It is never trivial to attend such a prestigious ballet. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both given a new turn in their careers, the first leaving his Barcelona cocoon for PSG, the second finding his cozy nest at Manchester United. This transfer window has therefore flown at rare altitudes and it is not usurped to say that it has perhaps been one of the craziest in recent years.
Watch the movements of the two best players of the XXIe century in the same summer is a favor, attend dumbfounded The incredible scenario of Griezmann’s loan to Atlético de Madrid is a sweet madness that only the last moments of the transfer window can reserve, just as much as the evolution of the files of other very big players, like Kylian Mbappé… So what were the surprises of this transfer market, closed in Europe since Tuesday midnight ? Here is a non-exhaustive list …
Lionel Messi madness at PSG
What seemed unthinkable has finally come true. Viscerally attached to FC Barcelona and vice versa, Lionel Messi stretched the suspense to the end around a possible extension with Barça but his heart club, hit in its finances following the Covid crisis, was indeed unable to afford his salary. PSG, who had positioned themselves very early on as one of the potential hosts of the Argentine genius, smelled the opportunity and won the bet. Result, the six-time Ballon d’Or signed with the Parisian club as a free agent, for all the same a pretty net annual salary of € 41 million. A real marketing coup but above all sporting, Lionel Messi, after Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, has shifted PSG into another dimension and allows him no longer to dream but to see himself bigger. A real earthquake!
Cristiano Ronaldo’s comeback to Manchester United after an XXL transfer window for the Reds Devils
No one dared to believe it. Even less so when rumors were eagerly sending him to Manchester City, that he had obviously himself inquired from players in the citizen locker room and that his powerful agent Jorge Mendes was negotiating in this direction. But lo and behold, Cristiano Ronaldo is decidedly a player apart and made the choice of the heart. That is to say, return to the club which propelled him to the highest level, twelve years later… Manchester United formalized his signing on Tuesday, August 31, and a master stroke made to the nose and beard of his rival. Because the Reds Devils have enlisted the Portuguese star for “a handful of money”, for 15 million euros, payable over five seasons, plus eight million euros in option depending on the sporting performance of the player. In the tradition of a coherent and particularly ambitious transfer window.
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?? @Cristiano is back!#MUFC | #RonaldoReturns
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 31, 2021
In addition to Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United also put the small dishes in the big ones to welcome Raphaël Varane, for 40 M €, and Jadon Sancho, most expensive recruit of the club this summer after having paid 85 M €. While taking care to keep Paul Pogba (without prolonging it) and others. There’s no question the sky is blue over Old Trafford.
Manchester City did not count to afford Jack Grealish
When we love, we do not count… The motto is transposed very well to football. And in England, this is also the case. Noticeable during the last Euro, the English people has a special admiration for Jack Grealish. The 25-year-old midfielder, who was still playing for Aston Villa at the time, received a standing ovation from Wembley on each of his entries. Why not. Pep Guardiola, at the head of Manchester City, had made it his priority for the summer and won his case with his leaders. Why not either … But the question lies more in the means allocated to its transfer. The Citizen club has indeed spent 118 million euros – and broke the record for the most expensive transfer to the Premier League – for a player confined to the joker label (luxury) at the Euro with his selection of Three Lions. Established during the first three days of the championship, Jack Grealish has so far scored a goal and delivered an assist.
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Jack Grealish animated the summer transfer window in England, with his signing in Manchester City. © Andrew Couldridge / Reuters
Romelu Lukaku, the handyman and a record
327 million euros is the amount of the common pot bringing together the transfer fees that have been paid by the clubs in recent years to afford the services of Romelu Lukaku. A tidy sum, which makes him the most expensive player of all time and reached thanks to his regular desire for change. In 2011, Chelsea repatriated him from Anderlecht for 15 million euros. In 2014, Everton had recruited him for just over € 35m, just before prices soared a little more. Manchester United first paid nearly € 85m to bring him in, Inter Milan got it back against € 74m but Chelsea, this summer, did even harder.
READ ALSO. From Chelsea to Chelsea, a linear evolution for Romelu Lukaku
The Blues, eager to bring back the Belgian international, saw fit to put € 115m on the table and, at that price, logically pocketed the bet. A financial surprise, although the home striker scored 24 goals and delivered ten assists last season, but also sporty by opting for a return to Stamford Bridge and a fifth transfer in his career, the fourth in seven years.
The incredible outcome of Antoine Griezmann’s return to Atlético
A Hitchcockian scenario! Antoine Griezmann’s return to Atlético de Madrid came with a crazy thrill. In the grip of financial difficulties, Barça, after having already lost Lionel Messi, is resigned to also let go of the French international in order to reduce its payroll. Negotiations with Atlético accelerated on Tuesday and the two clubs had reached an agreement in the early evening, Tuesday, August 31. Everything was crystal clear, the operation was tied up… but there you have it! The latter being conditioned on the loan of Saul Niguez to Chelsea, insofar as the Colchoneros had to make room in their workforce, the case dragged on until the last minute.
@AntoGriezmann will play again in red and white after the agreement reached between our club and FC. Barcelona for his loan.
Welcome, Antoine! ?? pic.twitter.com/Q3zoP3JpIx
– Atlético de Madrid (@AtletiFR) August 31, 2021
After midnight, several Spanish media, including the String SER, ensured then that the game of musical chairs had not worked and that the last discussions around the loan of Saul destroyed the whole house of cards. So much so that the arrival of Luuk De Jong at FC Barcelona, replacing Antoine Griezmann, was also aborted. A three-cushion billiard table which at first gave the impression that it would not work and which had a completely crazy turnaround! Saul Niguez’s loan to Chelsea was finally completed on time. And by mimicry, that of Antoine Griezmann too. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, journalist with ESPN, the contract of the French international was registered in extremis… at 11:59 pm! Griezmann will indeed play for the Colchoneros this season.
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