Raul and Teemu Pukki to Villa and Duff – Team-mates you never knew

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Over the decades, a whole host of players have complemented each other on the pitch to get the best for their teams. Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard were irresistible for Liverpool, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo helped Manchester United dominate for years, and John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were imperious at the back for Chelsea. But there are a plethora of players you never knew were team-mates – and Express Sport takes a closer look at them.

David Villa and Damien Duff

David Villa is most well-known for his scoring exploits for Barcelona, Valencia and the Spain national team. But the ex-striker headed to Australia in 2014 to play for Melbourne City on loan from New York City.

And he ended up playing alongside Chelsea icon Damien Duff, who had joined the club a few months earlier. Villa only appeared four times for the team, 11 times fewer than Duff, as Melbourne finished the season in fifth place in the league table.

Raul and Teemu Pukki

Spain legend Raul won three Champions League trophies during his time at Real Madrid. But after quitting the Bernabeu Stadium in 2010 following 323 goals for the club, he moved to Schalke. And during his second season in Germany, he played alongside Norwich forward Teemu Pukki. Raul bagged 21 goals in 47 games that season, while Pukki returned 10 goals in 27 matches.

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Dida and Alisson

Brazilian goalkeeper Dida spent 13 years at AC Milan and helped the club win two Champions League titles. But he ended his playing days with Internacional in his homeland.

Dida initially held the No 1 position after arriving at the club and mentored the young Alisson Becker. But Alisson eventually wrestled the goalkeeping jersey away from his more experienced rival, before moving to Europe in 2016, where he played for Roma ahead of a move to Liverpool two years later.

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William Saliba and Wesley Fofana

Arsenal ace William Saliba and Chelsea star Wesley Fofana are among the best defenders in the Premier League. But the duo actually played alongside each other for Saint-Etienne between 2018 and 2020.

Both players came through the Saint-Etienne youth system and made 36 and 30 first-team appearances respectively. Saliba signed for the Gunners in 2019 before returning to the French club on loan, while Fofana switched to Leicester in October 2020. But the duo have experienced contrasting fortunes this season, with Saliba helping Arsenal storm to the top of the Premier League table, while Fofana’s Chelsea team currently find themselves in 10th position.

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