Liverpool host Manchester City on Sunday in the latest instalment of their rivalry
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James Milner and Daniel Sturridge in action for Liverpool.
James Milner played for both Liverpool and Manchester City.
(Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Liverpool and Manchester City take centre stage on Sunday as they battle it out in the Premier League. The Reds could move 11 points clear at the top with a win as they come up against Pep Guardiola's out-of-form side.
The encounter between the two North West clubs is arguably one of the biggest meetings between the two sides in recent years, following their long-running battle to reach the top-flight summit as well as the 2022 FA Cup semi-final. One player who has crossed both sides of the M62 in the red and sky blue half is James Milner.
The midfielder signed for the Citizens in 2010 after agreeing a £26million move from Aston Villa, he went on to make 203 appearances for the club - scoring 19 times and contributing 39 assists. He won the Premier League twice during his time at the Etihad Stadium, adding an FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield to his list of honours in Greater Manchester.
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Five years later, the Reds moved to lure the then-29-year-old to Anfield at the end of his City contract, under Brendan Rodgers. And the veteran midfielder would go on to become a Liverpool icon under Jurgen Klopp - featured 332 times for the Reds during a trophy-laden spell at Anfield.
His move across the north west saw him feature as part of the team that looked to gazump his former club to league, domestic cup and European success. In doing so, Milner would help lead Liverpool to a first Premier League crown as well as feature in their path to world domination - winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup - before leaving in 2023.
Speaking after Liverpool's FA Cup win in 2022, his decision to join the Reds was vindicated. He said: "That’s why I came here.
"That was the hope, it was part of the drive. When I went to City they hadn’t won anything for a long time and it was great to be part of that, the start of their success, winning leagues and cups.
"Liverpool is an incredible club with incredible history, but it hadn’t been as successful, hadn’t won the Premier League, which was baffling. That was the aim, and if we could do that, win a Premier League here, that would be special. It’s a process, and the process has been incredible."