The biggest football transfers that never happened

Transfers in football happen regularly, but very few have the power to completely change the future and landscape of the sport. We have investigated the biggest football transfers that never happened, the transfers that could have drastically changed the course of history if they had been made.

In the spring of 1996, Pavel Nedved was relatively unknown, but MSV Duisburg wanted to sign him. However, talks broke down when Nedved was called to the Czech Republic's Euro 96 team. He had a fantastic break-out competition and eventually joined Lazio. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2003.

It seems unfathomable that Totti would play anywhere other than Roma, but in 2004, he came extremely close to joining Real Madrid. At the height of the 'Galactico' era, Totti would have added more attacking firepower, but he decided to stay at Roma, making 786 appearances for the club.

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In 1976, FC Saarbrücken manager Slobodan Cendic blocked the transfer of Michel Platini joining his club because the midfielder was too light. A few months later, he was the French Player of the Year. He eventually won three Ballon d'Or's and dominated domestically and in Europe with Juventus.

In 2008, when Gareth Bale was nothing more than a talented youngster from Tottenham, the club offered Bale to former Spurs coach Martin Hol at Hamburg. The Bundesliga side didn't want to pay the asking fee, and Bale became a football legend, eventually joining Real Madrid and winning countless trophies.

In 1988, AC Milan's Ruud Gullit spoke to Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeneß for hours and was nearly convinced to join the German giants. He opted to stay at Milan, winning two more Serie A titles and two European Cups.

Did a volcano eruption stop Robert Lewandowski from joining Blackburn in 2010? Yes. Incredibly, a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounded all European air travel, ruining the deal. The Polish star eventually joined Borussia Dortmund and hit the dizzying heights of domestic and European success with Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona.

In 2002, Bayer Leverkusen were looking for a replacement for Michael Ballack, and São Paulo's Kaka came on their radar. Personal terms were agreed upon, but São Paulo increased their asking price to €8 million, too much for Leverkusen. A year later, Milan matched the asking price; the rest was history. The Brazilian was the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner, a Serie A winner, and secured the Champions League.

Between 1995 and 1999, Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz aggressively pursued young AS Monaco star Thierry Henry, but he eventually chose to play for Juventus. His spell in Italy didn't work out, so he joined Arsenal, where he became arguably the greatest player in Premier League history.

Ralf Rangnick, the RB Leipzig sporting director in 2015, said: "We had Kylian Mbappe all but signed" when the French star was 16 and relatively unknown. He didn't join because Leipzig had just sacked their manager, and there was no guarantee he would play. He eventually joined PSG, becoming the club's record scorer, and is now playing for Real Madrid.

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Ronaldo was among the most electrifying players in the 1990s and 2000s, playing for PSV, FC Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid, and AC Milan. The first club that was supposed to sign him was VfB Stuttgart, with then-U19 coach Ralf Rangnick flying to Brazil to do so. The club was unwilling to pay the asking price and instead signed Giovanni Elber from AC Milan.

Before moving to FC Barcelona in 2003, Ronaldinho nearly joined Manchester United as a replacement for David Beckham. Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon explained that the Brazilian wanted to bring 20 people into the club. Still, Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't keen on players who wanted to be treated differently, per GOAL.

The race for Neymar in 2013 between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid was intense. The Brazilian had a medical at Madrid, but the deal fell through because the club and Neymar's representatives couldn't agree on a price and wages. He eventually joined FC Barcelona, winning eight trophies in four years.

After winning two World Cups in 1958 and 1962, Pelé was the hottest property in football, quite literally. In 1964, German club Hannover 96 wanted to sign the Brazilian icon, but the deal fell through because the Brazilian government declared him state property.

Many clubs were interested in Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003, but La Liga side Valencia was the closest club to getting him before Manchester United. The Spaniards already had a €5 million pre-agreement in place, but due to internal struggles, the deal fell through. We think he had a semi-decent career once he joined Manchester United.

In 2006, Inter Milan offered €250 million to FC Barcelona for Lionel Messi, but the Catalans rejected the bid. Messi was still a teenager and was finding his feet in Catalonia. He became the GOAT, scoring a record-breaking 672 for the club and winning countless trophies.

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