After the Brazilian superstar cancelled his contract with the Saudi champions, GOAL counts down the worst moves ever…
Money makes the football world go around, but spending big doesn't always guarantee success. In the modern era, clubs are more willing than ever before to splash the cash in a desperate pursuit of silverware.
And yet, time and time again, quality players have proven incapable of living up to their lofty transfer fees. It's not always solely their fault, of course. Sometimes, it's simply a case of joining the wrong club with the wrong coach at the wrong time.
Whatever the reasons, though, a plethora of the biggest transfers of all the time have proven awfully expensive mistakes, as GOAL outlines below…
AFP19James Rodriguez: Monaco – Real Madrid (2014)
Just like everyone else in the football world, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez fell in love with the fresh-faced, silky-skilled James Rodriguez during Colombia's run to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup. Given the attacking midfielder with a keen eye for spectacular goals had long dreamed of moving to Santiago Bernabeu, a transfer was inevitable, so James became Perez's latest Galactico.
At times during his first season in Spain, he played like one, ending the 2014-15 campaign with 17 goals in all competitions. However, while Zinedine Zidane's appointment as coach in 2016 proved a crucial turning point in Madrid's modern history, it effectively spelt the end of James' Blancos career. He rarely featured under the Frenchman, who at one point claimed that James had asked to be left out of a game against Athletic Club.
In the end, after a couple of years on loan at Bayern Munich, and a dire final season in which he made just eight appearances, the €80m (£68m/$86m) signing left for nothing – the perfect illustration of just how far his stock had fallen since winning the Golden Boot in Brazil.
AdvertisementAFP18Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Inter – Barcelona (2009)
As Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be the first to tell you, he's an absolute legend of the game. However, his move to Barcelona ranks as one of the most disastrous deals of all time. Remember, the Blaugrana didn't just pay Inter €69.5m (£59m/$75m) for Ibrahimovic, they also handed over 2009 Champions League hero Samuel Eto'o, who then helped the Nerazzurri win the treble, after eliminating Barca in the semis.
By that stage, the Swede's relationship with then Barca boss Pep Guardiola had completely collapsed, with Ibrahimovic having accused the Catalan of having "no balls" and "sh*tting himself" in front of his former boss Jose Mourinho. The striker's agent, the late Mino Raiola, also labelled Guardiola a "coward" and even went for the coach ahead of the 2012 Champions League final.
It's worth remembering that Ibrahimovic scored 21 goals in all competitions, but what we're talking about here is arguably the greatest personality clash in football history.
Getty17Neymar: Barcelona – Paris Saint-Germain (2017)
At times, Neymar played sensationally well for Paris Saint-Germain, wowing all and sundry with his wonderful array of tricks and flicks. Nonetheless, it would be hard to paint his time at the Parc des Princes as anything other than a failure.
He stepped out of Lionel Messi's shadow to become a superstar in his own right by leading the French club to a first Champions League title. However, the most expensive player of all time was quickly upstaged by Kylian Mbappe and was then joined in Paris by Messi, whose arrival only pushed the Brazilian further from the spotlight.
The Ligue 1 outfit tried to sell Neymar in 2022 before eventually sending him to Saudi Arabia in exchange for a most welcome €90m (£77m/$100m) the following year. Given his continued injury issues in Saudi Arabia, that was a fine fee for PSG.
AFP16Kepa Arrizabalaga: Athletic Club – Chelsea (2018)
The most expensive goalkeeper in the world – and yet nowhere near the best. Indeed, Chelsea are still desperately trying to find a buyer for their historic £72m ($94m) signing from Athletic Club in 2018.
The former Spain international was a regular during his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge and actually managed to reclaim his starting spot from Edouard Mendy for the 2022-23 season, but it wasn't long before he slipped down the pecking order once again and he's presently on loan at Bournemouth.
Consequently, his time in west London, which is likely to come to an end sooner rather than later, will probably be best remembered for his antics in the Carabao Cup.
In the 2019 final, he shamefully refused to be subbed, while in the 2022 decider, he was brought on specifically for the penalty shootout but failed to make a single save before skying the decisive spot-kick. Some legacy…