We are currently in the international break, which is a bore for many Premier League fans who favor their clubs over their country. Looking ahead to when club soccer returns, West Ham United plays Leeds United in the FA Cup on April 5. Here are the top five players who represented both Leeds and West Ham:
The top five West Ham and Leeds United players
5. George McCartney
George McCartney was from Northern Ireland, but began his career with Sunderland. He joined the Hammers from the Black Cats in 2006. The left-back eventually broke into West Ham's lineup after Paul Konchesky had left for Fulham.
McCartney was a key player for Alan Curbishley at West Ham, but his sale back to Sunderland was one of the reasons that the manager resigned. Whilst back at Sunderland, McCartney had two loan spells at Leeds United. He then rejoined West Ham, initially on loan.
The left-back helped the Hammers to promotion back to the Premier League in the 2011/12 season. Injuries plagued his second spell at West Ham, and he left the club in 2014 and did not play professional soccer again. He is now back in Northern Ireland as the assistant manager to David Healy at Linfield.
4. Robert Snodgrass
Leeds was the team where Robert Snodgrass made his name in English soccer after breaking through at Livingston in Scotland. He helped Leeds gain promotion from League One to the Championship and went on to captain the side.
The Scotsman then had spells at Norwich City and Hull City before joining West Ham. He initially struggled at the Hammers before being reinvigorated with a loan at Aston Villa. Snodgrass went on to play 86 times for West Ham, scoring 11 goals with 17 assists. He always appeared to be a very popular member of the squad.
Snodgrass left the Hammers for West Bromwich Albion, and also went on to play for Luton Town and Heart of Midlothian.
3. Robert Green
Robert Green is often overlooked as a goalkeeper due to his howler for England in the 2010 World Cup. However, he would not have been wearing the Three Lions shirt had he not been such an outstanding goalkeeper for West Ham.
He made many notable appearances for West Ham, such as in the 1-0 win over Manchester United in the 2006/07 season to keep the Hammers in the Premier League. Green had also performed admirably in a win over Arsenal at the Emirates by the same scoreline.
Green suffered relegation with the Hammers in 2011, but helped the club bounce straight back. It was sad for many West Ham fans to see him then leave for Queens Park Rangers. After being at QPR, Green joined Leeds.
He played for Leeds in the Championship, which was the last time he played regularly. The keeper then had spells at Huddersfield Town and Chelsea, but did not play. The now former-keeper is a pundit and co-commentator.
2. Lee Bowyer
After coming through at Charlton Athletic, Lee Bowyer became a notable player for Leeds United. This was when Leeds were a top side, and Bowyer represented them in the Champions League.
Bowyer had a transfer to Liverpool fall through before he joined the team he supported, West Ham, in 2003. After failing to help keep the Hammers in the Premier League, Bowyer joined Newcastle United. However, then returned to West Ham in 2006.
This time, Bowyer helped the Hammers keep their top-flight status during the 2006/07 campaign. However, his tenure was hampered by injuries. He played for Birmingham City and Ipswich Town before retiring. He is now a coach and has managed Charlton, Birmingham, and Montserrat.
1. Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand is synonymous with Manchester United. However, he was the product of West Ham's academy in a period where Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, and Michael Carrick also came through. He was Hammer of the Year in 1998 and helped the Hammers win the Intertoto Cup the following year.
Ferdinand was sold to Leeds in 2000 and went on to become their captain. He played alongside Bowyer at Leeds, and they made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League before losing to Valencia.
The center-back moved to Leeds' bitter rivals Man United, and went on to win six Premier League titles and the Champions League. He retired following an unsuccessful stint at QPR. Ferdinand then worked as a pundit for BT Sport, which became TNT Sports. However, his own YouTube channel has since taken over his commitments.