Kevin Strootman, Paco Alcacer and the weird world of transfer unveilings
Football clubs are getting creative when it comes to showing off their new signings
August 29, 2018
It's become all the rave in football. Sign a player and unveil him using a catchy video featuring an element of popular culture, be it video games, Hollywood drama or something available from the app store.
What happened to simply having your new signing holding the club's shirt aloft in front of the stadium?
Fans on Tuesday were graced with two new pieces of content creation, momentarily left on tenterhooks while they waited to see which player was being unveiled. Step forward Paco Alcacer, who has joined Borussia Dortmund from Barcelona, and Kevin Strootman who has signed for Marseille from Roma.
Here are those two plus a few others which will either make you laugh out loud or cringe:
Kevin Strootman
Loads of footballers have made it known that they like a game or two of Fortnite, so Marseille, fresh from spending £23 million on the midfielder, decided to create their own character: the Flying Dutchman. He parachutes into the training ground and prepares for battle by changing into a Marseille kit.
C'était écrit. Venu de l'eau 🌊 pour mettre le feu 🔥
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) August 28, 2018
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Paco Alcacer
Cringe, cringe, cringe. The Barcelona striker has joined Dortmund on a season-long loan with an option for the Germans to buy him at the end of the season. The announcement came with a Twitter video showing sporting director Michael Zorc perusing a dating app. Alcacer catches his eye and is selected, while the Spaniard himself is also scrolling through and finds a Dortmund badge (what is a football club doing on a dating app?). They then meet and potentially live happily ever after. This is terrible.
😃 Heute in Dortmund... pic.twitter.com/tUgf1QoUfw
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) August 28, 2018
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Santi Cazorla
You can forgive the former Arsenal midfielder some fun after his horrendous injury problems over the past few years. He joined Villarreal earlier this month and fans hope he can produce a few moments of magic - especially if his unveiling is anything to go by. A magician presented a clear glass chamber on the pitch and filled it with smoke. When the air cleared there was Cazorla standing behind the glass. Magic.
#VuelveLaMagia | Y por arte de magia 🎩, el deseo más fuerte de los 'groguets' se hizo realidad 💛. @19SCazorla volverá a defender la camiseta amarilla y a despertar los sueños del #EstadioDeLaCerámica 😍🏟. pic.twitter.com/nbhiH92N3s
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 10, 2018
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Joel Robles
This one is a two-part thriller from Real Betis. First there's a clip from the original Jurassic Park movie.
⌛👀🦕 pic.twitter.com/F4ea34iAiH
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) July 5, 2018
You would think with that reaction they had just signed Ronaldo and not Everton back-up goalkeeper Robles. Anyway, it then gets on to the serious in-house filmmaking and it appears there's an intruder at the stadium ... where do they get these ideas from?
🚨🔦🕵️♂️ pic.twitter.com/UfcZeOx5vY
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) July 5, 2018
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Jesus Navas
There's some serious Hollywood director wannabes in Spain, and you wonder if Betis had seen how Sevilla did this one last year. Sure, the former Manchester City winger was "coming home" to his former club, but kidnapping is illegal. He doesn't look too bothered by the ordeal in the end though.
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John Terry
It's the first time I've seen anyone add up percentages to simply state that something is 100 per cent, so on that note, Aston Villa's creative team added a new element to the old hat WhatsApp chat. Then there's the comedy snippet when the club's former defenders leave the chat group when it's suggested Terry is the best the club has ever had. It's short and sweet.
📱✍️ pic.twitter.com/G2DxMQhAv6
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) July 3, 2017
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Alexis Sanchez
Can he actually play the piano? In the video he's seen tapping away to the tune of Glory Glory Man United, and, if this video is anything to go by he does know what he's doing. It's a shame then for United fans that he's been so out of tune on the pitch since his arrival in January.
🎹 Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Introducing #Alexis7…#GGMU #MUFC @Alexis_Sanchez pic.twitter.com/t9RIIx4mE4
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 22, 2018
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Lorenzo Pellegrini
This is a simple, low-budget affair. Sign your new player on Fifa's Ultimate Team, video him while he plays and wait, and hope, that he scores. When he does so, all is revealed.
🎮⚽️... 🆕🔶🔴❗️#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/mjgBrwduHV
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) June 30, 2017
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Updated: August 29, 2018 11:47 AM
