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#3 - Sol Campbell to Arsenal
When Sol Campbell's contract at Tottenham expired, most fans expected him to re-sign with the White Hart Lane side soon. He had assured them he would, and Spurs had an offer on the table that would have made him their highest-paid player ever.
However, things took a dramatic turn when Arsenal jumped into the mix and convinced him to join them – months after he had told a Tottenham magazine he would never join the Gunners. Arsene Wenger and Co. kept the talks relatively secrey, and there were absolutely no leaks in the media regarding the possible transfer.
Arsenal called a press conference and claimed it was to unveil Richard Wright, but Wenger walked out with Sol Campbell and left the journalists and fans dazed.
#2 - Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United in 2021
Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United rumors have been around for nearly a decade now but there seemed to be nothing concrete behind the rumors. The Portuguese star was enjoying his time in Real Madrid, and in 2018, he wanted a new challenge and joined Juventus.
This summer, with rumors of Cristiano Ronaldo wanting to leave Juventus, Manchester United were not in the frame for a long time. The former Real Madrid star was leaning towards Manchester City, and when the talks were in an advanced stage, Manchester United swooped in and signed him up.
The move came out of the blue, and Cristiano Ronaldo was back home at Manchester United for just over €23 million.
#1 - Lionel Messi to PSG
One-club footballers are rare in world football, especially at the top level. But Lionel Messi did not want to try different leagues as he wanted to stay at Barcelona for his entire career.
The Argentine did try to leave the Catalan side in 2020 after a fallout with then-president Josep Bartomeu. However, he decided not to take the club to court after they blocked his move and forced him to return to training.
Fast forward a year, and things were the exact opposite. Lionel Messi wanted to stay at Barcelona and agreed a wage cut to seal the new contract, but the club could not afford to pay his salary due to LaLiga rules. It forced him out of the club, and he ended up joining Paris Saint-Germain – who welcomed him with open arms.
