Charles Jackson
Kylian Mbappe is leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer and announced his official news last Friday, ahead of his final appearance at the Parc des Princes, which ended in a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse in Ligue 1. The international Frenchman is set to join Real Madrid as a free agent this summer and will join the growing list of players to have left the French giants for nothing, which also includes former captain Thiago Silva, who joined Chelsea, talismanic attacking duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, who left for Manchester United, as well as Angel Di Maria and Adrien Rabiot, who later re-emerged at Juventus.
We look at the 10 most impressive free agent signings Mbappe will face in terms of proving they’re worth (relatively little) money.
No. 10: Lionel Messi from Barcelona to PSG and Inter Miami
- 2x League 1
- 1x Champions Trophy
- 1x Leagues Cup
The chance to sign arguably the best player of all time doesn’t come around often and it would have been rude of PSG not to take the chance after his time at Barcelona came to a heartbreaking end. Messi didn’t enjoy the best of times in Paris, but he still won three trophies and also became a FIFA World Cup winner while playing in Ligue 1. Whatever happens, the Argentina international’s time as a free agent was an unexpected development in the final part of his European career. However, this happened twice, as his next move – to Inter Miami – came when his contract with PSG expired and he switched to Major League Soccer, while the Parisians were releasing players like Messi, but also Neymar. Although the Rosario native has only won the League Cup to date, this is still the Herons’ first title of any kind in the club’s history and the impact Messi has had on MLS cannot be underestimated. In terms of profitability, this US chapter is working much better for the player and the club than the Paris interlude.
#9: Cafu from Rome to Milan
- 1x Series A
- 1x Italian Super Cup
- 1x UEFA Champions League
- 1x FIFA Club World Cup
- 2x European Super Cup
By the early 2000s, Cafu was a veteran authority at right-back and opted to leave AS Roma for Milan in 2003 with few reserves – or so they thought. The Brazilian international, who won two World Cups, spent five years at the San Siro and won the Scudetto and Champions League before retiring as the Rossoneri’s favorite.
#8: Sol Campbell from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal
- 2x First League
- 2x FA Cup
- 1x UCL runner-up
- 1x FA Community Shield
Few players have crossed the north London boundary directly and even fewer have done so as explosively as Sol Campbell did in 2001, but few can dispute the impact the former England international had on Arsenal at the time. One of the legendary Invincibles, he will forever be remembered as a cornerstone of Arsene Wenger’s legendary Gunners team.
No. 7: Thiago Silva from PSG to Chelsea
- 1xUCL
- 1x European Super Cup
- 1x Club World Cup
When Thiago Silva’s time as PSG captain ended brutally with Champions League heartbreak against Bayern Munich in Portugal, his next move came as a surprise: a free transfer to Chelsea, where he would reunite with his former Parisian coach Thomas Tuchel. Even more surprising is what happened next, as the German inspired the Blues to the elusive UCL title, with the influential Brazilian international a key part of their starting eleven.
#6: David Alaba from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid
- 2x Spanish League
- 1xUCL
- 1x King’s Cup
- 1x Spanish Super Cup
- 1x Club World Cup
- 1x European Super Cup
It’s still relatively early days, but David Alaba has already won it all with Real Madrid and could do so again this season if Carlo Ancelotti’s men win the UCL again. Although the Austria international has been injured for much of the campaign, his list of honors from his Bayern Munich days is impressive, but his trophy haul at Real doesn’t look too bad either.
#5: Esteban Cambiasso from Real Madrid to Inter
- 5x Series A
- 5x Italian Cup
- 4x Italian Super Cup
- 1xUCL
- 1x Club World Cup
In terms of historically underrated players, Esteban Cambiasso is a contender to be a top contender. Discarded by Real Madrid for essentially not being flashy enough during the Galacticos era, what followed in Milan with Inter was arguably more successful than the entire Galactico project with a glut of Italian titles as part of a dominant Nerazzurri team. which was crowned with a Champions League. triumph.
#4: James Milner from Manchester City to Liverpool
- 1x EPL
- 1x FA Cup
- 1x EFL Cup
- 1x UCL (2x runner-up)
- 1x Community Shield
- 1x European Super Cup
- 1x Club World Cup
Coming from Manchester City to Liverpool, James Milner was expected to be little more than a useful asset for the Reds, but the former England international has gone on to be much more than that and has become a model of consistency. and leadership that saw him named as one of Jurgen Klopp’s senior leadership figures in a glorious era for the Anfield giants.
#3: Andrea Pirlo from Milan to Juventus
- 4x Series A
- 1x Italian Cup
- 2x Italian Super Cup
- 1x UCL runner-up
Juventus used to have a strong reputation for dominating the free agency market and one of the two most important transfers of that era was the signing of Andrea Pirlo from Milan. Italy’s former 2006 World Cup winner appeared to be on his last legs when he played in Turin, but would be reborn with the Bianconeri and enjoy four Scudetto successes, as well as three domestic cups and a Champions League final, so it’s no wonder Gianluigi Buffon called his Azzurri teammate “the signing of the century”.
#2: Paul Pogba from Manchester United to Juventus
- 4x Series A
- 2x Italian Cup
- 2x Italian Super Cup
Overcoming Pirlo was always going to be difficult, but Juve somehow did just that when they signed Paul Pogba on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2012, before selling him back to the Red Devils and later renouncing him for his disastrous spell current. That first spell, however, earned the old lady more than $112 million, which is surprising when you consider that the French international won the Serie A title four times, as well as two more Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana crowns.
No. 1: Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund to Bayern Munich
- 8x Bundesliga
- 3x DFB Cup
- 5x DFL Super Cup
- 1xUCL
- 1x European Super Cup
- 1x Club World Cup
However, few clubs can compete with Bayern Munich’s feat of plucking Robert Lewandowski from Borussia Dortmund, having been BVB’s star player and having tried to sign him for a fee in the years leading up to his transfer in 2014. Eight Bundesliga, three DFB Pokal, five, DFL Supercup, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup triumph later and the Polish international left the Allianz Arena a Bavarian legend. Without Lewandowski, Bayern might not have been as dominant as they were until recently in Germany.
