5 times clubs hijacked others' transfer deals

#1 Alfredo Di Stefano to Real Madrid (hijacked from Barcelona)

Alfredo Di Stefano Of Real Madrid — Alfredo Di Stefano won 5 European Championships with Real Madrid

A transfer saga involving two of the biggest clubs in the history of football for one of the greatest players to have embraced the game surely have to number one on the list.

The legendary forward, after coming through the ranks of River Plate academy, was sent to Colombia on a four-year-long loan. In 1953, he unsuccessfully requested his club to cancel his contract which led him to retire.

However, Barcelona decided to give Di Stefano a contract. The Spanish club was trying their all to convince both his previous clubs, River Plate and Millonarios, for the transfer.

That was when Real Madrid came into the picture and lured the player to the Bernabeu. The signed of Di Stefano was an important move in the history of the club as he led them to eight league titles and five European Championships. What would have happened if it was not for this controversial transfer is something that we all cannot even imagine.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad