Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
Liverpool, 2017/18â
The Egyptian superstar has received many awards but heâs unlikely to be nominated for an Oscar any time soon. Ever, in fact. With the strikerâs arrival imminent, the Redsâ social media team surfed the âAnnounceâ phenomenon by setting up their own Announce Salah Now account. Cue video with a close-up of a phone and the hands of someone scrolling through the comments from fans, before the camera pulls back to reveal a smiling Salah, waving woodenly and declaring, âSalah announced!âÂ
Diego Maradona attracted 75,000 napoli fans in 1984 â Ronaldo got a record 80,000 supporters
Paris Saint-Germain, 2012/13â
Itâs not often the Eiffel Tower is upstaged. However, when Paris Saint-Germain fans got a first glimpse of their new superstar striker in front of the French capitalâs totemic landmark in 2012, it was well and truly Zlataned. Four years later, with his successful Paris sojourn seemingly coming to an end, IbrahimoviÄ said, âIf they replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of me, then I will stay. I promise.â Needless to say, la tour Eiffel is still in place â and Zlatan is in Italy.
Real Madrid, 2009/10â
What a summer Madrid fans had in 2009: sandwiched between the arrivals of KakĂ and Karim Benzema was that of Cristiano Ronaldo. While his new team-mates drew sizeable crowds for their BernabĂ©u presentations, the Portuguese broke the mould. Diego Maradona attracted 75,000 fans for his Napoli arrival in 1984 â Ronaldo got a record 80,000 supporters. They witnessed a classic unveiling: waving and obligatory ball-juggling in his new kit.
Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
Liverpool, 2017/18â
The Egyptian superstar has received many awards but heâs unlikely to be nominated for an Oscar any time soon. Ever, in fact. With the strikerâs arrival imminent, the Redsâ social media team surfed the âAnnounceâ phenomenon by setting up their own Announce Salah Now account. Cue video with a close-up of a phone and the hands of someone scrolling through the comments from fans, before the camera pulls back to reveal a smiling Salah, waving woodenly and declaring, âSalah announced!âÂ
Diego Maradona attracted 75,000 napoli fans in 1984 â Ronaldo got a record 80,000 supporters
Paris Saint-Germain, 2012/13â
Itâs not often the Eiffel Tower is upstaged. However, when Paris Saint-Germain fans got a first glimpse of their new superstar striker in front of the French capitalâs totemic landmark in 2012, it was well and truly Zlataned. Four years later, with his successful Paris sojourn seemingly coming to an end, IbrahimoviÄ said, âIf they replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of me, then I will stay. I promise.â Needless to say, la tour Eiffel is still in place â and Zlatan is in Italy.
Real Madrid, 2009/10â
What a summer Madrid fans had in 2009: sandwiched between the arrivals of KakĂ and Karim Benzema was that of Cristiano Ronaldo. While his new team-mates drew sizeable crowds for their BernabĂ©u presentations, the Portuguese broke the mould. Diego Maradona attracted 75,000 fans for his Napoli arrival in 1984 â Ronaldo got a record 80,000 supporters. They witnessed a classic unveiling: waving and obligatory ball-juggling in his new kit.
Presenting your clubâs latest signing to the world has become a contest of one-upmanship for the social media teams of Europeâs football clubs, with everyone scrambling for an original, innovative or downright wacky way to create maximum buzz. Long gone are the days where a new player was simply pictured smiling with pen in hand, inking the contract that tied him to his new club. Nowadays the creative wheels whir into overdrive whenever a headline-grabbing addition is made to a squad â and here Champions Journal spotlights five viral unveilings.
Manchester City, 2022/23
Erling Haalandâs arrival provided Cityâs social media team with the sort of open goal the Norway international relishes. The English championsâ new goal-getter was unveiled on 13 June â the same date that his dad, Alf-Inge, joined City 22 years earlier. Childhood snaps of Erling in the clubâs kit presented them with a dĂ©jĂ vu recreation opportunity that, understandably, they didnât pass up.
Villarreal, 2018/19â
The Spaniard had been told that an horrific leg injury would end his career, and could well see his foot amputated, but he defied the odds â and the doctors â to play again. It was the miraculous nature of his recovery that inspired Villarrealâs legendary presentation of him when he joined from Arsenal in 2018. Encased in a smoke-filled container, the pocket-sized playmaker emerged after a magician conjured him up on the pitch at the Estadio de la CerĂĄmica.
