Famous Players Who Nearly Joined Different Clubs

Football transfers are filled with a lot of stories that make this sport a lot more colorful. Some of these transfers can even elevate some players and give their seasons a certain narrative that makes them more interesting. However, there are also those transfers that almost happened but didn't take place which can be even more interesting.

Indeed, there are a lot of football transfers that almost took place and could have made things a lot more different for different clubs and footballers. There is also the fun aspect of picturing said players in said clubs. Not every single exceptional case is mentioned here, but these are some of the most prominent.

Pep Guardiola to Wigan Athletic (2005)

Guardiola's playing career has become somewhat underrated because of his success as a manager, but he was a very good footballer back in the day. However, when near retirement in 2005, he attempted to join Wigan Athletic and the transfer almost happened, but they deemed him not being at the required level, based on what the notorious coach has said in recent times.

"I was not good enough, that is the truth," Guardiola said. "I was old, really old! I knocked on the door, I tried to come here to play in English football, but I was not able. The same happened here at Manchester City, when I came here with Stuart Pearce. They were so clever! I was not good enough."

Diego Maradona to Sheffield United (1978)

Back when he was already making waves in his home country of Argentina, Maradona was offered the chance to join Sheffield United, but the club would opt for Alex Sabella instead. The club would suffer relegation, and the Argentinian would become one of the best to ever play football. However, the idea of Maradona playing in English football is always going to remain an enticing one.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Arsenal (2003)

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger have talked about this. The talented winger was slowly making a name for himself with Sporting Lisbon and the Gunners were interested in signing, but Manchester United would leapfrog them. It would have been interesting to see what could have been of Cristiano's career if he had decided to join Arsenal back then.

Lionel Messi to Manchester City (2020)

This one was heavily talked about back in 2020 and for a good reason! Ever since Guardiola became Manchester City's head coach, the idea of reuniting there with Lionel Messi has been quite consistent. However, that never happened and 2020 seems to be the only time that seemed close to materialize.

Indeed, Barcelona were having financial issues and were struggling to keep Messi registered in La Liga, which meant that perhaps they had to cut ties with him. City attempted to make a deal for him, although that would eventually not materialize. If anything, the idea of Messi in the Premier League is quite fascinating.

Steven Gerrard to Chelsea (2005)

Now, Steven Gerrard's loyalty to Liverpool has always been praised. He was with the club through thick and thin, constantly delivering when it mattered, and becoming a symbol of the club. However, this didn't mean that there weren't moments where he could have left and a 2005 transfer to Chelsea almost happened.

After winning the UEFA Champions League in a historical comeback against AC Milan, it seemed that Gerrard was happy to ride into the sunset and begin anew with another club. But the pressure from the fans made him take a U-turn from his original transfer request, thus ending that possible deal.

David De Gea to Real Madrid (2015)

This case is known by a lot of people. David De Gea almost joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in the summer of 2015, but an issue with the fax machine at the deadline day kept this transfer from happening. This situation went viral online, spawning various memes and jokes about it.

Ironically enough, the happiest person would be then-Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who would go on to start for the club as they won three Champions League trophies in a row.

"I cried that night when I found out I was staying, it was a build-up of emotions," Navas confessed during a 2015 interview with Spanish radio station Cadena COPE. "I didn't want to leave, Madrid is my home. I never wanted to leave Real Madrid. My agent told me to be alert to my phone. We had to go to Barajas (airport), although I never actually got on a plane - I was in a waiting room. I thought that if God wanted me to leave Madrid, it would be for the best, but he didn't want me to..."

Rivaldo to Bolton Wanderers (2004)

Back in the early 2000s, Bolton Wanderers were becoming known for punching above their weight with manager Sam Allardyce and that included the chance of signing Brazilian superstar Rivaldo. After a disappointing stint at AC Milan and failing to hit the ground running with Cruzeiro in his home country of Brazil, it seemed that he was very close to joining this English team during the summer of 2004.

"With a transfer of this size you can never be 100% sure, but Sam's made his offer and things are going very well," Peter Harrison, a representative of the Brazilian, told the Bolton Evening News, as per The Guardian. "There's nothing untoward about the delay. Rivaldo just wanted time to think about it. I know for sure that Sam made a good impression on him and so did Phil Gartside. Everything's looking good."

However, despite the excitement surrounding this idea at the time, Big Sam would break everybody's hopes of this transfer ever happening on the club's official website.

"I can categorically confirm that Rivaldo will not be joining us."

It would have been very exciting to see what Jay-Jay Okocha and Rivaldo could have done as teammates in the Premier League, but, alas, it wasn't meant to be.