Over the years, football fans have witnessed various tactics being applied by managers to take their club to the top. Signing quality players is one of the top agendas on every manager’s to-do list in order to strengthen their squad.
Managers splash huge amounts of cash in order to buy players of their liking to help bring success to the club. However, bizarre tactics are also at play when managers buy certain players to weaken the opposition even before the season starts.
Sometimes, some players are even bought so as to stop them from scoring against the club itself! These players have an incredible scoring record against the club in the previous season(s), and the said club decides to buy the player!
Here we list five such players, who might have been bought by clubs to stop from scoring against them.
#5 Andy Cole
Former Manchester United forward Andy Cole has played for a number of Premier League clubs. However, he hit top form at Newcastle United and later captured a similar vein of form at Manchester United.
The striker scored against the Red Devils in both the Premier League fixtures in the 1993-94 season as he equalised on both occasions for the Magpies.
In 1995, Cole was sold to rivals Manchester United in a shock deal worth £7 million, setting a new British transfer record.
No wonder, Sir Alex acted quick on his feet and signed up the in demand goal machine, who had since then gone on to become one of the most prolific goal scorers in the Premier League era. The striker ended his tenure with Manchester United scoring 121 goals in 275 games.
#4 Ryan Taylor
Ryan Taylor scored his first goal in the Premier League against Newcastle in February 2007. He let one of his direct free kicks fly straight into the top corner with the goalkeeper, Shay Given, left stranded. Wigan went on to win the match 1-0. His second goal in the top flight came in a similar fashion against the same opponents.
In 2008, Taylor scored yet another goal against Newcastle, a long-range shot from 20 yards. The English footballer’s next goal would also come against Newcastle, on Boxing Day, bringing his record to four goals in four consecutive games against Newcastle.
In 56 Premier League appearances for Wigan, the defender has scored just six times, four of which had been against the Magpies.
In 2009, the English defender signed for Newcastle United from Wigan, in a part of an exchange for Charles N’Zogbia and now plays for Hull City in the Premier League.
#3 Gonzalo Higuain
Argentinian forward Gonzalo Higuain, joined Juventus from Napoli in the summer of 2016 for a huge transfer fee of £75.3 million.
Higuain has an incredible goal-scoring record since joining Napoli and finished last season as Serie A’s leading goalscorer with 36 goals from just 35 matches.
In the 2014 Super Coppa Italiana final, Higuain scored twice against the Turin-based club and also scored in the penalty shootout as his side went on to win the trophy.
El Pipita, as he is popularly called, scored Napoli’s second goal which was decisive in the win 2-1 over Juventus at the Stadio San Paolo in 2015 in the league campaign as well.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri signed the talented striker, who scored 3 goals in 3 matches for his new side, and could be instrumental to Juventus’s proceedings this season. Oh, and the deal ensured that Napoli have a huge void to fill this season, two birds with one stone from Juve.
#2 Robert Lewandowski
Bayern Munich did not have to spend a dime on Robert Lewandowski when they signed him on a pre-contract agreement in 2014.
The Polish forward had wreaked havoc in Bayern’s defence for four consecutive seasons. Lewandowski, who won two Bundesliga titles during his time at Borussia Dortmund, scored for the first time against his current club in a Bundesliga match in Dortmund as his team won 1-0 in the 2011-12 season.
In the DFP Pokal Cup final in the same campaign, he scored an incredible hat-trick against Bayern as Dortmund ensured a domestic double with a 5-2 win over their rivals.
The following season, Dortmund faced the Munich side in the DFL Super Cup final. Lewandowski reduced the deficit with a brilliant goal in the 75th minute. However, his side failed to win the match.
Pep Guardiola had seen enough by 2013 and decided to sign the prolific striker, who has found success in his new club.
#1 Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres joined Liverpool in 2007 for a club record fee, after having shown his goal scoring prowess for La Liga side Atletico Madrid. However, after spending four seasons at Anfield, he signed for Chelsea for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million.
In his four seasons at the Merseyside club, Torres had his earned a name as a goal scorer and finisher.
The Spanish forward started his Premier League account with a goal against Chelsea in a 1-1 home draw in 2007. In the same season, he tormented the Blues defence yet again when he scored in the Champions League semi-final return leg at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool failed to win the match and crashed out of the tournament.
In the 2008-09 season, he scored a brace against the London side as he inspired his side to a 2-0 victory in 2009 at Anfield. The two sides met again in the Champions League Quarter-final and Torres managed to score one goal as Chelsea triumphed over his Liverpool side.
In his last season at Liverpool, El Nino, as he is called in Spain, scored twice against the club he would eventually join in a 2-0 home win.
The forward could not replicate his success at Chelsea and now plies his trade at boyhood club, Atletico Madrid but at least Chelsea ensured they would not see his name on the scoresheet against them.
