Luis Figo's move from Barcelona to Real Madrid is one of the most controversial in football's history. Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty ImagesEuro 2020 may be in full swing but transfer business still rumbles on for clubs across the continent as they continue their preparations for the new season.
With Turkey crashing out of the group stage, Hakan Calhanoglu was left free to focus his attention on a move that has been bubbling away for several weeks and Tuesday saw the AC Milan midfielder cross the city divide to join rivals Inter Milan on a free transfer.
Of course, when a player leaves a club to sign for their big rivals, there is always the chance that the move will be met with controversy, or leave at least one of the parties involved looking very silly indeed, as the following major transfers show.
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Johan Cruyff: Ajax to Feyenoord (1983)
Ajax renamed their stadium the Johan Cruyff Arena following his death in 2016, but there was a time in the early 1980s when it looked like the Dutch icon had burnt his bridges with the Amsterdam club. At the end of the 1982-83 season, Cruyff's relationship with the top brass at Ajax had broken down to the point where he felt he had to seek a fresh start elsewhere. Aged 36, he signed for Feyenoord. Once Ajax's arch rivals, the Rotterdam club were struggling to recapture past glories, without an Eredivisie title since 1974 and slipping gradually down the Eredivisie. However, Cruyff's arrival immediately re-energised the sleeping giants, who went on to win a league and cup double in his one season at De Kuip. Having also collected a number of individual awards and plaudits, Cruyff then capped his swansong by announcing his retirement in the summer of 1984.
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Roberto Baggio: Fiorentina to Juventus (1990)
These days, controversial transfers are usually met with snake emojis on social media and the odd banner in the stands, but Baggio's move to Juve in 1990 sparked riots in the streets of Florence. After the forward inspired Fiorentina to the 1990 UEFA Cup final (which they lost against Juventus). Juve were so impressed that they signed him for a world-record fee. Fiorentina fans did not take it well, with multiples injuries reported as civil unrest broke out in the city, leading to club president Flavio Pontello reportedly locking himself inside the Stadio Artemio Franchi to prevent the baying mob from reaching him. Baggio added to the controversy: the following season when Juve played Fiorentina he refused to take a penalty and, when he was later substituted in his team's 1-0 defeat, picked up a Fiorentina scarf thrown from the crowd.
Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid (2000)
This 2003 finish by LuÃs Figo