Four Shocking 2021 Summer Transfers That Will Reshape Football
Football enthusiasts and fans have described the 2021 summer transfer as the most dramatic in recent time with the transfer of players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo topping football conversation.
No one would have ever believed that Spanish club, FC Barcelona will end their 17-year-old marriage, while Ronaldo’s shocking last minute return to his former club has been on the trend since August 27 when the report broke.
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Italian football journalist and analyst, Fabrizio Romano, described it as the ‘craziest transfer market ever.’
Eminue Idongesit, a football enthusiast, told THE WHISTLER that the transfer deals entered by Barcelona was ‘really nothing crazy.’
“Except that certain decisions were taken by certain clubs due to financial challenges,” he said, adding that Messi’s exit “came as a shock to him.”
The transfers of Messi and Griezmann underscores how finance can influence the decision of a club, according to football analysts.
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The four stunning transfers that have topped the chart are the move of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo to former club United, deadline day return of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid and Sergio Ramos to PSG.
These players have enjoyed their share of trends on micro blogging site, Twitter.
Messi To PSG
Lionel Messi/Internet 
Four-time Ballon d’Or winner, Messi and FC Barcelona parted ways after the club could no longer sustain their wage load.
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The divorce was principally driven by the club’s financial situation as its debt rose to $1.6bn according to club’s president Joan Laporta.
The club needed to offload some players to meet the La Liga wage cap and engage its new signings.
“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish La liga regulations on player registration,” Barcelona said in a statement.
Barca entered the summer needing to shed over $200m in salaries to make sure Messi remained at the club.
But the Argentine was able to reach a two-year deal with French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi who was a free agent since June 2021 will earn £500,000-per-week at PSG.
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Ronaldo To Man United
Cristiano Ronaldo 
Cristiano Ronaldo In Juventus
Former Juventus forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo, made a shocking return to United, a club he left 12 years ago to Spanish giant Real Madrid.
On Friday August 27, United announced that it signed an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of the Portuguese.
In his first spell for Manchester United between 2003-2009, he scored 118 goals in 292 games and helped them secure three Premier League titles and a Champions League victory in 2008.
Ronaldo fell out of favour with Juventus, a club he moved to in 2028. He earned €31m net and bonuses per year at Juventus.
Ronaldo, who had a year remaining on his contract with Juve, told Massimiliano Allegri that he wanted to leave.
The 36-year-old scord 101 goals in 134 games for Juve. He helped the Old Ladies win all three domestic titles during his time at the club.
But the club spent $120m to acquire Ronaldo from Madrid in 2018 to win the UEFA Champions League.
Griezmann To Atletico
Antoine Griezmann /Twitter
Barcelona announced on the summer transfer deadline day that it reached a deal with Atletico Madrid for their forward, Griezmann, to return to his former club on loan.
Atleco sold the Frenchman to the Catalan giants for £108m two years ago and he neted only 35 goals in 102 games which does not match the amount spent by the Catalan Giants.
But with the mounting financial pressure, the club was forced to negotiate a two-year loan deal with Atleti with an option to buy for €40m.
Ramos To PSG
Sergio Ramos Joins PSG/ Twitter 
Ramos Joins PSG/Twitter
35-year-old defender, Ramos, made a surprise move to PSG after 16 years.
His contract expired last summer, while Madrid offered him a single-year extension with a 10 per cent decrease in his salary.
But reports have it that the Spaniard wanted to stay two more years at Santiago Bernabeu.
The 35-year-old defender had helped the club secure four Champions League titles.
Madrid’s President, Florentino Perez, rejected the demands due to the club’s policy that does not allow players above 30 years more than a year contract.
“I never wanted to leave Real Madrid, I always wanted to stay here…It wasn’t a financial problem. They offered me one year, I wanted two. I wanted calm and continuity for my family … In the latest conversations, I accepted the offer with a pay cut, and I was told there was no longer an offer,” said Ramos in a farewell speech.
But a statement made by the Madrid legend in 2019 suggests that the bone of contention was beyond the extension of his contract by two years.
“The offer was on the table, and I’d never have thought of accepting going there ,but it transpired that my relationship with the club wasn’t what I thought it was,” said Ramos in 2019.
“Florentino and I have a father-son relationship and spending so much time close to someone over the years breeds affection. When I see him at my wedding [which was a fortnight away at the time], I’ll give him an embrace. That’s the way I am,” he added.
