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# 4: Michael Ballack - Bayern Munich to Chelsea
To say that Michael Ballack was a midfield genius would be an understatement. Michael Ballack was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and a player that the German and Chelsea football fans will not easily forget.
Ballack enjoyed a fabulous 4-year trophy-laden spell at Bayern Munich where the playmaker won three Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles and scored 44 goals in 107 Bundesliga games. Ballack then set his sights on the English Premier League and joined Chelsea Football Club for free.
At London too, Ballack's prowess was on full display. He won the Premier League once, the FA Cup thrice and the English League Cup once.
It is worth noting that Ballack could have had a bigger trophy cabinet if he didn't lose out on winning more silverware on multiple occasions. In 2002, Bayer Leverkusen lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, finished second to Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and lost the German Cup final to Schalke.
In the 2002 Football World Cup, Ballack had a huge role to play as Germany ended the surprise run of hosts South Korea in the semifinals. Ballack was suspended for the final and had to watch from the sidelines as Brazil beat Germany 2-0.
#3: Sol Campbell - Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal
This is one of the most controversial transfers of all time and left a sour taste in the mouths of Tottenham Hotspur fans. For Spurs fans, it was the ultimate betrayal as Sol Campbell made the move across North London to Arsenal.
Sol Campbell was a fabulous defender, regarded by many as one of the greatest defenders in England at the time.
In 2001, Campbell became a Gunner, leaving the entire English football arena stunned. This transfer deserves the number three spot due to the controversial nature of the transfer and the fact that Campbell was one of the most important members of Arsenal's Invincibles.
During the 2003-04 season, Arsenal Football Club did not lose a single Premier League game, winning 26 games and drawing 12. In 2002, Arsenal won 14 consecutive games - a record that still stands.
Sol Campbell left Arsenal in 2006, only to rejoin the club four years later after brief stints at Portsmouth and Notts County.
# 2: Andrea Pirlo - AC Milan to Juventus
How does one begin to describe this football player? Juventus fans couldn't believe it when Andrea Pirlo joined their club from AC Milan for free.
He had twice won the Champions League and Serie A with AC Milan and was a World Cup winner, having won the quadrennial football tournament for Italy in 2006. Pirlo's vision and passing abilities were unmatched, and his free-kicks were a thing of beauty.
For the most part of his Juventus career, Pirlo formed a great partnership with Arturo Vidal and fellow Italian, Caludio Marchisio. With Juventus, Pirlo would go on to do what he did best.
He won four consecutive Serie A titles, two Italian Super Cups, and a Italian Cup. Pirlo was nominated for the Ballon d'Or and won the Serie A player of the year in 2012. He was also instrumental in Juventus reaching the 2015 Champions League final, which the Bianconeri lost 1-3 to Barcelona.
The midfield maestro appeared in 164 games in all competitions for Juventus, scoring 19 goals and providing 38 assists. At the end of the 2014-15 season, Pirlo moved to the MLS to play for New York City FC before retiring from football in January 2018.
# 1: Robert Lewandowski - Borrusia Dortmund to Bayern Munich
There is a running joke in football circles that Borussia Dortmund are Bayern Munich's 'feeder club', a statement that is quite true.
Dortmund have, over the years, lost a lot of their key players to Bayern Munich, but the one they regret the most is the man who unsurprisingly bags the number one spot in this list - Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski, an absolute goal machine, has freakish numbers. One can only imagine the Dortmund fans' grief when Lewandowski joined Bayern Munich fo free. Losing a talent like Lewandowski is one thing, losing him to a direct rival for free is a bigger blow.
When he made the move from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich in 2014, Lewandowski had 103 goals and 42 assists across 187 games for BVB. Since then, he has only gotten better. Till date, he has a staggering 240 goals and 53 assists across 284 games for Bayern Munich.
He just helped Bayern Munich win their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, with the second of which coming the very season Lewandowski moved to Bayern Munich. And who can forget that game against VfB Wolfsburg where he scored five goals in under nine minutes, scoring a hat-trick in under four minutes in the process to set a Bundesliga record!
