Most shocking transfers ever: Figo to Real Madrid leads, Van Persie to Utd in

The transfer window sometimes overshadows the actual football these days, but the following deals understandably made everyone sit up and take notice.

Presenting the 15 most shocking transfers in the history of the game.

15. Robinho, Real Madrid to Manchester City 

Manchester City announced themselves as a major force in European football when they signed Robinho from Real Madrid on 1 September 2008, the same day the club was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

The Brazilian thought he was joining Chelsea, only to learn at the last minute that his actual destination was Manchester.

14. Samuel Eto'o, Inter to Anzhi Makhachkala 

From Colombia in the 1950s to Saudi Arabia in the 2020s, players have always been tempted by lucrative offers from countries outside the footballing elite.

And so it proved when Anzhi Makhachkala, a club that even many Russians hadn’t heard of, made Eto’o the highest-paid player in the world in 2011.

13. Ashley Cole, Arsenal to Chelsea

 Cole wrote in his autobiography that Arsenal’s offer of a new contract worth £55,000 per week left him “trembling with anger”. 

The left-back duly swapped Arsenal for Chelsea after a lengthy transfer saga which saw the Blues, their manager Jose Mourinho and Cole himself all fined for a tapping-up meeting.

12. David Beckham, Real Madrid to LA Galaxy 

MLS was founded in 1993 but virtually no world-famous stars plied their trade there before 2007. That was the year Beckham announced that he would be leaving Real Madrid for LA Galaxy.

The England international was still only 31 when the deal was agreed, as Beckham rejected approaches from AC Milan and Newcastle.

11. Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich 

Gotze is far from the only player to have moved between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, but his transfer was the one that prompted the biggest reaction.

Dortmund had won 2 of the previous 3 Bundesliga titles when Gotze agreed to cross the divide, just a month before the teams met in the 2013 Champions League final.

10. Lionel Messi, Barcelona to PSG 

Despite rumours of a romantic return to Newell’s Old Boys, it seemed inevitable that Messi would finish his career having only played for Barcelona.

But that was until the money ran out. The cash-strapped Catalans could no longer afford Messi’s gargantuan wages by 2021, paving the way for a switch to PSG on a free transfer.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid to Juventus 

Cristiano Ronaldo sent shockwaves through the footballing world when he chose to leave Real Madrid, who had just won three consecutive Champions Leagues, for Juventus in 2018.

Ronaldo had previously asserted that he wanted to finish his career in the Spanish capital, but the Portuguese then claimed that he no longer felt sufficiently valued by Florentino Perez.

8. Andy Cole, Newcastle to Manchester United 

Newcastle were Manchester United’s closest Premier League challengers between 1995 and 1997, despite selling their star player to Alex Ferguson’s side at the start of that period.

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan was forced to justify his decision to sanction Cole’s departure - a deal that was shrouded in secrecy - to bemused supporters outside St James’ Park. 

7. Robin van Persie, Arsenal to Manchester United

After a strong second half of the season in 2011/12, Arsenal hoped to mount a Premier League title tilt the following year. What they didn’t countenance was club captain Van Persie joining Manchester United.

The Dutchman’s goals fired Alex Ferguson’s side to title glory in 2012/13, leaving Arsenal to rue what might have been.

6. Fernando Torres, Liverpool to Chelsea 

The warning signs had been there towards the end of his time at Liverpool, but that didn’t stop Chelsea splurging £50m on Torres in January 2011.

It must have been tough for the Reds to sell the striker to a direct rival, but they swallowed their pride to do a deal which made business sense. 

5. Eric Cantona, Leeds to Manchester United 

English football could have taken a very different course had Alex Ferguson signed his first-choice striker, David Hirst, in 1992. 

Manchester United’s failure to land the Sheffield Wednesday man saw them turn their attention to Cantona, who was surprisingly made available by their rivals Leeds. As they say, the rest is history. 

4. Roberto Baggio, Fiorentina to Juventus 

Not content with beating Fiorentina in the 1990 UEFA Cup final, Juventus rubbed salt in the wound by prising Baggio away from the Stadio Artemio Franchi 

The legendary Italian didn’t want to leave la Viola. On his first return to the Franchi, he refused to take a penalty and then accepted a home fan’s offer of a Fiorentina scarf.

3. Neymar, Barcelona to PSG

Spanish law dictates that every footballer must have a buyout clause in their contract. Many clubs set the figures prohibitively high to deter interest in their assets. That is what Barcelona did when they made Neymar’s worth £198m.

No bother, said PSG, who stunned the football world when they smashed the all-time transfer record in 2017.

2. Sol Campbell, Tottenham to Arsenal 

When Arsenal called a press conference in summer 2001, they were expected to unveil Richard Wright. Journalists’ jaws  promptly dropped to the floor when Sol Campbell, the captain of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, walked through the door.

The centre-back went on to win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal, but he was never forgiven by Spurs supporters. 

1. Luis Figo, Barcelona to Real Madrid

Figo was not the first or last player to move directly between Barcelona and Real Madrid. But his transfer in 2000 was the most shocking of all time.

Figo was a jewel in the Barcelona crown. Yet Madrid convinced him to cross the Clasico divide, resulting in the Portuguese having a pig’s head thrown at him at the Camp Nou.

Which transfer deal is the most shocking to you? Let us know in the comments!