West Ham United play Cardiff City in the Championship this week. Therefore, we thought that we would take a look at the notable players who represented both sides.
Those who played for both West Ham and Cardiff
Craig Bellamy
Bellamy is on a lot of West Ham fans' minds right now, as many want him to be Nuno Espírito Santo's replacement. He is currently doing a good job as the manager of Wales and has experience winning the Championship as Vincent Kompany's assistant at Burnley.
Bellamy joined West Ham from Liverpool in 2007, but his time with the Hammers was hampered by injuries. In his two years at the club, he made just 26 appearances. However, he did score nine goals with one assist.
From West Ham, Bellamy went to Manchester City and had a loan spell at Cardiff. He starred for them in the Championship, scoring 11 goals with 14 assists in 35 matches. His form helped them reach the playoffs. However, Bellamy got injured in the semi-final first leg against Reading and missed the second fixture. The Bluebirds lost 3-0 on aggregate.
The Welshman then rejoined Liverpool before having a second spell with Cardiff. He helped the Bluebirds return to the Premier League automatically from the Championship. This was despite the player not being as prolific, scoring just four goals, with eight assists in 33 matches in the division.
Bellamy then achieved his dream of playing for the club he was from in the top flight. However, he scored just one goal with one assist for the Bluebirds in 22 games for them, as they were relegated from the division. At the end of the season, Bellamy would retire, but he would then begin his coaching career with Cardiff.
James Collins
Collins came through the ranks at Cardiff and played for them 78 times, scoring four goals. The defender also won the FAW Premier Cup with the Bluebirds. He then joined West Ham alongside Danny Gabbidon.
They helped West Ham get to the FA Cup final in 2006, where the Hammers lost to Liverpool. Collins was always popular with the supporters at Upton Park, who would nickname him the Ginger Pele. After a spell with Aston Villa, Collins would return to West Ham in 2012 and help establish the club as a Premier League side.
Collins was on the bench for the final game at Upton Park, where the Hammers defeated Manchester United 3-2. He would then play for the Hammers for two more seasons at the London Stadium. Collins would represent the Hammers 214 times, scoring nine goals with three assists.
The defender had a brief spell with Ipswich Town before retiring. Now Collins is a co-presenter on West Ham's official podcast, Ironcast. Collins also recently took part in a Misfits Boxing match where he lost to Big Stacks on a split decision.
Roger Johnson
Johnson was a good player for Cardiff and helped them reach the FA Cup final in 2008, where they lost to Portsmouth. In total, he played 136 times for the Bluebirds, scoring 14 goals with eight assists.
His form for the Bluebirds saw him get a move to Birmingham City, where he got to play in the Premier League. However, after suffering relegation with the Blues and two subsequent relegations with Wolverhampton Wanderers, he got the nickname 'The Relegator.'
West Ham fans were then worried when he joined the club on loan from Wolves. He would play just six times in total for the Hammers, and fortunately, they survived the drop in 2014. Johnson would go on to play for Charlton Athletic, Pune City, and Bromley. He is now a coach and was the manager of Brackley Town.
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