The five most controversial transfers of all time

FT Desk

• Updated: 1 Jul 2025 06:55 CDT
• 4 min read

Analysis

Over the years, both on British shores and overseas, we’ve seen plenty of eye-catching transfers, with big-name players often going for extortionate amounts.

We’ve also seen some eyebrow-raising business being done; transfers that raise serious questions, both from fans and neutrals, and that’s exactly what we’re here to look at. So strap in and join us as we go on a journey through some of the most controversial transfers of all time.

Sol Campbell (Tottenham to Arsenal, 2001)

Perhaps the biggest football betrayal of all time, at least in Britain, took place in the summer of 2001, when just weeks after announcing that he was staying during a post-match interview, hard-hitting defender Sol Campbell left Tottenham Hotspur to join nearby rivals Arsenal.

The switch earned Campbell the nickname Judas, who as the story goes, committed a similar betrayal. Nearly 25 years on and you can still hear cries of “Judas!” ringing around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, such is the unforgiving nature of football fans.

Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real Madrid, 2000)

A year before Sol Campbell ensured that he’d never get a warm reception at White Hart Lane again, Luis Figo broke the hearts of Barcelona fans by signing for bitter rivals Real Madrid in what was a world record transfer at the time. The dynamic Portuguese midfielder, who was key to Barcelona’s plans at the time, had been idolised by the fans at Camp Nou, making the switch all the more hurtful. Even to this day, the mention of Figo’s name leaves Barcelona fans of a certain generation wincing.

Robin van Persie (Arsenal to Manchester United, 2012)

In more recent times, a controversial transfer that really irked fans of North London club Arsenal was the sale of long-time servant Robin van Persie, who pushed for a move to Manchester United. It was a move that saw the Dutchman secure his first and only Premier League title, but also one that earned him the eternal hatred of a fanbase that had previously sung his name with pride.

The undeniably fantastic forward had spent many years under the wing of Arsene Wenger, who stuck by the striker through numerous injury issues. But instead of staying and helping Arsenal fight for a fourth Premier League title - that to this day remains elusive - the then 29-year-old jumped ship, going on to score 26 goals for the Red Devils during a triumphant campaign that saw him secure the individual award of top scorer.

In a professional sense, was the move vindicated? Sure. Does that make Arsenal fans feel any better? Absolutely not.

Michael Laudrup (Barcelona to Real Madrid, 1994)

Luis Figo is not the only man to cross the El Clasico dividem - he wasn’t even the first. In 1994, Michael Laudrup, who at the time was undoubtedly one of the very best players on the planet, ditched Camp Nou for the Santiago Bernabeu in a switch that left fans furious.

Since 1989, Laudrup had been a key part of Johan Cruyff’s legendary “Dream Team”, winning consecutive LaLiga titles in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994, as well as playing a leading role in the 1992 European Cup success of the Catalan club. Ahead of the 1994-95 campaign, though, the Dane had itchy feet - an itch that he scratched by doing the unthinkable; moving to arch rivals Real Madrid, with whom he won his fifth straight LaLiga title.

An interesting piece of Michael Laudrup trivia is that the Dane featured in 5-0 El Clasico wins on both sides of the rivalry, beating Real Madrid as a Barcelona player by five goals to nil in 1994, before beating his old team 5-0 in a Real Madrid shirt a year later.

Mo Johnston (Celtic to Rangers, via Nantes, 1989)

In a non-direct hop across Glasgow’s footballing chasm, Mo Johnston angered both Celtic and Rangers fans back in 1989, when he signed for Rangers, just two years after a three-year stint at Celtic, where the Scottish forward famously stated that Celtic was the only team he wanted to play for.

Not only were Celtic fans furious to see one of their own join forces with the enemy, but Rangers fans were far from delighted at the arrival of the former Celtic player, who went some way to endearing himself to the Ibrox faithful by scoring the winner in the Old Firm derby a few months later.

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