Neymar To Luis Figo: Top 10 Game-Changing Transfers That SHOCKED Football Fans

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The transfer window often gets as much attention as the games themselves. Some player moves have shocked the football world, changed expectations, caused arguments, or completely changed the future of clubs and players. Whether it was a player joining a rival team, a record-breaking price, or an unexpected new club, these deals surprised fans and experts. From big betrayals to last-minute surprises, football has seen many unforgettable transfers.

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Luis Figo's transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 is still the most surprising move in football history. Figo was a star player for Barcelona, so when he joined their biggest rivals, it caused a lot of anger. During his first game back at Barcelona's stadium, Camp Nou, fans were so upset that they even threw a pig's head at him.

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Sol Campbell: In the summer of 2001, Arsenal held a press conference to introduce Richard Wright. However, everyone was surprised when Sol Campbell, the captain of their biggest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, showed up instead. Even though Campbell won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal, Tottenham fans never forgave him for making such a controversial move.

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Neymar: According to Spanish law, every football player must have a release clause in their contract. Barcelona set Neymar's release clause at a staggering £198 million to discourage other teams from trying to sign him. However, Paris Saint-Germain didn't care about the huge amount and surprised everyone in 2017 by breaking the transfer record to sign the Brazilian forward.

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Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano: In 2006, South American players Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano surprised many when they decided to join West Ham, even though top European clubs were interested in them. Their contracts were owned by third parties, not by their former club Corinthians. This caused West Ham to be fined £5.5 million. However, before the fine, Tevez’s goals played a key role in helping West Ham stay in the Premier League.

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Eric Cantona,: In 1992, Manchester United's future could have been very different if Alex Ferguson had signed his top target, David Hirst, from Sheffield Wednesday. But when that deal didn’t work out, United ended up signing Eric Cantona, who suddenly became available from Leeds. And as they say, the rest is history.

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Roberto Baggio: After beating Fiorentina in the 1990 UEFA Cup final, Juventus hurt their rivals even more by signing Roberto Baggio from Fiorentina's home stadium, the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Even though Baggio didn't want to leave Fiorentina, when he returned to the Franchi for the first time, he refused to take a penalty kick and accepted a Fiorentina scarf from a fan.

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Kevin Keegan: After winning two Ballon d'Or awards while playing for Hamburg, Kevin Keegan decided to go back to England in 1980. Liverpool, who were happy with Kenny Dalglish, didn’t want to bring Keegan back. This surprised many people when Keegan chose to join Southampton, a club that had never been in the top five of the First Division.

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Luther Blissett: The story that AC Milan confused Luther Blissett with John Barnes is probably not true, but the former Watford striker did struggle to adapt to life in Italy, both in football and outside of it. Feeling frustrated, he once said, “No matter how much money you have here, you can't seem to find Rice Krispies.”

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Andy Cole: From 1995 to 1997, Newcastle became Manchester United’s biggest competitors in the Premier League, even though they sold their top striker to Alex Ferguson’s team. Manager Kevin Keegan had to explain the hidden deal to upset fans outside St James’ Park, trying to justify Andy Cole’s exit.

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Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles: In 1978, English football clubs didn’t often sign players from Argentina, so when Villa and Ardiles joined Tottenham in north London, it was a big deal. Even though there were tensions between the UK and Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982, both players became legends at Tottenham. Ardiles stayed with the club for ten years.