- Club transfers have been a common practice in the football industry for a long time.
- Many times, famous players move teams without a transfer fee, either because their contracts have expired or because of mutual agreement with their original clubs.
- Revisiting 5 great deals that came without a transfer fee and made a huge impact on the team
Team transfers are a normal thing that can happen to every football player. There are many types of transfers, such as transfers by buying, loaning, and even when the contract with the original club ends and the player chooses to transfer to a new สมัคร ufabet club without a transfer fee.
Today we take a look at 5 players who have moved teams for free over the past 24 years but have turned out to be hugely profitable for their new clubs.
5. James Milner (Manchester City to Liverpool, 2015)
Campbell came through the youth system at Spurs and spent nine years at the club, but his decision to sign for arch-rivals Arsenal on a free transfer angered Spurs fans, who branded him a traitor. The
former England defender has said of his decision to join Arsenal: “It was a big decision. I could have made a lot more money playing abroad but I felt Arsenal was the club I wanted to go to.”
Despite the backlash, Campbell enjoyed a hugely successful spell at the Gunners, making 197 appearances in all competitions across five seasons, helping the Gunners to two Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
3. Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan to Juventus, 2011)
Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary goalkeeper of the Italian national team and Juventus, was interviewed after learning that Pirlo would move to play with the “Zebra” in 2011, saying: “When Andrea told me that he was going to come to Juventus, the first thing I thought was, God exists. He is a great player, very talented. To get him for free, I think it is the business of the century.”
At that time, Milan felt that the 32-year-old Pirlo was past his peak and could no longer be a key player for the team. Therefore, they let the former Italian playmaker leave San Siro on a free transfer. It was Juventus who opened their arms to take over. After
moving to play with Juventus, Pirlo immediately became a key player for the team. He stood firm in the game for the “Zebra” and led the team to win the Serie A championship for 4 consecutive years before moving to New York FC in 2015.
2. Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich, 2014)
Lewandowski won’t be the last player to make the move from Dortmund to Bayern, but which player has enjoyed the most success making the switch from Dortmund to Bayern? The Poland international has been a constant on the cards. Having moved to the Allianz Arena in
2014, Lewandowski has shown immediate promise as a world-class striker, scoring 344 goals in 375 games in all competitions for Bayern. During his eight years at the club, the
35-year-old led the club to eight consecutive Bundesliga titles, as well as the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
1. Paul Pogba (Manchester United to Juventus, 2012)
There is hardly a better value for a free transfer than Pogba after leaving Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012.
During his four years at Juventus, the former France midfielder developed rapidly and established himself as a regular in the Juventus midfield, making 178 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and leading the team to four Serie A titles. In 2016, United splashed out £89 million to bring Pogba
back to Old Trafford, but he failed to impress. In 2022, after his contract with the Red Devils expired, the Frenchman shocked the club by returning to Juventus. However, in his second stint with Juventus, the
31-year-old Pogba failed miserably. After suffering injury problems and being banned for 4 years for using stimulants, which almost ended his football career.