West Ham United play Crystal Palace in a crucial Premier League game tonight. The Hammers are looking to extend the gap between them and Tottenham Hotspur, who occupy the last relegation place.
As for Palace, they have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe via the league. However, their focus may now be on winning the Europa Conference League as they are through to the semi-finals of the competition.
We are taking this opportunity to look at the top five players who have represented both West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
The top five West Ham and Crystal Palace players
1. Ian Wright
Whilst Ian Wright is best known for his time with Arsenal, he began his professional career with Crystal Palace. Wright played for the non-league side Greenwich Borough before being snapped up by Palace.
With the Eagles, Wright achieved promotion from the Second Division via the playoffs and got to the FA Cup final in 1990. Wright scored twice in that final to force the game to go to a replay, which Palace lost.
Wright then had great success with Arsenal, winning the FA Cup twice and the Premier League. He then joined West Ham and was part of the side that won the Intertoto Cup in 1999. He then went on to play for Nottingham Forest, Celtic, and Burnley before becoming a popular pundit.
2. James Tomkins
James Tomkins was a product of the 'Academy of Football' and went on to star for the Hammers in the Premier League and the Championship. He helped the Hammers to promotion from English soccer's second tier via the playoffs in 2012. That year, he also represented Team GB at the Olympics.
It would have been fitting for him to then play at the London Stadium for West Ham, which was, of course, built for the Olympic Games. However, during the final season at Upton Park, he often lacked game time and was used out of position at right-back. Therefore, the center-back moved on to Crystal Palace.
Tomkins went on to have eight solid years at Selhurst Park before leaving in 2024. He has not played for a club since, and at 37, it looks like Palace will be his final club.
3. Johnny "Budgie" Byrne
Not many fans will be familiar with Johnny Byrne, as he played for West Ham and Crystal Palace during the 1960s/70s. He came through the ranks at Palace before joining West Ham. He played 202 times for the Hammers, scoring 108 goals and providing 18 assists.
Byrne was part of the West Ham side that beat Preston North End to win the FA Cup in 1964. He then returned to the Palace before also playing for Fulham. South Africa was to be his next destination, and he played for Durban City and Hellenic. Byrne passed away in Cape Town in 1999.
4. Danny Gabbidon
Danny Gabbidon arrived at West Ham alongside his center-back partner James Collins from Cardiff City in 2005. The Welsh duo helped the Hammers reach the FA Cup final the following year, where the Hammers narrowly lost to Liverpool.
Gabbidon left West Ham in 2011 and played for Queens Park Rangers before a stint with Palace. He helped the Eagles gain promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs in 2013. He then had a brief spell back at Cardiff before retiring. He now also works in the media, notably with BBC Wales.
5. Cheickhou Kouyate
Cheikhou Kouyate joined West Ham from Anderlecht in 2014 and became a key player at Upton Park. The Hammers had two notable Senegalese players at the time in Kouyate and Diafra Sakho. Kouyate even scored West Ham's first goal at the London Stadium in a Europa League qualifier against NK Domžale.
The midfielder left West Ham in 2018 to join Palace, where he was reunited with Tomkins. Kouyate had four years at Selhurst Park before playing for Nottingham Forest and in Turkey with Amedspor. He left the Turkish side earlier this year, and the 36-year-old has not had a club since.
Other notable players who represented both
Hayden Mullins made over 200 appearances for Palace before joining West Ham, where he notably kept Javier Mascherano out of the team. Michael Hughes, Dave Swindlehurst, and Victor Moses also deserve a mention.
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