Previously, football transfer announcements were typically made through press conferences or official club statements.
In recent years, the unveiling of football transfers has been a highly anticipated event for fans and clubs. Player transfers are always a chance to create a buzz, generate revenue, and market the club.
Most clubs employ creative ways to announce their player transfer. Below are some of the best football transfer unveilings ever.
1. Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund- Manchester City)
Erling Haaland’s summer transfer to Premier League champions Manchester City in the 2022–23 season was among the best unveilings ever.
Departing from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland’s move was highly anticipated following months of media speculation regarding Man City’s need for a new striker.
Erling’s unveiling contained a complicated video, including an interview with his father, Alfie, a former Manchester City player.
The transfer move was hugely successful, as the club went on to win a treble, and the Norwegian footballer himself won the Golden Boot.
2. Harry Kane ( Tottenham Hotspurs – Bayern Munich)
English talisman Harry Kane recently joined German serial winners Bayern Munich in a €110 million summer move.
Kane’s departure from his boyhood club, where he spent over 13 seasons, was an emotional affair but was since forgotten when he landed in Munich.
Harr’s unveiling includes a rendition of a James Bond 007 announcing his arrival in Munich, making it one of the best transfer announcement videos.
Moreover, fans camped outside Allianz Arena stadium past 1:00a.m, awaiting him to complete his medical. He has already hit the ground running, netting 21 goals in the Bundesliga.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid- Juventus)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid to Juventus was one of the best football transfer unveilings, which broke the internet in the last decade. Juventus acquired him for €100 million.
Ronaldo’s unveiling included Juventus rebranding their franchise into a model that stirred publicity. Ronaldo was unveiled in front of thousands of fans in Turin.
He is regarded as one of the best players, having won UEFA Champions League titles and five La Liga titles, aside from winning five Ballon d’Or titles on his own.
4. Lionel Messi ( Barcelona-Paris – Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain was the trendiest football transfer of the decade. Messi left Barcelona after 17 years owing to the Spanish club undergoing a financial crisis that left him unable to stay.
In turn, PSG seized the opportunity and went to sign the talisman in a move reportedly worth £80 million.
The unveiling was among the best football transfers, with an estimated 50,000 fans waiting in Paris to welcome the superstar. Messi’s transfer to PSG trended on Instagram, amassing more than 5 million views.
5. Jude Bellingham ( Borussia Dortmund- Real Madrid)
Jude Bellingham completed a €103 million move to Spanish Galaticos Real Madrid in the 2023–24 summer transfer window.
He was unveiled in a well-detailed transfer video, including a press conference with club president Florentino Perez.
The Englishman has flourished since arriving in Madrid, finding the back of the net 13 times in 17 games.
6. Karim Benzema ( Real Madrid-Al Ittihad)
French talisman Karim Benzema announced his departure to the Saudi Pro League in an eye-watering deal that would pay him almost 100 million euros salary per season.
Benzema, a previous Ballon d’Or winner in 2022 after winning the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League with Real at 35, felt the move was a step in the right direction.
A mammoth crowd awaited him in Riyad, and Al-Ittihad President Anmar Al-Haili received him at the airport. Saudi League player announcements are well-choreographed and staged media affairs.
The French footballer was unveiled as an Al-Ittihad player at a stadium in Jeddah in front of thousands of fans.
The transfer bolstered the club’s profile on social media and was watched over 1 million times on Instagram.
7. Neymar de Silva Jr. ( Barcelona-Paris – Saint-Germain)
Brazilian winger Neymar de Silva Jr. was part of the dynamic trio comprising Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez that tore across European defences.
After lifting all possible titles, Neymar sought to set his mettle elsewhere away from the Catalan club, instigating a €222 million transfer to Parisian club PSG.
Even though Neymar’s time at PSG was tremulous, the buzz around his high-profile transfer makes it one of the best football transfer unveilings ever.
8. Declan Rice (West Ham-Arsenal)
Arsenal’s £100 million summer transfer target, Declan Rice’s unveiling, preceded any other signing the club has ever made.
Arsenal announced the summer transfer of the English midfielder on social media under the banner #Forever Arsenal, which was widely regarded as one of the best football signing announcements by the club fans.
The club also posted a snippet of the transfer move, with popular grime artist Stormzy asking him not to join the London club Arsenal.
9. Jack Grealish ( Aston Villa – Manchester City)
Aston Villa midfielder made a £100 million transfer to Premier League side Manchester City. The Englishman was part of Pep Guardiola’s 2021–22 summer acquisition to bolster City’s midfield.
He was unveiled as part of the City squad on the club’s media channel, and his announcement was posted on the club’s official website. Conversely, his bulging calves made him more popular than the transfer move.
10. Paul Pogba (Juventus – Manchester United)
Paul Pogba’s transfer announcement to Manchester United is one of the best player unveiling: it involved teaming up with popular grime artist Stormzy.
Pogba became the most expensive midfielder through his record £89 million transfer from Juventus to Manchester United.
The move was widely popularised across social media with colourful snippets of the deal to Old Trafford.
11. Mesut Ozil ( Real Madrid- Arsenal)
Under the banner #WeveGotOzil, Arsenal was thrilled to have acquired the services of playmaker Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a fee reported at €50 million.
Arsenal supporters were badly in need of a world-class player, a fete that instigated the club to acquire the services of Ozil, which saw fans over the moon.
Ozil was instrumental in assisting the Gunners in ending their nine-year drought to lift the FA Cup in 2014.
12. Nathan Redmond ( Southampton-Burnley)
Nathan Redmond did not make a big money move to Burnley. However, the renaissance of the transfer move was one of the best football unveilings in the Premier League.
The reveal was marked by a procession of brilliant clips that took inspiration from the movies. Redmond’s announcement took inspiration from a Backstreet Boys acapella from the Brooklyn Nine-Nine scene.
The list above is a compilation of big-money transfer moves that broke the headlines in the last decade as players transitioned from one club to another.
