverpool’s best ever midfielders, it was Villa whom the Reds nabbed him from, in what was Kenny Dalglish’s first signing as manager at Anfield.
LM: Patrick Berger
Would get into the side based on the beauty of his locks alone, but his wand of a left foot is what really earns him his spot. Not many could strike a ball as sweetly as the Czech, whose time on Merseyside was unfortunately marred by injuries. The same can be said for his three years with the Villans.
ST: Stan Collymore
Absolutely unplayable on his day, the striker-turned-pundit registered 37 goals in his two seasons on Merseyside before moving to his beloved Villa.
ST: Dean Saunders
Joined Liverpool form Derby County for £2.9m in 1991, but only stayed with the Reds for one season. It was some campaign for the Welshman, though, as he netted 25 times and earned an FA Cup winner’s medal. Villa paid £2.3m for Saunders in September 1992, and he mustered 50 goals for them in three years.