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#3 Fernando Torres | Liverpool
Fernando Torres' £50 million move from Liverpool to rivals Chelsea remains one of the most controversial transfers in recent history.
The club's openly publicized financial status was in dire straits at the time. Selling a few star players may have been in the works, especially after Liverpool was taken over by new owners. Torres later explained that he felt betrayed by the club and uncertain about his future at Anfield at the time.
According to the star, Liverpool's new owners were intent on building the squad and bringing in young players. Torres had no intentions of waiting for a long-term rebuild while he was already 27 years of age.
That set his decision to leave in stone, and Chelsea quickly pounced on the star. Torres ended up exiting Liverpool without a single trophy, but his move to Stamford Bridge saw him pick up a Champions League title.
#2 Fabio Cannavaro | Juventus
Defenders winning the Ballon d'Or are very few and far between, and Fabio Cannavaro was one of them. Notable for his brilliance in defense, the star guided Italy to a World Cup win in 2006 after two brilliant years with Juventus.
However, the Calciopoli scandal reared its ugly head and Juventus suddenly found themselves relegated to Serie B.
Cannavaro had no intentions of staying in a lower division with what looked like the largest sinking ship in history. When Real Madrid came calling, the star answered and departed Italy. Cannavaro spent three brilliant seasons with Los Galacticos, winning two La Liga titles, as well as the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Juventus
It wasn't just Fabio Cannavaro who left Juventus in 2006. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was another star player that abandoned ship, moving across the country to Inter Milan.
Star agent Mino Raiola strongly argued later on that his client had been planning to leave Juventus for a year. However, it seemed unlikely as Ibrahimovic had only joined the Bianconeri in 2004.
Whether Raiola's assertions are true or not, Ibrahimovic certainly left at a time when other stars were leaving the Old Lady as well. The Calciopoli scandal, which saw many football officials banned for life, hit Juventus hard, with the club keeping hold of only a few star players.
They notably bounced back into Serie A the following season, but the damage was already done.
