3 shocking last-minute hijacked transfers

Barcelona's last-minute steal of Brazilian winger, Malcom, from Roma, isn't the first time a player has performed a dramatic U-turn late in the day. The shocking announcement from Barcelona on Tuesday, only a day after Roma had sent a now-deleted tweet stating that they had captured the signature of the highly-rated youngster, represents an incredible turn of events.

However, clubs often work hard behind the scenes to hijack rival transfers for their targets. This practice has happened for years, dating back to the 1950s when Alfredo di Stefano was reportedly set to sign for Barcelona before Franco intervened. The transfer wasn't sanctioned and the Argentine signed for Real Madrid instead, going on to become one of the club's greatest ever players.

While it happened occasionally before the turn of the millennium, intercepting transfers is now a common occurrence as clubs and managers come under increasing pressure to capture their targets or big-name signings. Almost every transfer window is fraught with reports of a player agreeing to sign for one club before an opposing last-minute bid arrives and changes the player's destination.

In today's world of fast news and social media, football clubs are eager to announce new signings and deals quickly. This can lead to many clubs jumping the gun, as was the case with Roma when vying for the signature of a player. Due to this, we can witness dramatic player U-turns in real time and become part of the saga.

In honor of Barcelona's 11th-hour swoop for Malcom, we look at the 3 most shocking last-minute hijacked transfers below.

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#3 Jon Obi Mikel to Chelsea (hijacked from Machester United)

Nigerian player John Obi Mikel in a Man United jersey

A huge saga in the summer of 2005, Jon Obi Mikel had reportedly signed a contract with Manchester United before heading for Stamford Bridge just a month later.

At the time, an 18-year-old Mikel was playing in Norway for Lyn Oslo and was widely considered as one of the hottest prospects around. A film circulated online showing Mikel receiving a Man Utd jersey with the number 21 on it from club representative Jim Ryan.

Just under a month after the film, Mikel had all but signed for the Red Devils. However, in July of 2005, he was in London holding talks with Chelsea, telling Sky Sports he "no longer wanted to play for Manchester United".

Cue mayhem, with United's assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz, accusing Chelsea of "virtually kidnapping" the Nigerian teenager. Mikel eventually joined the Blues, who paid Manchester United €15 million and Lyn Oslo €6 million in compensation.

This saga was the beginning of a long rivalry between the two clubs who claimed the next six consecutive Premier League titles between them.

#2 Robinho to Man City (hijacked from Chelsea)

Robinho scores for Manchester City against Chelsea

In 2008, Robinho was the hottest player on the market. Playing for Real Madrid at the time, the Brazilian star caught the attention of Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, who were in the process of building a team capable of winning the Champions League.

An agreement reported at around €35 million was reached between the Spanish and English clubs, with Robinho set to become the marquee summer signing at Stamford Bridge. The forward had previously stated his desire to live in London and it seemed the rest was just a formality.

However, newly oil-rich Manchester City was also hunting for a marquee signing and had been keeping close tabs on the Brazilian. As Robinho's move to Stamford Bridge edged closer, a glitch in the online ordering system for the club shop prematurely allowed fans to purchase shirts with the Brazilan's name on the back.

This infuriated Real Madrid who ripped up the deal and sold Robinho to Manchester City on deadline day instead. Robinho would go on to spend a hit-and-miss two seasons at the Citizens before transferring to AC Milan in 2010.

#1 David Beckham to Real Madrid & Ronaldinho to Barcelona (hijacked from Barcelona & Manchester United respectively)

David Beckham & Ronaldinho later became teammates at AC Milan

These hijackings directly affected each other and so deserve to be mentioned together. In the summer of 2003, David Beckham had publically fallen out with Sir Alex Ferguson and it seemed certain the superstar would leave Old Trafford.

Clubs around Europe were linked with the midfielder, however, Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid led the race to capture his signature. It seemed Barcelona had beaten their eternal rivals when a statement was released by Manchester United confirming a bid had been accepted for Beckham.

However, Beckham personally preferred a move to the Bernabeu and Manchester United accepted a bid from Los Blancos just days later, leaving Barcelona embarrassed and infuriated with the Manchester club. After promising to bring David Beckham to the club, Barcelona reacted by snatching the Red Devils' number one target from under their noses.

United had been heavily linked with Ronaldinho that summer. The Brazilian was at the peak of his game and itching for a move away from Paris Saint-Germain. While many top European clubs were vying for his signature, it seemed Man Utd had won the race for the Brazilian superstar.

However, in retaliation to losing out on Beckham, Barcelona swooped in with a last-minute record €30 million bid to steal the playmaker from the grasp of Ferguson and United. According to Ronaldinho, he was "on the brink" of flying to Old Trafford before the Catalans came calling.

Beckham went on to achieve superstardom at Real Madrid, Ronaldinho flourished at the Nou Camp winning multiple titles and individual awards, while Manchester United instead signed a young raw talent by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.