The transfer window where a football player moves from one club to another has always been a focal point of debate and criticism since the inception of the concept. Sometimes, these transfers happen so quickly and unannounced that they leave the fans of these players and clubs shocked and in disbelief. The history of football that spans over decades has witnessed numerous transfers that have left the footballing world utterly shocked.
In this article, we will take a look at the top five transfers in the history of football that left everyone shocked.
- Luis Figo : Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000
If you’re a football fan, you just agree on the fact that both Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the biggest clubs in the football world. Therefore, Luis Figo’s sensational decision to transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 came as a shocking move for the fans and ended up putting him under a constant spotlight for a few years. According to reports, lack of recognition forced Luis Figo to move away from Barcelona and join Real Madrid in 2000. Back in those times, the transfer window was an extremely unorthodox concept and, therefore, numerous fans of the Barcelona club brutally criticized Luis Figo and labeled his transfer as a “betrayal”.
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- Ashley Cole: Arsenal to Chelsea in 2006
At the second spot on our list of top five transfers in the history of football that left everyone shocked is Ashley Cole’s decision to leave Arsenal and join cross-town rivals Chelsea in 2006. In addition to bringing a huge impact on Ashley Cole’s football career, his transfer call also became one of the most controversial moves in the history of the Premier League and led to bad blood between the two clubs both on and off-field. Ashley Cole revealed in his interview that his “low” pay-scale was one of the major reasons why he chose to end his journey with Arsenal. The revelation attracted a lot of criticism from the Arsenal fans, as they labelled him “Cashley,” implicating he was only money-hungry and never loyal to the club.
- Julian Flaubert: West Ham United to Real Madrid in 2009
Real Madrid as a football club has never backed out from attracting potential players into the game at any cost and Julian Flaubert’s sudden transfer from his former club West Ham United in 2009 to Real Madrid is just another example that proves the connotation right. Julian Flaubert was signed by the West Ham United club for a staggering £6 million in the summer of 2007. However, unfortunately, the football player failed to perform for his club and didn’t possess any match-winning zeal on the field during his tenure with the Hammers. Therefore, when Real Madrid trusted Julian Flaubert for his hard-hitting yet unexplored potential and signed him up in 2009 for a whopping 1.5 million, it served as a major shock for the football fans of both clubs.
- Bebe : Vitória de Guimarães to Manchester United in 2000
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Next up on the list of top five transfers in the history of football that left everyone shocked is Bebe’s transfer from Vitória de Guimarães to Manchester United in 2000. Often referred to as one of the most controversial transfers in the history of football that even involved legal investigations, the transfer of Bebe from Vitória de Guimarães to Manchester United in 2000 exposed the corrupt side of the footballing world. Sir Alex Ferguson, the then football manager of Manchester United club, signed Bebe for £7.2 million. However, he only appeared in a total of two matches, which attracted a lot of criticism and generated huge speculation among the fans of both clubs, which untimely led to a legal investigation.
- Eric Cantona: Leeds United to Manchester United
Eric Cantona’s transfer from Leeds United to Manchester United proved to be one of the most shocking transfers of all-time for the fans of Leeds. Eric Cantona led Leeds to a formidable victory in the 1992 title, being a crucial central forward, and therefore his transfer was considered to be a major setback for the club. Contrary to what a majority of the fans believe, Eric Cantona’s transfer was majorly a manipulative move by the then football manager of Manchester United Club, Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed Cantona for his club at a staggering £1.2m worth. Undoubtedly, Ferguson’s masterstroke of picking up Eric Cantona proved to be a game-changer for Manchester United in the long run.
