Best player presentations after big transfers

Perhap it is the anticipation, the possibility, the hope. With transfers, fans can dare to dream.

Sometimes it is the return of a popular player. On other occasions it might be the arrival of an exciting young prospect. Or, in the case of the world's biggest clubs, the signing of a global superstar.

Before the new man has even kicked a ball for his new club, there is often the chance to welcome him at a presentation.

Over the years, some of these have created huge excitement as fans flock in their thousands to worship their new hero, hoping he will take their team to the very top. Or at least give them plenty to cheer. Here, a look at some of the most memorable player presentations after big transfers...

32. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Manchester City organised a special event to welcome summer signings Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Stefan Ortega to the club in July 2022.

Unsurprisingly, the Norwegian was the star of the show as more than a thousand fans gathered outside the Etihad Stadium and chanted his name. "We're going to have a good time," he told them. And he was right.

31. Diego Maradona (Barcelona)

There were no individual player presentations in 1982, but when Barcelona signed Diego Maradona that summer, 60,000 fans turned up at Camp Nou to welcome the Argentina (and the club's other new signings).

That was about 20,000 more than the average turnout for these annual events ahead of the new season. The Argentine, of course, attracted huge crowds wherever he went.

30. Santi Cazorla (Villarreal)

Santi Cazorla made an emotional return to first club Villarreal for a third spell in August 2018 after seven years away and an injury at Arsenal which had looked set to end his career.

In his presentation at the club's Estadio de la Ceramica, Cazorla was made to appear magically in a capsule on the pitch by magician Yunke. Later, he took a selfie with his kids as 4,500 fans applauded the two-time European champion.

29. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Kept waiting all summer by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, Gareth Bale finally completed his move to Real Madrid for €100 million late in the summer transfer window and was presented at the Santiago Bernabeu in early September 2013.

Met by more than 20,000 fans as he became the world's most expensive player, Bale showed off his skills on the pitch and even spoke some Spanish – which didn't happen often in his time at the club. Bale said he hoped Madrid would win La Décima (a 10th European Cup), which they achieved that season. And by the time he left in 2022, Madrid had 14.

28. Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

Player presentations can be a bit banal, but if you're going to watch a footballer do a few keepie-uppies and show off his ball skills, there is surely nobody better than Ronaldinho.

The brilliant Brazilian brought about a change of fortunes at Barcelona after signing for the Catalan club in the summer of 2003 and 25,000 fans went to Camp Nou to welcome him to town.

27. Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Thierry Henry signed for Barcelona from Arsenal in the summer of 2007 and around 30,000 fans of the Catalan club turned up at Camp Nou to welcome him aboard.

Barça had gone without a trophy the previous season and struggled again in 2007/08, but went on to win the treble with Henry in the team and Pep Guardiola in charge in 2008/09.

26. Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona)

Cesc Fabregas finally joined Barcelona from Arsenal in August 2011 following a protracted transfer saga which had dragged on for a couple of years.

The Catalan midfielder was presented in front of 35,000 fans at Camp Nou. "We've got Cesc Fabregas!" they sang, in English. Cesc went on to spend three seasons at Barça.

25. Edinson Cavani (Boca Juniors)

Edinson Cavani signed for Boca Juniors at the age of 36 in July 2023 and despite his age, the Uruguay forward was received like a hero by fans of the Argentine club.

Welcomed by 35,000 fans as fireworks were let off at La Bombonera, Cavani was accompanied by his children during the presentation and ended the night singing to the supporters.

24. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 due to the Catalan club's disastrous financial situation and signed for Paris Saint-Germain.

Presented by PSG in August 2021, the Argentine was met by thousands of fans as flares were left off outside the Parc des Princes. And three days later, he was formally introduced to a packed crowd in an event ahead of a Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg.

23. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)

After his Manchester United contract was rescinded following his public criticism of the club, Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in a surprise move in January 2023.

The Portuguese superstar was greeted by around 25,000 fans at his presentation, with the stadium at full capacity and over three million people watching on live streams around the world.

22. Marcelo (Fluminense)

Marcelo started his career at Fluminense before spending 15 years at Real Madrid. And after a brief spell at Olympiacos, the Brazilian left-back returned home.

Unveiled in a spectacular presentation at the Maracana, Marcelo was met by 35,000 Fluminense fans and went on to win the Copa Libertadores with the Rio de Janeiro outfit later in the year.

21. Ronaldinho (AC Milan)

Ronaldinho caught the imagination wherever he played and despite being slightly past his best, the Brazilian forward was greeted by around 35,000 AC Milan fans at his official presentation at the San Siro in July 2008.

Ronaldinho clapped hands with children on the pitch as dancers performed a samba routine in a carnival atmosphere to welcome the forward following his move from Barcelona. He spent three years at Milan before returning to Brazil with Flamengo in 2011.

20. Diego Maradona (Newell's Old Boys)

Diego Maradona's time at Newell's Old Boys was brief: he played just five official games, a couple of friendlies and scored only one goal in the famous red and black shirt.

But the fans will never forget that he played for their team. Around 40,000 were there at his presentation as he turned up for a training session at a packed stadium with his two young daughters dressed in Newell's colours. The stadium was full again for his debut in a friendly against Emelec and a six-year-old Lionel Messi was there to see the great Maradona score his only goal for the club. History.

19. David Villa (Barcelona)

David Villa signed for Barcelona from Valencia for €40 million ahead of the 2010 World Cup and was presented at Camp Nou to almost 40,000 fans in May.

By the time he made his Barça debut, Villa was a World Cup winner, having hit five goals for Spain en route to the title in South Africa. He won two La Liga titles and a Champions League, among other things, in a successful three-season spell at Camp Nou.

18. Carlos Tevez (Boca Juniors)

Carlos Tevez started his career at Boca Juniors and the popular former forward returned to the Buenos Aires giants for a second spell in 2015.

Tevez was given a hero's welcome at La Bombonera as 40,000 fans turned up to salute him in July 2015, with huge banners including one made by the family of Diego Maradona which read "Thanks Carlitos for coming back" and was draped over the executive box where the legendary Boca and Argentina forward was watching, then later passed down to Tevez himself. Draped in the banner and waving a flag, Tevez kissed the grass and posed for pictures with his daughters on an emotional night.

17. Dani Alves (Sao Paulo)

More than 40,000 fans turned up to welcome Dani Alves back to Brazilian football with Sao Paulo in August 2019.

Stood on a giant Sao Paulo crest, the right-back was acclaimed by his new supporters and later, fireworks went off to mark the arrival of the most decorated player in the world at the time. He stayed for a couple of years, but left following a dispute over unpaid image rights in September 2021.

16. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid)

James Rodriguez was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup and the Colombian playmaker moved to Real Madrid in a €75 million transfer after the tournament in Brazil.

Presented in front of more than 40,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu with the number 10 shirt in July 2014, James went on to make over 100 appearances for Los Blancos, but was often on the bench and the move did not quite live up to its high expectations.

15. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)

Neymar stunned Barcelona and their fans as he signed for Paris Saint-Germain for a world record fee of €222 million in August 2017, with the Catalan club powerless to prevent him from leaving as PSG paid his release clause.

The Brazilian was officially presented at the Parc des Princes in front of 45,000 fans and would go on to spend six seasons at the club, scoring over 100 goals in that time. He left to join Saudi side Al-Hilal in 2023.

14. Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid)

Fernando Torres made an emotional return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid in January 2015 and the Spanish striker was welcomed by 45,000 fans at the Vicente Calderon.

Torres signed initially on loan from AC Milan, but the move eventually became permanent and he went on to spend four more seasons with the Rojiblancos, winning the Europa League in 2017/18.

13. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid paid Chelsea €100 million for Eden Hazard in a deal potentially rising to over €140m, making the Belgian one of the most expensive players ever.

Hazard was presented in front of Santiago Bernabeu in front of 50,000 fans, but those supporters did not see the best of him. After arriving out of shape, by his own admission, Hazard struggled with injuries and played just 76 matches in four seasons before retiring in 2023.

12. Neymar (Al-Hilal)

Neymar was officially presented by Al-Hilal in a spectacular ceremony in front of 60,000 fans following his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023.

The event took place ahead of a match against Al-Fayh, but Neymar's presence guaranteed a full house. Unfortunately, the Brazilian suffered serious injury on international duty in October as he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in a match against Uruguay, having played only five times for the Saudi Pro League side.

11. Luis Suarez (Gremio)

After a spell back in Uruguay with his first club Nacional, Luis Suarez signed for Brazilian side Gremio in January 2023.

The former Barcelona and Liverpool striker was given a rousing reception at his official presentation as around 50,000 fans turned up to welcome him to the Porto Alegre-based club.

10. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)

Inter Miami's stadium only holds just over 20,000 fans and it was full for Lionel Messi's presentation at the MLS side in July 2023.

Many more fans were left outside and the Argentine's presentation was watched on online streams such as Apple TV+, YouTube and Twitch. Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham later claimed that 3.5 billion viewers had watched the presentation, which would have been almost half the world's population. Maybe he meant 3.5 million.

9. Thiago Silva (Fluminense)

If you were asked to guess players who had attracted more than 50,000 fans at their presentation at a new club, you probably wouldn't think of Thiago Silva.

But 55,000 Fluminense fans turned out to welcome the defender back to the Rio de Janeiro club in an amazing event at the Maracana in June 2024. Silva spent three years at Fluminense earlier in his career before a decade and a half in Europe with AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

8. Kaka (Real Madrid)

Just a week before Cristiano Ronaldo's presentation as a Real Madrid player at a packed Santiago Bernabeu, Kaka was officially unveiled by Los Blancos.

Following his €68.5 million move from AC Milan as part of a huge summer spree, the Brazilian was presented at the Bernabeu in front of 55,000 fans.

7. Neymar (Barcelona)

There was huge expectation in Barcelona when Neymar snubbed their fierce rivals Real Madrid to join the Catalan club from Santos in the summer of 2013.

While nobody could seem to agree on what was paid exactly for the Brazilian forward, the Barça fans were just happy to see him. On a hot day at Camp Nou, more than 55,000 turned up to welcome him. Amusingly, among them was a Ney lookalike posing for photos outside the stadium.

6. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Robert Lewandowski signed for Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for a fee of €45 million, plus a potential €5m in add-ons.

The Polish striker was welcomed by almost 60,000 fans in his official presentation at Camp Nou in August and showed off some impressive ball skills to the watching public. Two days later, he made his debut at Camp Nou, scoring in the Gamper Trophy game against Mexican side Pumas as Barça won 6-0.

5. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)

There were fireworks, pyrotechnic flames, bright lights and huge cheers as 60,000 fans turned up to welcome Karim Benzema to Al-Ittihad in June 2023.

The former Real Madrid forward walked out to a plinth in the centre of the pitch in a noisy welcome from supporters of the Saudi Pro League side and even showed off his Ballon d'Or trophy in a night he later described as "a special moment I will never forget".

4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona)

After Real Madrid's huge spending spree in the summer of 2009, Barcelona brought in an expensive signing of their own as Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined from Inter for a fee of around fee of £40 million plus Samuel Eto'o, who went the other way.

Some 60,000 Barça fans were present at Camp Nou at Zlatan's presentation and the Swede had to be shielded by security as hundreds of supporters invaded the pitch to try to get close to the club's new signing.

3. Diego Maradona (Napoli)

Diego Maradona joined Napoli from Barcelona in the summer of 1984 for a world record fee of £6.9 million ($10.48m).

The Argentine great was welcomed amid a party atmosphere at the San Paolo stadium which now bears his name, with 75,000 fans present to salute the man who would lead the club to their most glorious era over the next six years.

2. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

The transfer saga dragged on for years and after his late U-turn to stay at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022, many Real Madrid fans were furious at Kylian Mbappe.

But there was plenty of love for the France forward at a packed Santiago Bernabeu following his arrival from PSG in 2024, with Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane and Pirri in the house among around 80,000 fans to welcome him to the club.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Florentino Perez returned to the Real Madrid presidency in 2009 and made a number of statement signings that summer. Cristiano Ronaldo was the biggest of them all.

The Portuguese superstar was signed for a fee of €94 million from Manchester United and was presented in front of 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Alfredo Di Stefano and Eusebio watching on. Iconic.