Football folklore is woven with some incredible bargains and impressive transfer activity, from Manchester United’s £1 million signing of the talismanic Eric Cantona to Vincent Kompany’s £6 million move to Manchester City in 2008.
However, the same rich tapestry also depicts some truly wasteful and ill-feted transfers, many of which have been amplified by the sheer amount spent by clubs as the sport of football has become increasingly lucrative.
We’ll explore three of the most baffling and disastrous transfers below, while ranking them to discover the worst moves of all-time!
#3. Bebe (Vitória de Guimarães to Manchester United, £7.4 Million)
While Bebe is by far the cheapest player on our list, his shock £7.4 million move to a then-dominant Manchester United remains one of the most bewildering transfer deals of all-time.
After all, the winger had been playing street football barely a year before his big-money move, before signing for Segunda Divisao side Estrela de Amadora in the summer of 2009. He then broke the terms of his contract after the club stopped paying his wages, before signing for Primeira Liga team Vitória de Guimarães in 2010.
Just five weeks later, Manchester United had tabled a £7.4 billion bid, which met the forward’s buy-out clause and secured a move. Incredibly, manager Sir Alex Ferguson had never seen the winger play, instead following a recommendation from his former assistant Carlos Queiroz.
However, it quickly became apparent that Bebe lacked the quality and technical ability to play for Manchester United, with his four-year spell at the club yielding just seven appearances, two goals and three loan moves.
While Bebe has since gone on to have a respectable career in Spain with Rayo Vallecano, his transfer to the Red Devils ranks as one of the worst of all-time.
As for the key takeaway here, Bebe’s agent Jorge Mendes was the only one to prosper as he banked 40% of the total transfer fee paid. Also, if you’re going to gamble, it’s probably better to leverage the GGpoker bonus code than paying millions for an unknown player you’ve never seen!
#2. Ousmane Dembele (Dortmund to Barcelona, €105 Million)
The signing of French winger Ousmane Dembele was also something of a gamble for Barcelona, who had money burning a hole in their pocket following the record-breaking sale of Neymar to PSG.
However, Dembele had enjoyed an excellent breakthrough season for Dortmund, while his performances for the French national team encouraged Barca to fund a deal that could ultimately rise to €145 million with add-ons.
Ultimately, Dembele has struggled manfully with form and fitness since 2017, missing an astonishing 85 games in four years through 2021 following his debut.
Issues with discipline and wider problems at the football club have further hindered the Frenchman’s progress, and while he continues to play for the club (occasionally to a high level), he can genuinely lay claim to being world football’s first €100 million flop.
#1. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, €120 Million)
Next up is another Barcelona signing, who recently returned to Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal after a torrid and tumultuous time at the Catalan club.
In fact, Griezmann is arguably the prime example of Barca’s chaotic management and transfer policy in recent times, with the decision to spend €120 million on the French striker and offer him a staggering basic salary of £351,000 per week incredibly reckless given the club’s ongoing financial issues.
The sheer size of this contract also contributed to Barca’s failure to commit to a new deal for the iconic Lionel Messi prior to his move to PSG, which many would argue is enough alone to earn him a place on our list.
However, he also scored just 12 goals in 50 games for Barca, while the management seemingly had no idea of where to play him during his time at the Nou Camp.
