Five memorable names who played for AC Milan and Napoli

On Sunday, all eyes will be on the San Siro as Napoli travel to take on Milan in what is one of the biggest games of the Serie A season so far. 

There will be plenty of big names on show as the champions face their biggest test yet against Max Allegri's potential title challengers. 

But which famous players from the past have represented both these clubs? Ash Rose picks out five of the best... 
 

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Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli 2013-16, AC Milan 2018-19) 

One of the great modern-day goal scorers, Higuain moved to Napoli after making his name at Real Madrid, but would enjoy his best-ever season while in Naples. 

In his first season, he helped Napoli win the Coppa Italia, scoring 24 goals in 46 games in all competitions. He'd hit 29 the following campaign, but it was in his last season where he truly was a goalscoring machine—netting 36 times in 38 Serie A games to win the Capocannoniere. 

He moved to Juventus in 2016, but enjoyed a season on loan at Milan in 2018-19, scoring eight times in 22 games. 

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Pepe Reina (Napoli 2013-15 and 2015-18, ACMilan 2018-20) 

Other than his time at Anfield, Reina made more appearances for Napoli than at any other club during a long career that saw him play into his forties with Como. 

After a loan spell in Naples during 2013-14, the Spanish stopper headed back to the club in 2015 on a permanent deal and would go on to play over 100 games and win the Coppa Italia. 

After three seasons, he left on a free to join Milan to serve as back-up to Gianluigi Donnarumma. He played 13 times for the Rossoneri and was mainly used during the club's Europa League campaign. 

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Jose Sosa (Napoli 2010-11, AC Milan 2016-17) 

The Argentine midfielder, who is still playing in his homeland with Estudiantes, turned out for several clubs across Europe during his pomp, with his Serie A adventures taking him to both Napoli and Milan. 

His first stop was Naples, joining from Bayern Munich in 2010. He had one season with the club, making 31 appearances before moving on to Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv. 

Sosa returned to Italy in 2016 for another short spell, this time with Milan, ironically making his debut against Napoli in a 4-2 defeat. 

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Paolo Di Canio (Napoli 1993-94, AC Milan 1994-96) 

Before he became a cult hero in the Premier League - although maybe not at Paul Alcock's house - the maverick Italian did the rounds at all of Serie A's top clubs. 

After becoming a hero for Lazio upon his Serie A breakthrough, Di Canio struggled for game time at Juventus and moved to Napoli in 1993. His spell in Naples lasted just 27 games and five goals in that one season before he was on the move again, this time to Milan. 

The forward would spend two seasons with the Rossoneri, and bagged himself a Serie A title medal, but struggled for regular game time. A clash with Fabio Capello ended his time at the San Siro and he embarked on his UK odyssey, starting with a move to Celtic. 

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Roberto Ayala (Napoli 1995-98, AC Milan 1998-00) 

The legendary Argentinian defender, who played 116 times for his country, is perhaps most synonymous with his time in La Liga, but he also represented both Napoli and Milan during five years in Serie A. 

It was Parma who actually brought the centre-back to Italy, but after he was loaned out to Napoli, he remained in Naples for three seasons, racking up nearly 100 games. 

In 1998, he moved to Milan, but didn't manage to dislodge some of the famous names in their backline - although he did grab himself a title medal. 

After two seasons, Ayala moved to Spain, where he built a legacy with Valencia. 

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