'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAmxP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAADf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAG//xAAgEAAABQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEEQAGEgUjocHS/9oACAEBAAE/AErbRQ0x8zcHzcOgbnbnjIEoOM90NnjI7xePNf/EABsRAAIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAREkHB/9oACAECAQE/AI5GycX3wV//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQID/9oACAEDAQE/AHlJ/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
5. Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn Rovers
Sam Allardyce, the then manager of Blackburn Rovers, tried to secure Lewandowski’s signature while he was still playing for Lech Poznan and even invited the 20-year-old to watch the Rovers in a match against Everton. The Polish international liked what he saw and was all set to fly to England to secure the deal but a volcanic eruption in Poland caused all the flights to be cancelled resulting in the stalling of the deal.
Lewandowski stayed in Poland for a few more years before being signed by Borussia Dortmund where he won two Bundesliga titles in a row and even managed to reach the Champions League final with the club last season. Lewandowski is now set to join Bayern Munich on a four year deal next season. Things may have been a lot different for Blackburn Rovers if they managed to capture this talented forward.
Aguero has become a sensation at Manchester City
4. Sergio Aguero to Chelsea
In January 2011, Chelsea were interested in a young forward who went by the name of Sergio Aguero and were told by Atletico Madrid that they could have the striker for £35 million. Roman Abrahamovich though that it was too much money to splash on such a young player and instead submitted a £50 million bid for the then prolific Fernando Torres.
Roberto Mancini thought that it was wise to invest so much money in the player and willingly parted with £35 million to secure his services. The results of the transfers stand in stark contrast to each other. Aguero banged in 30 goals in his first season at Manchester City as well as scoring the decisive goal against Queens Park Rangers which helped Man City win their first Premier League title in decades. Torres, on the other hand, only managed 1 goal in his first season and has gone on to become one of the biggest flops of all time.
Falcao is lethal in front of the goal
3. Radamel Falcao to Aston Villa
In 2008, Martin O’ Neill’s Aston Villa were made aware of Falcao’s talents while he was still playing with Argentine side River Plate. Villa offered around £5 million for Falcao’s services but the deal fell through and Falcao eventually moved to Porto where he gained the attention of Atletico Madrid who paid €50 million for his services.
The Columbian scored 70 goals in 91 appearances for Atletico before completing a €60 million to French side AS Monaco where he has bagged 9 goals in 15 appearances so far for the Ligue One outfit. Aston Villa may have been a different side if they managed to get the South American powerhouse.
Ibrahimovic came close to joining Arsenal in 2000
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Arsenal
Arsene Wenger must be kicking himself for letting this player get away. The Frenchman had the chance to sign Ibrahimovic in 2000 and gave the Swede an Arsenal shirt with the number 9 to show how serious he was. However, the deal fell through when Zlatan and his agent were put off when Wenger requested the player to undergo a trail with the club.
Ibrahimovic stated that he “didn’t do trials” and went ahead and signed for Dutch side Ajax instead. Since then Ibrahimovic has played for some of the best clubs in the world collecting a host of awards along the way. The forward recently picked up the Puskas Award for scoring a decisive bicycle kick against England last year which is one of the greatest goals in history. Arsenal are now suffering from a striker shortage and would have liked to have Zlatan among their ranks.
Zidane is one of the best players to ever kick a football
1. Zinedine Zidane to Blackburn Rovers
Kenny Dalglish, who was then managing Blackburn, was interested in signing the young Frenchman who was available for around £1.2 million but was put off by club owner Jack Walker who famously said, “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?”.
Walker could not have been more wrong as Zidane went on to prove his worth at Juventus helping the team win multiple Serie A titles along with a Champions League crown before completing his historic £45 million move to Real Madrid. At Madrid, Zidane established himself as one of the best players in his position and even helped Los Blancos win several La Liga titles and a Champions League while picking up a host of awards along the way.
Blackburn must be regretting missing out on signing such a great player.
