After FC Barcelona somewhat surprisingly signed African star Kevin-Prince Boateng on Monday, here are seven other transfers that shocked the football world this century.
Click through the gallery above to see seven of the weirdest transfers this century.
Boateng's transfer is not the first time in recent years that the Catalan giants shocked fans and pundits alike with one of their signings.
In August 2017, the Blaugrana signed Brazilian midfielder Paulinho for €40 million (R632 million). At the time, the Selecao star had spent two years in China with Guangzhou Evergrande and many were shocked by the move and high transfer fee, especially after he had left Tottenham Hotspur for just €14 million (R221 million) in 2015. However, he proved to be a success at the Camp Nou, scoring nine goals to help Barcelona win the LaLiga title and earning a place in his country's 2018 FIFA World Cup spot. Strangely, though, he left the club after just one year to rejoin Evergrande in an initial loan deal, which was made permanent this month.
Another transfer that surprised many was Bebe's move to Manchester United. His journey from homelessness to one of Europe's biggest clubs remains one of football's ultimate fairy tales, but it unfortunately did not have a happy ending. United signed the winger, who was abandoned by his parents at a young age and grew up in a homeless shelter, in 2010, but he played only 74 Premier League minutes for the club before leaving on loan a year later.
Stoke City's signing of Bojan Krkic in 2014 was another transfer that raised eyebrows. The FC Barcelona youth product – who made his debut for the Catalan giants at the age of 17 years and 19 days, breaking Lionel Messi's record at the time – left the Camp Nou four years after his senior debut. Following loan stints with AS Roma, AC Milan and Ajax Amsterdam, he eventually signed for Stoke. The English club were well-known for their kick-and-run football but wanted to change their image with the arrival of Bojan. However, the move did not work out as they were relegated from the Premier League in 2018.
Read: African Star Comments On Shock Barca Move
Other weird transfers, as listed by theScore.com, include Fabio Borini's arrival at AC Milan after failing to impress at Sunderland, Joe Hart's stint with Torino after failing to secure a deal with an English club, Nicklas Bendtner's loan spell at Juventus from Arsenal, and Joey Barton's move from Queens Park Rangers to Olympique Marseille.
Which is the weirdest transfer you can remember? Have your say in the comments section below.
