The clock keeps moving and at 23:59 the market will close. De Gea is one of the most affected players in the 2015 market and it seems like we won’t know where he ends until the last minute. If you are a journalist you are aware that August 31 is going to be a long day. Because the Fax of all the football league Federations are going to be burning. This is our top 5!
5. MARADONA TO SEVILLA (1992)
He was definitely not in him best moment but still… He is Maradona. After his amazing seasons in FC Barcelona and Naples, Diego Armando Maradona was definitely not in his best moment. Mainly because of all his non football life. But then he realized he had a new goal: To make it to the 1994 World Cup and to make it he had to leave Naples.
After several weeks trying to reach an agreement, he had to contact FIFA Zurich to solve his situation and after 3h of meeting with Joseph Blatter, the president of FC Sevilla and the president of Naple they reached an agreement.
This deal was so big that the presidents of Spain’s Football Federation and Italy’s Football Federation where in the meeting trying to protect the interests of both clubs.
Meanwhile, Maradona was already in a hotel in Sevilla with his wife, Claudia and his daughters Dalma and Giannina. And while the meeting was in its toughest point, Maradona was taking a trip through the best houses in Sevilla, with Diego Rodríguez. When he saw a journalist from Spain or Italy he would ask them if they knew if the deal was done already or not.
Close to 03:00 pm, during launch, the phone rang; it was Marcos Franchi talking with Maradona to let him know that they finally closed the deal.
Maradona had a contract with Naples June of 1993 but with 7,5 million dollars, FC Sevilla was able to sign him.
Maradona finnished his launch and went to talk with the journalists to whom he would say that he was very happy with the new path he was going to follow with FC Sevilla: “I want to thank the support of the fans with lots of goals and hard training to make us a better team”, and about his shape: “I can play 45 minute but with your support I’ll have the air I need for more”.
4. LUÍS FIGO TO REAL MADRID (2000)
Luis Figo was the football star in FC Barcelona. A club that wasn’t at its highest level in the 1999/200 season but still the Portuguese player was, without a doubt the best of the team. The most sounded transfer in Spain’s football was placed during the 2000 Euro Cup. During that summer, an Italia club (possibly Inter) was trying to sign him and was ready to pay for him.
After knowing about the offer of Inter, the player’s agent went to talk with FC Barcelona’s president to let him know about the offer but The president thought he was only looking to improve his contract.
A few weeks later, Florentino Perez, candidate to the presidency of Real Madrid but with not too many options, contacted with Figo’s agent and told him he would sign the player if he was elected president. The player talked with Nuñez (FC Barcelona’s president): “You don’t believe me?” And the answer of the president (thinking it was not true) was: “No, if they pay it, you’re out”. After that answer, Figo was ready to hear Florentino’s deal. And at the end, the agent’s player signed a deal with Real Madrid for the transfer. If one of them back up they would have to compensate the other part with 30 million Euros. Actually, Digo didn’t sign it, it was the agent who would have to pay in case they backed up.
Meanwhile, Figo was performing at his best level in the Euro Cup with Portugal and was on vacation time, but with a lot of pressure from everyone, including who would be the next president in FC Barcelona, Joan Gaspart.
The “Figo effect” made possible the impossible and on July the 16th, Florentino was elected Real Madrid’s president. And that same night they all took a flight to where the player was spending his vacation to pick him up and take him to Lisbon where he would sign a contract on taking responsibility on behalf of his agent’s agreement. Figo would go to FC Barcelona’s first training session on July the 24th while Real Madrid was heading to La Liga to pay the 60 million Euros to make him his player.
Almost immediately he would break with his agent for reasons of lack of honesty and loyalty.
Later Figo would admit he was scared with his presentation day and some tough moments like the first time he had to go to play in Camp Nou after what happened: “No player has lived the experience of playing in a stadium with 100.000 people against him”.
3. RONALDO NAZARIO TO REAL MADRID (2002)
After almost retiring from football because of a serious injury, Ronaldo Nazario amazed everyone in the Korea an Japan Word Cup 2002. ‘O fenomeno’ was back.
On August the 2nd 2002, the radio announces that Ronaldo had a deal with Real Madrid. This information became such a huge deal that Jorge Valdano, Sport Director at Real, had to call in the media to make official that Real Madrid was interested on signing the player if he was willing to leave Inter. Valdano admitted having a meeting with the player’s agent, Alexander Martins, to give exchange information, even though Inter didn’t want to sell nor Real to buy.
But the game was already ON. Alexandre Martins declares that the player will join the training sessions with Inter but he wanted to leave the club and only would stay if they forced him to.
August the 5th was the date when Ronaldo was supposed to show up to the training session but he didn’t and the agent’s player said that he wanted to leave, to play in the best possible conditions, to be happy and didn’t want to put pressure on Inter for a better contract.
August the 13th was the date when Florentino Perez and Massimo Moratti, head of Inter, would have the first serious talk about the subject. The president of the Italian team said that the player would stay because they didn’t have any good negotiations with Real Madrid and didn’t reach an economic deal. So Ronaldo went back to Milan to join the team. Some ‘tifosi’ at the airport made sure Ronaldo was not well received and showed a poster where you could read: “Now you must apologies”.
August the 30th, with both football leagues already started, Massimo Moratti makes some surprising statements making possible the negotiations of the transfer of Ronaldo to Real Madrid since they changes the attitude. And Fernando Morientes, Real Madrid striker would be part of the transfer and he would not play the next games with Real.
August 31st, 23:00, 1 h before the market closes, Real Madrid announces a deal with Inter to transfer Ronaldo for 35 million Euros (he had a value of 10 million Euros). The deal wasn’t closed and Real had to pay the 10 million Euros in cash.
Ronaldo made his debut with Real in their second game and scored 2 goals in 20 minutes and became a star in the club.
2. RIVALDO TO FC BARCELONA (1997)
The morning of August the 14th 1997, Deportivo would brag about having the magic diamond from Palmeiras (Flavio, Djalminha, Rivaldo and Luizao),and by the afternoon they won the Teresa Herrera tournament and were getting ready for a tough new season.
But if we go one day earlier, on August the 13th , Barcelona was playing against Skonto de Riga for the Champions League. Ronaldo didn’t play, what means he was about to sign with Inter. They suffered more than expected, the croud looked at the president and everyone realized they needed another striker. Rivaldo’s name appear and Alberto Toldrá starts with the negotiations.
August 14th in the morning, Toldrá appears in the hotel where Deportivo was staying (before the tournament game) and has a meeting with Rivaldo and Mauro Silva. It would go something like this:
Toldra: “FC Barcelona if willing to pay so you can leave Deportivo. Are you willing to leave the club?”
Rivaldo:” This can be pretty crazy…”
Toldra: “Don’t worry about that. Think on if you want to stay or leave the club.”
Rivaldo: “I will talk with my wife“
Rivaldo: “We will talk about it later”
Alberto Toldra leaft Rivaldo and Mauro’s room.
Rivaldo:”Mauro I don’t know what to do”
Mauro: “Think if you want to stay or not. If you want to stay ask for a crazy contract. If they give it to you… But also think about your future. If you want to leave, you should do it”
Rivaldo talked with his wife and decided to leave Deportivo. He signed a contract so Jose Maria Minguella could close the deal while the player was playing the tournament.
Knowing about what was coming, and against all predictions, he played the game. But the rumor was all over the stadium. The player left the stadium with no statements to the press or fans. During the night he head to Barcelona and signed for them.
1. ¿DE GEA TO REAL MADRID? (2015)
It seems like De Gea is going to live some tough last market days just like these other 4 players… In the deal we find, Jorge Mendes and De Gea as actors in a leading role, but we will also find Van Gaal, Sergio Ramos or Keilor navas as part of the movie. 6 hours left for the market to close and everyone thinks it is done. But we’ll see!
