David White
A member of City’s ‘golden generation’ of the late eighties, David White won the FA Youth Cup in 1986 and debuted for the first-team that September in a 1-0 defeat to Luton Town.
If that was an underwhelming start to White’s career, he soon made his mark, scoring a hat-trick in the club record 10-1 win over Huddersfield Town in November 1987.
‘Whitey’s’ best years were in the early nineties and his most prolific season was 1990/91 when he scored a career-best 18 goals from the wing. He joined Leeds in 1993 and made 42 appearances in an injury-plagued two-year spell.
James Milner
In November 2002, James Milner became the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer when he netted in Leeds United’s 2-1 win over Sunderland and he remained on the books until 2004 when Sir Bobby Robson took him to Newcastle.
After nearly 100 appearances for the Magpies and two-years at Aston Villa, Milner joined City in 2010 where he has become one of the most consistent and committed performers in Roberto Mancini’s squad.
He won the man of the match award in City’s last home match against Liverpool.
Micah Richards
Micah was brought up in the Chapeltown area of the city and attended Archbishop Primary School where he caught the eye of Leeds United scouts.
He was taken on by the academy based at Thorp Arch but was released shortly before his ninth birthday. Fortunately, Richards was spotted again three-years later, this time by Oldham Athletic.
It didn’t take long for Premier League clubs to express an interest and Micah chose City in 2001 and England caps, FA Cup and Premier League winners’ medals soon followed.
Michael Brown
Tough-tackling midfield general Michael Brown came through City’s academy leading to his first-team debut in August 1995.
Famed (and feared) for his uncompromising style, Brown made nearly 100 appearances for the Blues before moving on to Sheffield United in 1999.
After more than 150 games for the Blades, Brown has spells at Fulham, Wigan and Portsmouth before joining Leeds in 2011 where he is a key component in midfield to this day.
Alf Inge Haaland
Type Alf Inge Haaland’s name into an internet search engine and you’ll inevitably be drawn into endless YouTube videos and perspective pieces on his bitter feud with Roy Keane.
But those unsavoury incidents only tell a fraction of the story of this Norwegian defender’s glittering career, which took him from Bryne in his homeland to Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City.
He was a terrace favourite at Elland Road, featuring on 74 occasions between 1997 and 2000 before he joined City where he was promptly made captain by Joe Royle and became a key player until his retirement after that infamous Roy Keane challenge in 2000.
To read the full list of 10 connections between Leeds and City, pick up a copy of the match day programme on Sunday.
