Ahead of Napoli’s visit from Milan in Serie A on Sunday evening, we take a look at a list of 10 players who have turned out for both the Partenopei and the Rossoneri over the course of their careers.
Fernando De Napoli (Napoli 1986-92, Milan 1992-94)
De Napoli was the first choice goalkeeper during the most celebrated spell in Napoli’s history, lifting two Scudettos in 1987 and 1990, before going on to join Milan immediately after, aged 28, where he made nine appearances across a two year spell, whilst the Rossoneri recorded back-to-back Serie A titles.
Giovanni Galli (Milan 1986-90, Napoli 1990-93)
In and around a similar time frame to De Napoli, Galli also played in goal for both clubs, albeit in the reverse order. Galli won back-to-back European Cups with Milan in 1989 and 1990 as well as the Serie A title in 1988, before moving on to Napoli in 1990, where he would go on to make 98 league appearances.
Paolo Di Canio (Napoli 1993-94, Milan 1994-96)
Di Canio is another example of a player who represented both the Partenopei and the Rossoneri, playing one season in Naples before switching to San Siro, where he was part of the squad that won the league title in his second season. After leaving Milan, Di Canio joined Celtic and went on to achieve cult-hero status in the United Kingdom.
Andre Cruz (Napoli 1994-97, Milan 1997-99)
Cruz had a prolific record for a defender, bagging 13 goals in 83 Serie A appearances during a four year spell for Napoli, before going on to join the Rossoneri. He was also a member of the Brazil squad that lost in the final of the 1998 World Cup.
Roberto Ayala (Napoli 1995-98, Milan 1998-2000)
Argentine centre-half Ayala made 87 appearances for Napoli in the mid-90s before making the switch to sign for Milan immediately after, where he was part of the 1998-99 Scudetto winning team.
Massimo Oddo (Milan 1993-99, 2007-12, Napoli 1999-00)
Oddo had two stints at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, but had to wait for his second coming to make his first league appearance for the club. The defender also spent one year in Naples, who picked him up from Milan after his first spell there ended at the end of the 90s.
Marek Jankulovski (Napoli 2000-02, Milan 2005-11)
Jankulovski joined Napoli off the back of a strong Euro 2020 campaign with Czech Republic and made 51 league appearances across Serie A and Serie B following the Partenopei’s relegation in 2001. He later went on to play for Milan for six seasons between 2005-11, winning the league, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Marco Storari (Napoli 2002-03, Milan 2007-10, 2017-18)
Storari spent large spells of his career playing as a back-up goalkeeper at some of the biggest clubs across Italy. He registered four appearances in Serie A for Napoli shortly after the turn of the millennium and made 10 for Milan between 2007-10. He rejoined the Rossoneri a decade after his initial signing, although didn’t make a single appearance during his second spell.
Ignazio Abate (Milan 2003-07, 2009-19, Napoli 2004-05)
Abate came through the youth ranks at Milan, although didn’t make a league appearance during his first spell at the club. He was sent on several loan spells, including to Napoli as a teenager, before returning to Milan in 2009, where he would go on to be a mainstay at right-back for the best part of a decade, winning the Serie A title in 2010-11.
Gabriel (Milan 2012-18, Napoli 2015-16)
The Brazilian goalkeeper had a six-year spell on the Milan books, making seven league appearances between 2012-18, during which time he had a period on loan with Napoli where he would make just one appearance in Serie A.