Barcelona and PSG meet tonight in the Champions League in a clash between two of Europe’s heavyweights. Ahead of kick-off, we look at some of the players who have worn both shirts.
Ousmane Dembélé
The winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or made the switch to PSG in 2023 after six seasons at Barcelona. Dembélé’s time in Spain was disrupted by injuries, most notably the 2019/20 season where he missed 38 games.
While he returned a respectable 40 goals and 41 assists in 185 games – as well as winning five domestic trophies – Dembélé’s time at Barcelona never lived up to expectations.
At PSG, Dembélé has finally reached the potential that has been evident since he first broke through at Rennes.
35 goals, 16 assists, the treble and a Ballon d’Or – 2024/25 was quite the season for the French forward.
Ronaldinho
Before dazzling the Camp Nou, Ronaldinho lit up Ligue 1 with his moments of magic.
His time in France was brief – lasting only two seasons – but Ronaldinho is still fondly remembered for his role in an exciting PSG team that featured Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka. The Brazilian regularly fell out with club management over his love of the Parisian nightlife, but he still contributed 25 goals and 19 assists in 77 games for PSG.
Barcelona’s signing of Ronaldinho ushered in a new era for the Catalan giants. Xavi and Lionel Messi have both publicly eulogised about the role Ronaldinho played in kickstarting the glory days that Barcelona enjoyed for more than a decade after his arrival. Two La Liga titles, a Champions League crown and a Ballon d’Or confirmed his place among the all-time greats.
Maxwell
One of football’s ultimate professionals, Maxwell was a key player for every team he played for. At the time of his retirement, he was the most decorated active player in Europe with 30 official titles.
He spent three seasons at Barcelona, winning a Champions League in 2011 as part of Pep Guardiola’s golden side. Following his move to PSG he became a serial winner, collecting four Ligue 1 titles and cementing his reputation as a dependable left-back.
Lionel Messi
In the debate for greatest to ever play the game. Messi’s peak was spent at Barcelona where he collected ten La Liga titles, four Champions League titles and seven Ballon d’Ors.
In 2021, he stunned the world by joining PSG, where he added two Ligue 1 titles before sealing his legacy further with World Cup glory for Argentina.
Despite lining up alongside Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, Messi was unable to inspire PSG to Champions League glory during his time in France.
Neymar
The effects of Neymar’s world-record €222m switch from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 are still being felt; it changed football forever.
At Barcelona, Neymar had formed part of one of the most feared attacks in history alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, winning the treble in 2014/15. Despite hitting 105 goals and 76 assists at Barcelona, he was forever in Messi’s shadow so made the move to PSG in 2017 with the intention of establishing himself as the best player in the world.
He won five Ligue 1 titles but was unable to win either the Ballon d’Or or Champions League before his ill-fated move to Al-Hilal.
Thiago Motta
A metronome in the midfield for both Barcelona and PSG.
Having initially joined Barcelona B, Motta graduated to the first team in 2001, where he remained on the fringes until his exit in 2007. Whilst he was unable to nail down a starting role, he did play a role in the 2006 Champions League winning side.
Following spells with Atlético Madrid, Genoa and Inter Milan, Motta joined PSG where he enjoyed great success, winning five Ligue 1 titles.
Ludovic Giuly
Giuly was a key figure in Barcelona’s 2006 Champions League win, where his pace and clinical finishing made him a menace in the opposition half. Having won the European title in Paris, it was fitting that he later joined PSG, bringing experience and quality into the attack.
Unlike many of the other players on this list, Giuly’s time at PSG wasn’t laden with trophies, picking up only one Coupe de France in his three seasons.
Dani Alves
One of the greatest attacking full-backs of all time, Alves won everything at Barcelona.
His overlapping runs and pinpoint deliveries were decisive towards six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues.
Following a short spell with Juventus, Alves joined PSG where he went on to win two Ligue 1 trophies.
He retired as one of football’s most decorated players having picked up 43 trophies.
Lucas Digne
Digne struggled to hold down a consistent starting position for either Barcelona or PSG before moving to the Premier League. After developing at Lille, Digne spent two seasons at PSG before making the move to Barcelona in 2016. The left-back was part of the 2017/18 La Liga winning squad but only started eight league games.
Digne moved to Everton in 2018 before moving to Aston Villa in 2022.
Rafinha
A product of the famed La Masia academy, Rafinha showed flashes of quality in Barcelona’s midfield but was never able to nail down a starting role. After several loans, he joined PSG permanently in 2020. Injuries disrupted his impact and limited his minutes, but his technical ability was clear whenever he was on the pitch.
