Most players pass through teams, never really making too much of a difference but every now and again, a player comes along and changes the fabric of the club he plays for. Here are the best players that changed their club’s history.
Diego Maradona – Napoli
Perhaps the greatest example of a player changing the history of a football club is Diego Maradona at Napoli. The man was loved unlike any other player ever. His ill-fated spell at Barcelona came to an end in 1984 and clubs across Europe were lining up to sign him. It’s said that a briefcase full of cash persuaded him to join Napoli.
On the pitch he cemented his place as the best in the world. 75,000 people packed out the Stadio San Paolo just to see his presentation as a Napoli player, with thousands more watching the event on TV. Prior to Maradona’s arrival, Italian football had been dominated by northern clubs, that soon changed when he arrived.
It didn’t take long for Maradona to be given the captain’s armband, inheriting it from veteran defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti. Led by the great man, Napoli won their first ever Serie A title in the 1986/87.
To this day Maradona is revered by Napoli fans and players. Since his death in 2020, the club changed the name of their stadium to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, solidifying his legacy as their greatest ever player. Murals of their adopted son line the streets of Naples and we encourage you to book a football trip with us to the lively Italian city.
Johan Cruyff – Barcelona
The godfather of modern football, Johan Cruyff changed Barcelona both as a player and a coach. His move from Ajax was the first step in a seismic shift for the Catalan club, moving to a more youth focused way of bringing in talent as well as their now famous possession-based style of play.
Making the move from Amsterdam in 1974, Cruyff was widely regarded as a pioneer both on the pitch and off it. As soon as he stepped out onto that Camp Nou pitch, the fans adored him, he could do things that no other player could. In the backroom he was an active coach from the get-go, helping implement the ‘total football’ championed by his old coach Rinus Michels.
The 70s were a tumultuous time for Barcelona as General Franco’s fascist government suppressed Catalan culture and likely fixed football games in favour of his beloved Real Madrid, of course that pales in comparison to the atrocities he committed. Cruyff led Barcelona to a new era and poetically won the first La Liga title after General Franco’s regime fell.
The love between Cruyff and the Catalan people was mutual. He coached Barcelona through one of their most successful periods from 1988 – 1996. He further endeared himself to the people of his adopted home by picking a Catalan name for his son, Jordi Cruyff, now Sporting Director at Barcelona. He even managed Catalunya from 2009-2013. Barcelona would not be the club they are without Johan Cruyff.
Alfredo di Stefano – Real Madrid
If Alfredo di Stefano had played 10 or 20 years later, people would be calling him the greatest player of all time, there is no better example of a footballer being ahead of their time. Real Madrid won the first five European Cups thanks to di Stefano, without him it’s unlikely they would have become the biggest club in World Football.
His transfer from Colombian side Millonarios to Real Madrid is one of the most disputed in history. Having already agreed terms with rivals Barcelona, Spanish dictator General Franco allegedly stepped in to stop di Stefano from joining the Catalan club, paving the way for him to make the move to Real Madrid instead. The rest is history.
Di Stefano joined Real Madrid in 1953 at the age of 27. At the time of joining, he hadn’t played competitive football in 8 months, 5 days after completing his move he scored twice in a 4-2 win over Racing Santander. His first European Cup title came in 1954, beating Just Fontaine’s Stade de Reims side 4-3 in the final.
His next European Cup final was against Fiorentina. 124,000 people packed the Santiago Bernabeu to watch the home side convincingly win 2-0. Their third final was a tighter affair against AC Milan, but they eventually won 3-2.
In 1958/59 they met Stade de Reims once again, this time winning 2-0. Last but by no means least came Eintracht Frankfurt but they were easily dispatched with Real winning 7-3. Di Stefano scored at least once in every single final. The ultimate big game player. Don’t hesitate and book a football trip with us to see the Spanish giants play at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Gre-No-Li – AC Milan
If you’re sat there thinking, ‘who the hell is Gren-No-Li’ then we wouldn’t blame you. It’s a contraction of three former AC Milan players, Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm. Before Zlatan Ibrahimovic, these three Swede’s were ripping up the Serie A, forming football’s first great attacking trios.
The three forwards led Sweden to unexpected Olympic success in 1948 and shortly after, centre forward Nordahl became the first to join AC Milan. His impressive performances led to the AC Milan board splashing the cash on his two countrymen.
They managed to score an incredible 71 goals in 38 matches between them in their first season, but their most successful season came in the 1950/51 campaign as they won their first league title with their club. Gunnar Nordahl remains the third highest goal scorer in Serie A history. Make sure you book a football trip to the iconic San Siro stadium in Milan.
Without the three Swedes there may never have been a Messi, Neymar and Suarez or a Bale Benzema and Ronaldo front three. They popularised having three forwards and it’s a tactic still used by some of the world’s greatest clubs.
Neymar – PSG
Since they took over the club, the Qatari state wanted a marquee signing and they got one in Neymar. The one-time poster boy for football in the French capital changed not only the club but world football, mostly due to the astronomical transfer fee. It cost Paris Saint Germain a whopping €222 million to bring the Brazilian to the club, heavily inflating the market around the world.
Neymar’s move to PSG has largely been a successful one, despite a few off-field incidents. Since making the move in 2017 he’s scored an impressive 80 goals in 106 league appearances, winning Ligue 1 four times along the way. Now he has Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe alongside him, this may be the season they finally win a Champions League.
It was likely inevitable that transfer fees were going to increase the way they already have but Neymar being bought for that amount sped up the process. Players like Ousmane Dembele, Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann would otherwise not have cost as much as they did. Book a trip to Paris and see the iconic French champions in action.