9 Players who have featured for both Manchester City & Aston Villa in the Premier League

#5 Gareth Barry

Like Milner, Barry was a reliable pick for City

Aston Villa – 1998-2009

Manchester City – 2009-2014

Gareth Barry is another Villa player whose impressive form in the middle of the park earned him a move to Manchester City. A defensive midfielder by trait, Gareth Barry spent 12 seasons at Villa Park. He accumulated 441 appearances and scored 52 goals in the process.

After a failed move to Liverpool in 2008, Barry joined the Manchester City revolution the following season for a fee of £12 million. The Englishman was a regular presence at the heart of Man City’s midfield. He clocked more than 30 Premier League appearances in all four seasons at the club.

Barry won his first major piece of silverware at the Etihad – the 2011 FA Cup which was followed by the 2011-12 Premier League triumph.

The midfielder made further appearances for Everton & West Brom before hanging up his boots in 2020. He thereby finished top of the all-time Premier League appearance maker’s list (653).

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#6 Joleon Lescott

Lescott formed a solid partnership with Vincent Kompany at City

Manchester City – 2009-2014

Aston Villa – 2015-2016

Joleon Lescott started his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the lower divisions of English football. He then gained prominence with Everton in the Premier League.

As a result, the defender completed a £22 million move to Manchester City in 2009. His no-nonsense style of defending & knack for scoring goals suited City’s ambition as they looked to challenge for silverware.

He formed a rock-solid partnership at the back with club captain Vincent Kompany. Together they helped Manchester City to their first league title in 44 years, conceding the least number of goals along the way.

The England international won the FA Cup in 2011 as well as a domestic League & Cup double in 2013-14. That season was also Lescott’s last at the Etihad, falling behind in the pecking order to the likes of Martin Demichelis & Matija Nastasic.

Lescott spent one season at West Bromwich Albion before moving to Aston Villa in 2015, the club he supported as a boy. His tenure in the West Midlands turned sour as Villa were relegated from the Premier League for the first time in their history. He played in a side that won just two out of 30 games, conceding 61 goals in the process.