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The ongoing summer transfer window has been one of the most entertaining ones in recent memory, with a host of elite footballers signing for new clubs. More recently, Serie A winner Romelu Lukaku is reportedly set to return to Premier League football with his former club Chelsea.
Earlier in the transfer window, Manchester United signed two of the best in their positions - Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. Manchester City acquired Jack Grealish for over £100 million to aid their title defence. However, the unthinkable happened in this transfer window when Lionel Messi parted ways with Barcelona, despite his willingness to stay at the club.
On that note, let's take a look at the five transfers over the years that left fans scratching their heads.
#5 Papy Djilobodji to Chelsea (2015)
Papy Djilobodji had an extremely short-lived career of just 59 seconds at Stamford Bridge, following his move from Ligue 1 side Nantes.
After Chelsea failed to land their primary defensive targets - Raphael Varane and John Stones - they went in for a panic buy in the 2015 summer transfer window. Chelsea agreed a £4million deal to bring Senegal's Papy Djilobodji to English shores, but he made just one 59-second substitute appearance against Walsall.
The transfer made very little sense, and Jose Mourinho admitted he had never heard of Djilobodji before the player arrived in London. The centre-half failed to gain his manager's trust in his six-month stay in London.
Djilobodji was loaned out to Werder Bremen in the 2016 winter transfer window before he was permanently shipped to Sunderland ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
#4 Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid (2004)
Jonathan Woodgate lasted only one season in the all-white of Real Madrid, who signed him despite the player's persistent injury issues.
While he was one of the finest Premier League defenders at the time, several top clubs were put off by the Englishman's woeful injury record. Woodgate missed half of Newcastle's season preceding his £13.4 million move to the Santiago Bernabeu. He also missed the European Championship that year because of a torn thigh muscle.
Somehow, Woodgate managed to pass his Real Madrid medical, but was sidelined because of injury for the first month after his arrival in the Spanish capital. Woodgate would eventually make his debut against Athletic Bilbao in what was one of the worst debuts in Los Blancos' history.
The then-24-year-old scored an own goal 25 minutes into his first appearance, and was then sent off after getting booked twice. Woodgate redeemed himself with a goal in the Champions League, but would spend most of the season on the sidelines due to many injuries.
#3 Arthur Melo - Miralem Pjanic swap deal (2020)
The swap deal involving Arthur Melo to Juventus and Miralem Pjanic going to Barcelona in 2020 was one of the most head-scratching transfers in recent times.
That was especially the case for the Blaugrana, who have built up a reputation for pulling off strange moves in the transfer market. Juventus, too, did not benefit greatly from the arrival of Melo. The 25-year-old played a bit-part role for the Old Lady in the 2020-21 season, registering 32 appearances, 14 of them from the bench.
Arthur has managed only one goal contribution since his move to Turin last summer. Miralem Pjanic fared worse at Camp Nou, failing to score a goal or register an assist. That makes this move another example of Barcelona's failing administration under ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Pjanic made 30 appearances for the Blaugrana last season, including 15 substitute appearances. So it made little sense for Barcelona to swap the then-24-year-old Arthur for an ageing 30-year-old Pjanic.
#2 Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid (2020)
Another transfer, including Barcelona that made little to no sense was the sale of Luis Suarez to their direct rivals Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020.
The 34-year-old turned out to be exceptional in the Rojiblancos' first La Liga title in seven years, registering 24 goal contributions (21 goals, three assists) in 32 league appearances. Suarez was fourth in the list of goalscorers in the 2020-21 La Liga campaign, and played a pivotal role in Atletico Madrid's title run.
The reasoning behind Luis Suarez's sale was probably his declining returns due to his age. But Barcelona's recent acquisition of the 33-year old Aguero defies that logic. That makes the transfer of Suarez all the more baffling, as his tally of 21 goals could have made a massive difference for the Blaugrana's Champions League and La Liga hopes last season.
The exit of Suarez from Camp Nou meant most of Barcelona's goalscoring and creative responsibilities fell on the shoulders of Lionel Messi. The Argentine fared decently, but would've definitely benefitted from a helping hand.
Barcelona essentially handed Atletico Madrid the 2020-21 La Liga title for a £6.3 million transfer fee.
#1 Lionel Messi to PSG (2021)
The footballing world was left stunned when Barcelona announced that Lionel Messi would not sign a new contract with the club. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is arguably Barcelona's greatest-ever and, for many, the greatest to have graced the beautiful game.
At the time, many football fans, especially the Blaugrana faithful, believed that a deal would be struck with La Liga regarding the financial regulations. That was not to be, and a heartbroken Messi announced his departure from the club in an emotional press conference. Days later, he was unveiled as a new PSG player.
Messi's Barcelona departure ended the player's 17-year-long illustrious association with the club, which saw the Argentine win 35 major trophies, including two continental trebles. He left Camp Nou with an incredible tally of 672 goals and 266 assists from 778 appearances.
Messi has now reunited with his good friend Neymar and French starlet Kylian Mbappe at a star-studded PSG roster brimming with quality in all positions.
