Players who shone for both Inter and Milan

Filippo Inzaghi lived the entire gamut of Milan derby emotions during his 11 years as the Rossoneri's poacher-in-residence. Now, two seasons on from his retirement as a player, he is set to experience his first AC Milan v FC Internazionale Milano match from the dugout having been named Il Diavolo's coach in June.

On the visitors' bench will be another outstanding Italian forward of yesteryear, Roberto Mancini, for whom Sunday's match marks a full return to the Inter job – which he held from 2004–08 – following his appointment by the Nerazzurri last week.

To celebrate this coming together of former strikers par excellence, UEFA.com recalls five attacking aces to have represented both Milan clubs in the recent past.

Ronaldo
Inter 1997–2002, Milan 2007–08
'The Phenomenon' joined Inter from FC Barcelona in summer 1997 and if 25 Serie A goals in his debut season proved insufficient to win the Scudetto, he took consolation in scoring the third in La Beneamata's 3-0 UEFA Cup final victory against SS Lazio. Several knee injuries later, he landed at Milan from Real Madrid CF and netted against Inter in a Derby della Madonnina, though his side went on to lose 2-1. "I have great memories of both teams," said Ronaldo at the end of 2012. "I don't regret anything."

Christian Vieri
Inter 1999–2005, Milan 2005–06
Powerful forward Vieri hit 103 Serie A goals in six campaigns with Inter, but got a pretty meagre return in terms of trophies, with just the 2004/05 Coppa Italia to show for his efforts. Having terminated his Nerazzurri contract in 2005, he accepted a two-year deal with Milan. "I hope to finally win something big," he said. "When Milan knocked at my door, I accepted immediately." However, silverware – and first-team football – did not come easily, and he moved on to AS Monaco FC after only six months.

Hernán Crespo while at Milan©Getty Images

Hernán Crespo
Inter 2002–03 & 2006–09, Milan 2004–05
Crespo's double was not enough for Milan to beat Liverpool FC in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, much to the Argentinian's chagrin. "It's hard to forget such a game, but now I'm proud to have been part of it," he said much later. On loan from Chelsea FC at the time – the team he had joined from Inter in 2003 – he came back for a second stint with the Nerazzurri in 2006, collecting three league titles and an Italian Super Cup over four seasons before departing for Genoa CFC.

Zlatan Ibrahimović
Inter 2006–09, Milan 2010–12
'Mr Scudetto', the Sweden striker arrived at Inter in 2006 and picked up Serie A titles in three consecutive campaigns before heading to Barcelona. A year later he returned to San Siro to sign for the Rossoneri, scoring the penalty that settled the first derby he played with Milan under the Curva Nord, where Inter's most ardent fans stand. "They tried everything to make me lose focus, but I knew I would score," said Ibrahimović, who promptly aided Milan to the championship in his first term.

Mario Balotelli
Inter 2007–2010, Milan 2013–14
Seldom out of the headlines, Balotelli was initially an attacking prodigy on the black-and-blue side of Milan, lifting three Serie A crowns, culminating in the UEFA Champions League-winning treble of 2009/10. After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus with Manchester City FC, he linked up with Inter's great rivals in January 2013, proceeding to score 26 goals in 43 league outings before packing his bags once more and joining Liverpool FC.