From the “enemy” captain to the “nameless” goalkeeper.

One of last weekend’s key Premier League matches was the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. The match did not give extravagance, ending with the score 0: 0, but it attracted attention with at least one episode. Namely, the release of defender Conor Cody in Everton. The 29-year-old from England surprised many last summer when he moved from Wolverhampton to Everton. Not because the Wolves have more perspectives than the Toffees, but because of their past.

Cody attended Liverpool academy where he spent nine long years. And his son is already playing in the Everton youth system. And Cody himself insists that he has always been “blue” in his soul, not “red”:

Many in my family are blue. My uncle is blue. So for him my move to Everton is a source of pride. I think I know half of Everton fans when we play at Goodison Park. Because there are all my friends, relatives – they all have season tickets. It is an incredible feeling to come back to Liverpool and play for this club.

Many people know of the highest degree of principled confrontation between Everton and Liverpool. But is it worth saying that players who have played for both clubs are an incredible rarity? In the era of the Premier League there were very few. And now we will remember them all.

Nick Barmby – Everton (1996-2000), Liverpool (2000-2002)

The winger made headlines in England when he moved to Everton in 1996 for a record £ 5.75m transfer from Middlesbrough. But four years later, his story got even stronger, because for the first time since striker Dave Hickson in 1959, Everton sold a player to their bitter enemies.

Barmby spent two years at Anfield and joined Liverpool which won the League Cup, the FA Cup and the Cup Uefa. But many remember him as the first Everton player to be sold to Liverpool in four decades.

David Burroughs – Liverpool (1988-1993), Everton (1994-1995)

Burrows spent five years at Liverpool, but only his last year at Anfield came during the Premier League era. Therefore, he still made it to our list. Burroughs then had a short stint at West Ham, after which David went to Everton. Burrows only played for six months with the Toffees, playing in 23 games before joining Coventry.

However, Burroughs played a prominent role in Everton’s historic FA Cup campaign in 1994/95. He ended up at Liverpool, moving there from West Bromwich Albion in 1988. He left a mark not as noticeable as other “defectors”.

Don Hutchinson – Liverpool (1990-1994), Everton (1998-2000)

At Anfield, Hutchinson developed collaborations with Scottish natives Dalglish and Souness. But afterwards he not only played for Everton but also captained the Toffees at one point when Dave Watson was sidelined.

Between Liverpool and Everton were West Ham and Sheffield United, which should have mitigated the effect of Hutchinson playing on both Merseyside teams. Eventually, the dispute over a contract with Everton forced Don to go to Sunderland. However, the captain of the “toffees”, who played four years for Liverpool, will go down in history.

Sander Westerfeld – Liverpool (1999-2001), Everton (2006)

In this list, the Dutch Westerfeld was until recently the only goalkeeper. Another will be added later. In the late 1990s, this goalkeeper impressed everyone with his performance for Liverpool in his first season there. However, the following season, a series of mistakes knocked him off the roster. Among these mistakes was the expulsion in the Everton derby.

Westerfeld’s experience with Liverpool did not prevent David Moyes, who had been at the helm of Everton for a long time, from signing a short-term contract with the Dutchman a few years later. It happened in 2006, when the “taffy” was covered by a wave of injuries and goalkeepers lost. In addition to Liverpool and Everton in England, Westerfeld also managed to play for Portsmouth.

Abel Xavier – Everton (1999-2002), Liverpool (2002-2003)

A very brilliant player of the Portuguese national team, who until recently coached the Mozambique national team. Many people may remember this. Xavier also boasts a unique result: he played for both teams in the Merseyside derby in the same season. Xavier sometimes glowed and really glowed.

He scored in his first game for Liverpool against Ipswich Town. And Abel ended his Los Angeles Galaxy career with David Beckham, after which he started coaching. And until recently he was the last player to go directly from one Liverpool club to another.

Andy Lonergan – Liverpool (2019-2020), Everton (2021-present)

Rafael Benitez (another defector by the way, but coach and with a long hiatus over the years) failed to win love at Goodison Park, where he spent only six months, while coaching at Liverpool for six years. It certainly didn’t help when former Reds goalkeeper Lonergan became one of Everton’s first signings under Benitez.

But it’s worth noting that the 38-year-old was on the bench when Liverpool won the Super Bowl. Uefa and the Club World Cup in the 2019/20 season. And Reds manager Jurgen Klopp personally handed him the 2020 Premier League medal despite he was not eligible for it.

At the same time, having moved to Everton, Lonergan has not yet played for him. And that puts it in a unique position. The goalkeeper has managed to visit the player from both Liverpool clubs, but he has not yet played for either of them.