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History has seen major clubs across Europe sign players to make a difference on the pitch for them. Some players however, were signed at different times in the past with a clear focus on increasing the visibility of the club, and to try and use the popularity of the player to drive jersey sales.Be it a global super-power like Real Madrid, or an up-and-coming club like Manchester City who wanted to establish their clout, here are 6 footballers who had/ have had a greater impact off-the field (so far) with these clubs, rather than on the pitch.
#1 David Beckham, Real Madrid
David Beckham was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 in a deal worth 35 million Euros, as part of their policy of signing Galacticos. The England captain was definitely a huge name, both on and off the field, as the Spanish giants looked to capitalise on his popularity to increase their following across the world.
Though he didn’t take any time to adjust to life in Spain, his success at the club can be measured accurately by taking a look at the silverware he won with them. In four years at Real Madrid, the SuperCopa de Espana in 2003 and the La Liga title in 2007 (the title win came at the fag end of his career with Real) were the only trophies he could win.
Clearly, his impact for Los Blancos was much less than what was anticipated, and most of what he could do to help the club came off the field.
#2 Ronaldo, AC Milan
The Brazilian striker made a move to AC Milan from Real Madrid in the winter transfer window of 2007, for a fee of €8.05 million. He wore the number 99 on his jersey during his stay at the club. He was with the Milanese giants for a period of about eighteen months, and made a total of 20 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals.
The 2007-08 season saw him play only around 300 minutes for them, as he struggled with persistent injuries and weight issues. Although the club won the Champions League in the 2006-07 campaign, El Phenomeno was cup-tied and thus was not eligible to be part of the team.
Ronaldo is probably one of the best players ever to have graced the game of football, but his stint at AC Milan saw him exert barely any influence on the pitch, while his signing helped the club increase their following among the fans to quite some extent.
#3 Robinho, Manchester City
Robinho will forever be one of the most enigmatic players to come out of Brazil. The dribbling wizard, who moved to Real Madrid from Santos at the age of 21, was signed by Manchester City as the first big player bought after the takeover of the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
The Brazilian made 53 appearances for the Manchester club during his stay in England, but was pre-dominantly on the bench for the first half of the 2009 season. Although a very high-profile signing, Robinho’s influence wasn’t very visible on the pitch for City. Instead, his signing added a lot of panache to the Manchester City brand, and helped them establish themselves as a club to keep in mind off the field.
#4 Shinji Kagawa, Manchester United
The Japanese attacking midfielder will always be that one player that Manchester United fans would regret not being able to see perform well regularly. Kagawa, who was signed from Borussia Dortmund, was supposed to add some much needed creativity to the United midfield and make the number 10 role his own for the Red Devils.
However, Robin van Persie’s signing saw him being partnered with Rooney at the head of the English club’s attack, and saw Kagawa shunted out to the left wing, where he could not make the impact that was desired.
What his signing did do though was it increased the club’s already huge fan base in the far-east, and saw them establish themselves as probably the biggest football brand on the planet. For someone who was a fringe player at Old Trafford, the fact that Kagawa was the 9th most sold EPL replica shirt spoke volumes of his popularity.
#5 James Rodriguez, Real Madrid
James Rodriguez was signed by Real Madrid from Monaco in the summer for a transfer fee in the region of 63 million pounds. Although his skill-set as a player did not necessarily match what was needed at the club, he was signed right after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he was one of the stars.
In fact, what came as a startling revelation was when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez revealed that he did not know what sort of a player Rodriguez was. He made it clear that Real were interested in the Colombian’s signature because he had a great World Cup.
Although he has been a regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s side, his impact off-the field could be seen much earlier, when it was indicated, that the reigning Champions League holders had sold 345,000 replica shirts in 48 hours following his signing.
#6 Falcao, Manchester United
The Colombian striker was signed on loan by Manchester United on the last day of the summer transfer window in 2014. Falcao, who missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to a ligament injury that he sufferred last season while playing for Monaco, made the move to Old Trafford despite not having played for a long time.
Although United still have the option of deciding against signing him at the end of the loan deal, the injury problems that have hindered his playing time for the club so far this season do question the decision of the club’s to have brought him in in the first place.
In a year with no European football, it doesn’t help but make one think that Falcao’s signing might just be to show that the club can still attract big names, and is intended to help boost the club’s image off the field, rather than on it.
