Sports have a funny way of surprising us. When fans think they’ve seen it all, a bombshell explodes, sending ripples throughout the planet.
That was the case on Sunday, February 2nd when basketball superstar Luka Doncic was shockingly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, with Anthony Davis heading the other way. The deal was certainly a surprise, with the Slovenian maestro leading his now-former team to the Finals last season, as well as ending the campaign as the league’s points leader.
He is seven years younger than the man who’s heading in the opposite direction, and booth fans and analysts have been left scratching their heads as to the motive behind Dallas’ actions. Plus, there were already questions about current Lakers main man LeBron James and whether he would be staying in the City of Angels. With Doncic now in the equation, that question may have already been answered.
While the move is certainly a shocker to basketball fans, football supporters may simply be asking their court counterparts: “First time?” The beautiful game has seen no shortage of stunning moves over the years, and here are the biggest of them.
Robinho to Manchester City
The summer of 2008 wasn’t meant to be about Manchester City. They had just suffered an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Middlesbrough on the final day of the previous season, and they weren’t expected to be major players. However, on transfer deadline day, suddenly, the blue moon was rising.
The Blues were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group and they immediately got to work tearing up the Premier League script. After failing to secure a deal for Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov, they turned their attention to Real Madrid’s Brazilian sensation Robinho. In a shocking twist, City swooped in and completed a British record transfer worth £32.5 million to secure his services.
The announcement left fans and pundits speechless. Manchester City were far from the football powerhouse we know today; they were a mid-table team still building their identity. Signing Robinho was like bolting a Ferrari engine onto a Ford Fiesta. While City fans celebrated the move as a sign of intent, many questioned if their new man understood whom he had signed for—his infamous slip of referring to City as “Chelsea” in an interview only added fuel to that fire.
Nowadays, the Blues regularly fork out such sums of money and they have become the dominant force in English football, winning the Premier League title in each of the last four seasons. Online sports gambling sites fancied their chances of making it five in a row this term, but unfortunately, their recent poor form has hindered their hopes. The latest Bovada sports gambling odds make them a +8000 outsider, but even that is shorter than the price they would have seen 17 years ago when Robinho first rocked up at the Etihad.
Sol Campbell to Arsenal
The North London derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in world football and the animosity between Tottenham and Arsenal runs deep. This is what makes Sol Campbell’s transfer from Spurs to their hated rivals one of the most shocking and audacious moves in Premier League history.
The English centre-half was a rock-solid defender and Spurs’ adored captain. When his contract expired in 2001, rumours swirled about him moving abroad, with clubs like Barcelona and Inter Milan reportedly interested. Few would have imagined him walking across town to Highbury, but that’s exactly what happened—on a free, no less.
The reaction was pure chaos. The White Hart Lane faithful felt betrayed, labelling Campbell a “Judas,” while Arsenal fans revelled in their rivals’ meltdown, knowing they had snapped up one of the league’s best defenders for pittance. To rub salt in the wounds even further, he went on to become a key figure in his new side’s “Invincibles” campaign of 2003-04, winning the title without losing a single game.
And guess where Campbell and the Gunners ultimately wrapped up the trophy? Yes, that’s right, White Hart Lane. The home of their enemies.
Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain
Throughout his time at Barcelona, Neymar established himself as one-third of the iconic “MSN” strikeforce alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, perhaps the most feared attacking trident of all time. The group won a plethora of trophies together, including the 2015 UEFA Champions League, with the Brazilian scoring a later third in a 3-1 victory against Juventus in Berlin. But while the former Santos youngster was at the Camp Nou, he knew he would forever be in the shadow of his Argentinian GOAT teammate.
Paris Saint-Germain picked up on this and provided Neymar with another option. The French giants triggered his release clause of €222 million, obliterating the world transfer record by almost double and leaving football fans in disbelief. The sum was astronomical, unprecedented, absurd even.
Neymar explained his decision as a desire to step out of Messi’s shadow and lead a team of his own, but scepticism lingered about whether the move was motivated by ambition or financial gain. Barca fans burned Neymar shirts, while PSG gained a superstar but also endured immense pressure to deliver Champions League glory. Ultimately though, that would never come to pass, and the Brazilian never truly lived up to his potential before moving on to Al Hilal in another mind-boggling transfer that has cost the Saudi club more than they could have ever imagined.
Luis Figo to Real Madrid
Finally, we arrive at arguably the most infamous transfer of all time. Luis Figo was already a legend at Barcelona by 2000, dazzling en route to claiming the Balon d’Or as well as back-to-back La Liga titles. He was the club’s captain, talisman, and seemingly one of their own. But when Florentino Perez shockingly announced that if he was voted Real Madrid president he would bring the Portuguese winger to the Bernabeu, the Blaugrana faithful began to worry.
Initially, the Spanish businessman’s claims were met with laughter. But as his presidential campaign powered on, it seemed there was truth to them. And when Perez duly won the election, he was a man of his word.
Few believed the move would ever be possible, but a €60 million offer later—then a world record—Figo was presented in white. The fallout was fiery. Barcelona fans hurled insults, objects, and even a pig’s head at their former hero during his first match back at the Camp Nou. It was the first statement signing of the Galacticos era, and Madridistas still rub their rivals’ noses in it over a quarter of a century later.