Players who played for Liverpool and Everton

The Merseyside divide between Liverpool and Everton isn’t crossed very often, but it’s happened more times than you might think.

We’ve trawled through the history books to pick out a selection of the most notable names to represent both the Reds and the Blues.

In the spirit of the Merseyside derby, let’s get stuck in, shall we?

Liverpool’s number one in their FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup-winning campaign of 2000/01, Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld had a short loan spell at Everton in 2006.

Joining on an emergency basis from Portsmouth amid a goalkeeping crisis, the six-time Netherlands international played two games for David Moyes’ Toffees.

The first player to feature in all four divisions of English football in a 12-month period, Tony McNamara turned out for Everton, Liverpool, Crewe Alexandra and Bury from 1957 to 1958.

A winger, Merseyside-born McNamara spent the first decade of his career at Goodison Park, making more than 100 appearances for the Toffees.

Unmissable for his bleach-blond hair and beard, 20-cap Portugal defender Abel Xavier arrived in English football when he joined Everton from PSV in 1999.

The right-back made the switch to Liverpool in January 2002 and found the net on his Reds debut against Ipswich – but only ended up featuring 21 times during his spell at Anfield.

Hailing from nearby rugby league heartland St Helens, Conor Coady came through Liverpool’s youth ranks and made two first-team appearances for the Reds.

The former England centre-back spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Everton from Wolves and thought he’d scored the winner in the Merseyside derby at Goodison – only to see his goal ruled out for offside.

While he’s mainly associated with Everton – for whom he played a key role in two First Division title victories and Cup Winners’ Cup success during the 80s – Kevin Sheedy did also pull on the shirt of the Blues’ arch-rivals.

The left-sided midfielder – who won 46 caps for the Republic of Ireland – turned out three times for Liverpool, having been signed from Hereford United in 1978.

A 1989/90 First Division champion and 1991/92 FA Cup winner with Liverpool, David Burrows racked up almost 200 appearances for the Reds.

The ex-England U21 left-back departed for West Ham in 1993 but was back on Merseyside the following year, spending six months at Everton before moving on to Coventry.

Outside left Johnny Morrissey made the vast majority of his career appearances for Everton, starring in their 1961/62 First Division title triumph.

He signed for the Blues in 1962 in controversial circumstances – being sold without the knowledge of Liverpool manager Bill Shankly – and netted on his debut, in a 2-2 home Merseyside derby draw.

Signed by Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish from fourth-tier Hartlepool for £175,000 in 1991, Don Hutchison spent just over two years at Anfield.

Following spells with West Ham and Sheffield United, he joined Everton in 1998 and became a regular in fellow Scot Walter Smith’s midfield – earning the first of his 26 Scotland caps while at Goodison.

Star centre-forward for Everton as they won their very first Football League title in 1890/91, Fred Geary was banging the goals in for the Blues before Liverpool had even been formed.

Geary – who struck three times in just two caps for England – would squeeze in a stint with the Reds right at the end of his career, though, helping them to the 1895/96 Second Division championship.

Former England attacking midfielder Nick Barmby made the £6m move directly from Everton to Liverpool in the summer of 2000, becoming the first player to be sold by the Blues to the Reds in 41 years.

And he came back to haunt his old employers, opening the scoring in a 3-1 derby victory at Anfield a matter of months after his transfer.

A two-time top-flight champion with Liverpool in the late 80s and early 90s, Gary Ablett lifted the FA Cup on both sides of Stanley Park – featuring for the Reds as they beat Everton in the 1989 final.

The popular defender turned out more than 100 times for both clubs, with whom he later held youth coaching roles.

A striker who scored over 100 goals for Liverpool between 1919 and 1927, Dick Forshaw goes down in history as the only player to win league titles on both sides of the Merseyside divide.

He swapped the Reds for Everton in 1929 and later had a spell in the Second Division with Wolves.

Forward Dave Hickson began his career at Everton in 1948 and had two stints at Goodison Park, firing them to the top flight with 25 goals in the 1953/54 Second Division.

In 1959, he left for Liverpool – where he proved to be even more prolific, getting on the scoresheet 37 times in 60 Second Division outings.

A firm fan favourite in the red half of Merseyside, Steve McMahon played a prominent part in three First Division title successes and two FA Cups wins at Liverpool between 1986 and 1990.

The 17-cap England midfielder started out at Everton, however, representing the Blues over 100 times before a £175,000 switch to Aston Villa – who later sold him to Reds for double that amount.

Arriving from Ipswich in 1976, David Johnson enjoyed immense success with Liverpool – including tasting European Cup glory on three occasions.

In 1978, the forward became the first player to score for both clubs in the Merseyside derby – having started out at Everton, who he went on to re-join from the Reds in 1982.

After winning two top-flight titles and an FA Cup at Liverpool, Peter Beardsley left Anfield for Goodison in the summer of 1991 – moving for £1m.

The ever-entertaining England forward played for Everton in the inaugural Premier League season and is, in our book, the most talented individual ever to star for both Merseyside giants.