2.) Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich and Germany)
Despite being officially signed even before Bayern and Dortmund faced off in the UEFA Champions League final at the Wembley Arena last season, the arrival of Gotze at Germany’s biggest club has had tongues wagging since May and is sure to do so at least for the rest of the season.
In stark contrast to the manner in which fans in Spain or England would have reacted to such a move, Dortmund fans have actually been pretty warm towards him despite his move to one of the club’s biggest rivals. Nevertheless, the arrival of Gotze in Munich, which he himself sees as the next step in his career, will most definitely raise eyebrows as he joins a side which is as talented as it is deep.
The young German’s move will most definitely go down as a very pivotal moment in the histories of both the clubs and the player and how he performs under Pep Guardiola (and Joachim Loew) this season in the run up to Brazil 2014 will be scrutinised by pundits and journalists the world over.