Within the space of two months, popular players have made their transfers to various teams around the world ranging from Europe to other parts of the world. Here are the Top 5 most popular transfers in football world
The main aim of football clubs signing new players is to in one way or the other strengthen their team to play better and win trophies.
Below are the top 5 most popular recent transfers which can bring a lot f changes to the football teams concerned.
Karim BENZEMA
Karim Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker and captains La Liga club Real Madrid in recent years. He will join Saudi Professional League club Al-Ittihad on 1 July 2023. Regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, he is a creative forward renowned for his goal-scoring ability, as well as his technical skills, vision, and versatility on the field.
He is Real Madrid’s all-time second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider.
Benzema has won 24 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey and five UEFA Champions League titles.
He finished his Europe football career by winning the best world footballer of the year in 2022. He won the Ballon d’ or.
Following Ronaldo’s departure in 2018, Benzema transitioned from the false 9 position into a sole striker.
He was named in the La Liga Team of the Season for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2022, won La Liga Best Player twice and the Pichichi Trophy for the first time in 2022.
Benzema finished as Champions League top scorer as he won his fifth title in 2022, and subsequently captained the club in his final season before signing for Al-Ittihad this year.
He has now been unveiled as an Al-Ittihad player. The France international is understood to have signed a two-year contract with an option for a further year, which is set to pocket him a staggering €200 million per season.
Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League (SPL) this season under the stewardship of one-time Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo and offered Benzema a deal reportedly worth more than $100 million.
Benzema stated during his interview that this next level also marks another huge step in the Saudi Pro League’s journey to become one of football’s leading destinations for the world’s very best after its biggest season to date.
Benzema, seen holding up Al-Ittihad’s black and yellow striped shirt in Tuesday’s press release, is quoted in the league’s statement, saying: “I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country. Al-Ittihad Club has an amazing history, incredibly passionate fans and big ambitions in football to be a force in Asia after winning the league.
Benzema also expressed joy at joining a league which already contains his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It’s a good league and there are many good players,” the 35-year-old said. “Cristiano Ronaldo is already there, a friend who shows Saudi Arabia is starting to further progress its level. I am here to win, like I did in Europe.”
Benzema joined Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009, aged 21. He won 25 trophies with the club, making 648 appearances and scoring 354 goals – the second most in its history. His five Champions League titles tie for the most in history for an individual player.
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Ìlkay Gündogan
İlkay Gündoğan is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for premier league club Manchester city and the Germany national team.
Gündoğan signed for Manchester City in 2016, where he won five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2023 as part of a continental treble.
He was the club’s first signing under former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola. Gündoğan made his debut on 14 September, playing for the first time in four months in a 2016–17 UEFA Champions League group stage game at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
City won 4–0; Gündoğan won a penalty that was converted by Sergio Agüero. Three days later, Gündoğan started in the squad and scored with a low, right-footed shot against AFC Bournemouth in a 4–0 home win.
He scored a brace and set up Agüero’s goal against West Bromwich Albion in a 4–0 win at The Hawthorns on 29 October 2016.
He continued his run of form by scoring twice against Barcelona in a 3–1 win at home in the group stages of the Champions League.
On 22 May 2022, he scored two goals in a 3–2 home victory against Aston Villa on the final day of the 2021–22 Premier League, a result that clinched the Premier League title for the club.
Gündoğan was chosen by his teammates as club captain on 14 August 2022, replacing the departing Fernandinho. On 6 May 2023, he scored both goals in a 2–1 win over Leeds United, which secured his club’s 10th league win in a row during the 2022–23 Premier League.
On 14 May, Gündoğan scored twice against Everton, one of his goals being a clever flick and the other being a well-taken free kick. Guardiola commented that the player had shown “again and again his quality and his importance”. Such performances contributed greatly to City eventually winning in the 2022–23 Premier League.
On 3 June 2023, Gündoğan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history, with a long-range volley within 12 seconds of the 2023 final against Manchester United.
The match ended as a 2–1 victory for City, with Gündoğan scoring the second goal with a second volley.
Owing to his performance in the match, he was praised as “magnificent” by journalist Phil McNulty and was voted as man of the match.
On 10 June, he won his first Champions League title after a 1–0 victory over Inter Milan in the final, becoming the first captain of the club to lift the European Cup.
Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City on a free transfer, with the midfielder set to pen a three-year contract.
Barcelona have been actively pursuing the signing of Ilkay Gundogan for several months, as this was one of Xavi Hernandez’s top priorities due to the midfielder’s exceptional versatility.
His arrival will bring a significant boost in quality to the team, providing multiple alternatives and addressing some of the team’s deficiencies.
The announcement of the deal is eagerly awaited by Barcelona fans, as the agreement was reportedly finalized earlier this week.
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Lionel Messi
Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Until leaving Barcelona in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with the club. where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.
With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).
He also has the most international goals by a South American male (103). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).
He recently celebrated his 36th birthday in style, truly Messi is the greatest footballer of all time. He is said to have completed football in Europe by caping it all up in 2022 with the world cup.
He established himself as an integral player for Barcelona within the next three years, and in his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football; that year, aged 22, Messi won his first Ballon d’Or. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d’Or, making him the first player to win the award four times.
On 10 August 2021, Messi joined French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He signed a two-year deal until June 2023 with an option for an extra year. Messi chose 30 as his squad number, the same he wore as a teenager when he made his senior debut for Barcelona.
Messi made his debut for the club on 29 August, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 2–0 away win over Reims in Ligue 1.
He made his first start and Champions League debut for the club in a 1–1 away draw against Club Brugge on 15 September. Four days later, Messi made his home debut for PSG in a 2–1 win over Lyon.
On 28 September, he scored his first goal for the club, a strike from the edge of the 18-yard box in a 2–0 Champions League group stage win over former manager Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.[329] On 21 November, Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3–1 home victory over Nantes.
Later that month, he provided a hat-trick of assists for the fifth time in his career as PSG beat Saint-Étienne 3–1 away from home. Having scored 40 goals at club and international level for the calendar year and helped Argentina win the 2021 Copa América, Messi received a record seventh Ballon d’Or on 29 November.
After adjusting to his new surroundings and settling in Paris, under new coach Christophe Galtier, Messi returned to his preferred free attacking role; being placed in his favoured position as the playmaker behind two strikers, in an attacking trident with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, quickly regaining his form from his previous season by starting off the new season on 31 July by scoring PSG’s first goal in a 4–0 victory over Nantes in the Trophée des Champions, winning his second trophy with PSG.
On 1 June, Galtier confirmed that PSG’s home game against Clermont on 3 June would be Messi’s last for the club, with the club confirming his departure two days later.
the match ended in 3–2 defeat. He ended the season with the highest number of assists in the league with 16 and was also included in the UNFP’s Ligue 1 Team of the Season alongside teammates Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Mbappé.
Following confirmation of his departure from PSG, Messi was linked with a return to former club Barcelona, as well as with a big-money move to Saudi Professional League club Al-Hilal, but his eventual decision to sign for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami was communicated to Barcelona president Joan Laporta by 5 June 2023. Barcelona were unable to sign him due to financial constraints.
On 7 June, Inter Miami posted a video on their social media hinting at the club’s signing of Messi, although it did not confirm that he had officially signed yet.
On the same day, Messi confirmed his intention to join Miami in a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, in which he said that they “haven’t closed it 100 percent”.
MLS also stated that the deal had not been finalised. He explained that even though La Liga had accepted everything and was fine for him to return to Barcelona, there were many things left to be done such as lowering salaries and selling players, and he did not want to go through it again or be responsible for it.
He confirmed that other European clubs approached him, but that Barcelona was the only European team he wanted to play for.
4. Alexis Mac-Allister
Alexis Mac Allister is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Argentina national team.
He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 2019 but was immediately loaned back to Juniors until the end of the season. During his second year at Brighton, he was again loaned to Argentina to Boca Juniors, where he won the 2019–20 Primera División.
Returning from the loan the following season, Mac Allister had his breakthrough year for Brighton, becoming a key player for the team. He was their top scorer in the 2022–23 season.
Mac Allister represented Argentina at under-23 level, winning the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament and playing at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He made his senior international debut in 2019 and was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 Finalissima with a 3–0 victory against Italy. He was part of the Argentina team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he assisted a goal in the final against France.
Alexis Mac Allister made the move to Anfield for what is understood to be for an initial fee of around £35m, sources suggest it could rise to £55m; Argentina international leaves Brighton after four years; Liverpool begin rebuild of midfield with the 24-year-old.
He was identified as a key target for Liverpool, prior to the World Cup and the club value his versatility.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, he said: “It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true, it’s amazing to be here and I can’t wait to get started.”
The 24-year-old’s arrival is likely to begin what looks set to be a busy summer at Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp looking to freshen up a side that missed out on Champions League qualification this season.
Midfield is a particular area of need for Liverpool, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all leaving the club with their contracts expiring, while Arthur Melo will return to Juventus at the end of his loan deal.
Liverpool’s midfield has been scrutinised for some time, seen as the root cause of their decline. Overhauling it offers a route out of their problems. The acquisition of Mac Allister could prove to be a significant moment for Jurgen Klopp.
The Argentina international has pedigree. Already a World Cup winner, the 24-year-old midfielder has proven himself in the Premier League at Brighton and has the breadth of skills that make him an ideal fit for the demands at Liverpool.
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Kai Havertz
Kai Lukas Havertz is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Premier League club Chelsea and the Germany national team.
On 4th September 2020, Havertz signed a five-year contract with Premier League club Chelsea. The transfer fee was reported to be worth an initial £62 million, which could rise to £71 million with add-ons, making him Chelsea’s second-most expensive signing after Kepa Arrizabalaga.
On 14th September, he made his Chelsea debut in the league opener against Brighton & Hove Albion, which ended in a 3–1 away win.
On 23rd September, Havertz scored his first career hat-trick and his first Chelsea goals in a 6–0 home win over Barnsley in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Havertz scored his first-ever Premier League goal against Southampton on 17 October, in a 3–3 draw at home. On 4 November 2020, it was revealed that Havertz had tested positive for COVID-19.
On 29 May 2021, he scored the only goal of the game in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final. It was his first-ever goal in the UEFA Champions League as Chelsea beat fellow English club Manchester City to win the competition for the second time in club history.
On 11 August 2021, Havertz won the UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea, beating Villarreal in the final on penalties, despite him missing his penalty. On 28 August, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw at Liverpool.
On 12 February 2022, Havertz scored the winning goal in the 117th minute of the FIFA Club World Cup Final from a penalty kick, which ended in a 2–1 victory over Palmeiras.
On 3 September 2022, Havertz scored the winner in a 2–1 home victory against West Ham United for his first goal of the season.
On 25 October, he scored the winner in a 2–1 away victory against Red Bull Salzburg, which qualified his club for the knockout phase.
Arsenal have agreed to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea for a fee of £60m, plus £5m in add-ons. Havertz will sign a long-term deal having set his sights on moving to last season’s Premier League runners-up, as opposed to returning to the Bundesliga, after what has been a largely frustrating time at Stamford Bridge for the German forward.
The 24-year-old’s departure is part of an overhaul of Chelsea’s squad that includes N’Golo Kanté joining the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad on a free transfer and Mateo Kovacic moving to Manchester City for £25m.
Mikel Arteta is a long-time admirer of Havertz and believes he can help his team bridge the gap to City. His arrival is expected to be followed by that of Declan Rice. Arsenal had a second bid of £90m rejected by West Ham on Tuesday but should sign the midfielder soon, more than likely for £100m.
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