When Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners sought to make a significant splash in the 2008 transfer window, they inadvertently owe their acquisition of Robinho to an unexpected ally - Chelsea.
Eager to make a bold statement, Manchester City made a massive £32.5 million transfer from Real Madrid for Robinho on a frantic September deadline day. However, considering inflation, that amount would equate to over £100 million in today's terms.
Interestingly, Chelsea had been in negotiations with Real Madrid over the Brazilian ace. Luiz Felipe Scolari, then-manager of Chelsea, seemed all set to reunite with the player he had coached during his tenure with the Brazilian national team.
The unexpected twist came when Chelsea's stores began selling shirts featuring Robinho's name before the deal was officially sealed. This move didn't sit well with Real Madrid, leading them to reconsider the agreement. The deal was eventually scrapped due to a mixture of pride and the reluctance to send Robinho to a club that was participating in the Champions League, which Chelsea was, but City wasn't.
Robinho later revealed, “I wanted to go to Chelsea,” Robinho told FourFourTwo in 2017
“Scolari told me that I could make the difference for him in the team.“However, Real Madrid ended up badly with them, they didn't like the way that Chelsea sold shirts with my name on them before the deal was done.
“I am sure it was this that led to the negotiations to fail and it was a case of pride for Real Madrid.
"They were also reluctant to let me move to a club that was playing in the Champions League that season. Chelsea were, but City weren’t.” He Added
As a result, Manchester City swooped in and secured Robinho's services. Despite his arrival with high expectations, Robinho's time at City was rather short-lived, spanning just 18 months. Nonetheless, his City journey commenced dramatically, as he scored a goal against none other than Chelsea on his Premier League debut.
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