1. RONALDINHO (MILAN TO
FLAMENGO, 2011)
Fee: Undicslosed
It was 2011, and Ronaldinho Gaúcho was sick
and tired of Massimiliano Allegri at Milan, so
he asked his brother and agent Roberto de
Assis to find a club in Brazil after 10 years far
from home.
Palmeiras, Grêmio and Flamengo were all
interested in the five-time world champion (as
were Blackburn), and each had to face a soap
opera-style saga that had most of its scenes
set in a Rio de Janeiro steak house.
Palmeiras had coach Big Phil talk to Assis
and convince him of the deal, while Grêmio
put speakers on the stadium’s pitch to
celebrate with the fans after claiming to have
had Ronaldinho's comeback confirmed. In the
end, though, the Brazilian ace signed for
Flamengo. Saga over. MA
2. ANDREA PIRLO (INTER
TO MILAN, 2001)
Fee: Part exchange
While it may now seem odd, Andrea Pirlo
should actually have been an Inter legend.
The Nerazzurri signed him from Brescia in
1998, back when he didn’t have a beard and
played as a No.10. A brief loan spell back
with his former club proved the making of
him, however, with coach Carlo Mazzone being
the first to deploy him as the deep-lying
playmaker he became.
That caught the attention of Carlo Ancelotti
and Milan, who somehow convinced Inter to
part with Pirlo in exchange for €2.8m and
average Argentine Andres Guglielminpietro.
They would repeat the feat by taking Clarence
Seedorf from their neighbours in a straight
swap for Francesco Coco. Pirlo won two
Scudetti and two Champions League titles
before moving to Juventus for free in 2011 –
another shockingly good value deal for the
Italian schemer. AD
3. PAUL POGBA (JUVENTUS
TO MAN UNITED, 2016)
Fee: £89m
There always seems to be at least one long-
running saga dominating during the summer
transfer window. In 2016 it was the ‘Paul
Pogba: will-he-won’t-he’ drama that resulted
in Manchester United paying a world-record
fee – £89m and then some in add-ons – for a
player they let leave for free in 2012.
When he departed United for Juventus as a
19-year-old, Pogba told team-mate Rio
Ferdinand it was to become the best player in
the world. He needed playing time that he
wasn’t guaranteed under Sir Alex Ferguson at
Old Trafford, with Paul Scholes, Michael
Carrick and even Anderson getting the nod
ahead of him.
Fast-forward four years, with four Serie A
titles, two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa
Italiana trophies to his name: #POGBACK is
trending on Twitter, as the France
international announces his shock return to
the club he says is his home. HD
4. CARLOS GAMARRA
(PALMEIRAS TO OLIMPIA,
2007)
Fee: £1.7m
Carlos Gamarra didn't concede a single foul in
the 1998 World Cup campaign that almost
saw Paraguay beat hosts France. Much later
on his career he could have had his pick of
clubs after a fine career in Europe with the
likes of Inter, Benfica and Atletico Madrid –
but anyone but Olimpia.
Well, according to Cerro Porteño fans
anyway – the club he'd began his career with
in 1990, and where he became an idol after
winning two Paraguayan titles. So when he
returned home in 2007, it was expected that
Gamarra would announce one final move to
end his career at Cerro.
He'd probably wished he did. Instead, the
stopper ended up signing for rivals Olimpia,
and felt the supporters’ wrath so badly that
they tried to set his house on fire. MA
5. CAFU (ZARAGOZA TO
PALMEIRAS, 1995)
Fee: Undisclosed
São Paulo and Palmeiras’s training grounds
are separated by a wall in the Barra Funda
neighborhood. The rivals have never had a
great relationship and, among others, you can
blame former right-sided defender Cafu for it.
The two-time world champion won everything
with São Paulo at the beginning of the '90s
and was sold to Zaragoza in 1994, with a
special clause saying that the Spanish side
would have to pay the additional amount of
US$3.6 million if they sold Cafu to Palmeiras
before 1996.
Back then, Palmeiras had milk company
Parmalat as a heavyweight sponsor and
somehow found a way to sign Cafu by using a
smaller team, Juventude, who were also
partners of the nine-time Brazilain champions.
The right-back spent only a month at the
satellite team, and is still hated by São
Paulo’s fans. MA
FLAMENGO, 2011)
Fee: Undicslosed
It was 2011, and Ronaldinho Gaúcho was sick
and tired of Massimiliano Allegri at Milan, so
he asked his brother and agent Roberto de
Assis to find a club in Brazil after 10 years far
from home.
Palmeiras, Grêmio and Flamengo were all
interested in the five-time world champion (as
were Blackburn), and each had to face a soap
opera-style saga that had most of its scenes
set in a Rio de Janeiro steak house.
Palmeiras had coach Big Phil talk to Assis
and convince him of the deal, while Grêmio
put speakers on the stadium’s pitch to
celebrate with the fans after claiming to have
had Ronaldinho's comeback confirmed. In the
end, though, the Brazilian ace signed for
Flamengo. Saga over. MA
2. ANDREA PIRLO (INTER
TO MILAN, 2001)
Fee: Part exchange
While it may now seem odd, Andrea Pirlo
should actually have been an Inter legend.
The Nerazzurri signed him from Brescia in
1998, back when he didn’t have a beard and
played as a No.10. A brief loan spell back
with his former club proved the making of
him, however, with coach Carlo Mazzone being
the first to deploy him as the deep-lying
playmaker he became.
That caught the attention of Carlo Ancelotti
and Milan, who somehow convinced Inter to
part with Pirlo in exchange for €2.8m and
average Argentine Andres Guglielminpietro.
They would repeat the feat by taking Clarence
Seedorf from their neighbours in a straight
swap for Francesco Coco. Pirlo won two
Scudetti and two Champions League titles
before moving to Juventus for free in 2011 –
another shockingly good value deal for the
Italian schemer. AD
3. PAUL POGBA (JUVENTUS
TO MAN UNITED, 2016)
Fee: £89m
There always seems to be at least one long-
running saga dominating during the summer
transfer window. In 2016 it was the ‘Paul
Pogba: will-he-won’t-he’ drama that resulted
in Manchester United paying a world-record
fee – £89m and then some in add-ons – for a
player they let leave for free in 2012.
When he departed United for Juventus as a
19-year-old, Pogba told team-mate Rio
Ferdinand it was to become the best player in
the world. He needed playing time that he
wasn’t guaranteed under Sir Alex Ferguson at
Old Trafford, with Paul Scholes, Michael
Carrick and even Anderson getting the nod
ahead of him.
Fast-forward four years, with four Serie A
titles, two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa
Italiana trophies to his name: #POGBACK is
trending on Twitter, as the France
international announces his shock return to
the club he says is his home. HD
4. CARLOS GAMARRA
(PALMEIRAS TO OLIMPIA,
2007)
Fee: £1.7m
Carlos Gamarra didn't concede a single foul in
the 1998 World Cup campaign that almost
saw Paraguay beat hosts France. Much later
on his career he could have had his pick of
clubs after a fine career in Europe with the
likes of Inter, Benfica and Atletico Madrid –
but anyone but Olimpia.
Well, according to Cerro Porteño fans
anyway – the club he'd began his career with
in 1990, and where he became an idol after
winning two Paraguayan titles. So when he
returned home in 2007, it was expected that
Gamarra would announce one final move to
end his career at Cerro.
He'd probably wished he did. Instead, the
stopper ended up signing for rivals Olimpia,
and felt the supporters’ wrath so badly that
they tried to set his house on fire. MA
5. CAFU (ZARAGOZA TO
PALMEIRAS, 1995)
Fee: Undisclosed
São Paulo and Palmeiras’s training grounds
are separated by a wall in the Barra Funda
neighborhood. The rivals have never had a
great relationship and, among others, you can
blame former right-sided defender Cafu for it.
The two-time world champion won everything
with São Paulo at the beginning of the '90s
and was sold to Zaragoza in 1994, with a
special clause saying that the Spanish side
would have to pay the additional amount of
US$3.6 million if they sold Cafu to Palmeiras
before 1996.
Back then, Palmeiras had milk company
Parmalat as a heavyweight sponsor and
somehow found a way to sign Cafu by using a
smaller team, Juventude, who were also
partners of the nine-time Brazilain champions.
The right-back spent only a month at the
satellite team, and is still hated by São
Paulo’s fans. MA
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