These players broke one of the unwritten rules of their sport. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at notorious times athletes left their team to join a despised rival.
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00:00That single transaction, perhaps the most famous and curious in sports history, defined the Red Sox franchise.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at notorious times athletes left their team to join a despised rival.
00:14To make this list, the players had to have made the switch directly rather than joining other sides in between.
00:19The Portuguese played over 300 games in the first division, scoring more than 60 goals, and being named the best player in the world.
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00:43Number 10. Mark Recchi. Pittsburgh Penguins to Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia Flyers to Pittsburgh Penguins.
00:49Known as the Battle of Pennsylvania, the feud between NHL sides the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers is intense.
00:55In 1991, Mark Recchi was on top of the world with the Pittsburgh Penguins after winning the Stanley Cup.
01:00Recchi has tipped it to the head, back to Recchi, to the backhand, he scores! 3-0, Pittsburgh.
01:07Yet the following season, he was traded to the Flyers and had to watch as the Penguins picked up another Stanley.
01:11Obviously, it was a big trade for both, you know, for three teams that were involved.
01:15And, you know, for me to step on that ice, I remember that like it was yesterday.
01:20Recchi then had a stint with the Montreal Canadiens before returning to the Flyers.
01:24But in 2004, the Penguins called Lord him back and he signed as a free agent.
01:28The winger enjoyed three seasons with the side, in between turning out for the Carolina Hurricanes.
01:33In 2011, Recchi finished on a high by retiring after his side, the Boston Bruins, won the Stanley Cup.
01:38No matter what happened tonight, this is one of the best groups I've ever played with.
01:41This is a great way to go out on top for me. I've had a hell of a run and I can't thank these guys enough for it.
01:46Number 9. Dennis Law. Manchester United to Manchester City.
01:50Alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best, Dennis Law was part of Manchester United's legendary trident that gave the side much success in the 1960s.
01:58They got the saying of calling someone the king, and I think Dennis Law was the first ever was called the king here.
02:04After all, each of these players won the iconic Ballon d'Or through this time.
02:08But by 1973, Law struggled for game time and was given a free transfer to his former side and local rivals, Manchester City.
02:15I got off at a few different places, but when Manchester City came up, I thought, well, I'm here.
02:21I'm here. I don't have to travel or whatever. And so that was ideal.
02:26In City's last game of the season, they faced United.
02:28Late in the game, Law rolled back the years with a nifty backheel goal against his former employers, eventually giving them the win.
02:35However, instead of celebrating, the Scottish forward looked broken.
02:38At the time, Law believed his goal had relegated United.
02:41However, due to other results, they were down regardless.
02:44It was a famous goal. Is it one that still troubles you a little?
02:53I'll take that as a yes.
02:56Number eight, Earl Monroe, Baltimore Bullets to New York Knicks.
03:00A four time All-Star and a Hall of Famer.
03:03Number 15, Earl, the Pearl Monroe.
03:08Throughout the 1960s and early 70s, the Baltimore Bullets, now the Washington Wizards,
03:12and the New York Knicks had a heated rivalry as two of the best sides in the NBA as they battled in the playoffs often.
03:17While the Knicks had Walt Frazier as their star, the Bullets had Earl, the Pearl Monroe.
03:21However, in 1971, Monroe wanted to move on to another side as a contract dispute with the Bullets emerged.
03:27In the end, Monroe was traded to the Knicks for two players plus cash.
03:30And he was the star of Baltimore, scoring everything you can imagine.
03:36He was willing to sacrifice his own personal abilities for the team's benefit
03:42and ended up winning a world championship with the Knickerbockers.
03:45There were concerns Frazier and Monroe's styles would clash.
03:48Instead, the duo created one of the most successful partnerships in NBA history.
03:52Really had mutual respect for each other.
03:54I mean, obviously, when I came here, I wasn't really the player that I was before.
03:59You know, it took me a while to get back into really playing the game.
04:02Monroe would end up having his number retired by the Knicks and the Wizards.
04:06Number seven, Lou Brock, Chicago Cubs to St. Louis Cardinals.
04:10My base running ability was a force to baseball, a force that one has to deal with.
04:16There goes Brock again, and he's safe with a headfirst line.
04:19There aren't many rivalries in the MLB more intense than that between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
04:24So you can imagine the shock when in 1964, the Cubs decided Lou Brock wasn't developing enough
04:29and traded him as part of a deal to the Cardinals to get Ernie Brolio.
04:33I thought I'd be sent back to the minor leagues.
04:34I had no idea that I would be traded.
04:37I got to St. Louis, and lo and behold, I found a home.
04:40However, instead of being the Coup, it seemed, this trade would become a phrase for lopsided exchanges in sports with Brock for Brolio.
04:46While Brolio petered out, Brock became a machine at the Cardinals,
04:49especially when it came to stealing bases and setting records.
04:52And this is it, folks. Brock is now scoring 893.
04:57The left fielder would be part of a Cardinals side that took two World Series,
05:01leading to him getting his shirt retired and going into their Hall of Fame.
05:04Number six, Ken Norton Jr., Dallas Cowboys to San Francisco 49ers.
05:09In the early 90s, the Dallas Cowboys were on another level in the NFL with Ken Norton Jr. as its linebacker.
05:15What a tackle by Ken Norton! A KO for Norton!
05:20After all, in 1993 and 94, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl consecutively.
05:24They were there in the 70s, fell off in the 80s.
05:27They're back on top now, and they should stay there a while.
05:30However, in 1994, the Cowboys decided, with the restriction of a salary cap,
05:34they didn't need to splash out from Norton anymore and let him leave for free.
05:37So he signed up with the Cowboys' hated adversaries, the San Francisco 49ers.
05:41Norton's first season got off to a rough start,
05:43but it ended perfectly as he was involved in securing the franchise to the Super Bowl in 1995,
05:48becoming the first player and at the time of writing, the only one to win three of them in a row.
05:52Super Bowl 29 has come to a completion.
05:55The San Francisco 49ers are the first team to win five Super Bowl championships.
06:01Number 5. Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes to Ferrari.
06:04I'm just very proud of the team and my family as well.
06:08After making his name in Formula One and getting a world championship in 2008 with McLaren,
06:13Lewis Hamilton left the team in 2013 for Mercedes in a shock move.
06:17Real privilege to be here.
06:18Obviously, I know you guys have had a couple of tough years and I'm just here to work alongside all of you.
06:25There began one of the most successful partnerships in racing history.
06:28Hamilton picked up six more world championships, four of which he won in a row.
06:32However, in 2024, Hamilton announced he was activating a release clause
06:35and leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, sending shockwaves through the racing world.
06:40A move that he denied was in the offering a year ago,
06:43but it does look like a deal has been done with our colleagues at Sky Sports News reporting.
06:48Mercedes and Ferrari's rivalry began in 1954 before the former stopped racing for decades.
06:53But that old animosity returned when they came back as a team in 2010 and traded wins and championships.
06:59Number 4. Saul Campbell. Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal.
07:03Separated by four miles are English Premier League sides Arsenal and Tottenham,
07:06and they have one of the fiercest rivalries whenever they face off in the North London Derby.
07:10Arsenal have the lead. It's an own goal by Romero.
07:15There's an unwritten rule that players can't move between the clubs.
07:18Well, in 2001, Spurs defender Saul Campbell, a homegrown player, broke that.
07:23With his contract expiring, a host of quality sides like Barcelona and Bayern Munich were interested in his signature.
07:29Yet he chose Arsenal, causing him to be known as Judas to Tottenham fans.
07:32Others have made the same trip but never encountered such vitriol.
07:36Saul Campbell returning to the ground where he served Spurs so well.
07:40Even years later, when Campbell was playing for Portsmouth,
07:42some Spurs fans were banned after making offensive chants towards him.
07:46The move, I'm going to, you know, I'm going to apologize and say, look, sorry about the hurt.
07:51You know, it, you know, inflicted on them.
07:54Number 3. Tyrell Owens. Philadelphia Eagles to Dallas Cowboys.
08:03In 2000, the San Francisco 49ers' Tyrell Owens sparked controversy
08:07when he ran to the center and celebrated touchdowns on the Dallas Cowboys star logo,
08:11causing a fight to break out.
08:12I wasn't doing it to taunt anybody. I wasn't directing it at anybody.
08:16I think Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys took it a little differently.
08:19Fast forward to 2005, when Owens was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles,
08:22he found himself in another scandal after publicly criticizing his quarterback,
08:26Donovan McNabb, and Eagles management.
08:28It has been brought to my attention that I have offended the organization and my teammates.
08:32Therefore, I would like to apologize for any derogatory comments toward them.
08:36In 2006, Owens was released by the franchise,
08:38so he got some revenge by joining the Cowboys, the Eagles' arch rival.
08:42When he arrived in Philadelphia to face the Eagles,
08:44the reaction of their fans was intense as boos and jeers rang out,
08:47causing the wide receiver to struggle.
08:50Number 2. Babe Ruth. Boston Red Sox to New York Yankees.
08:53After joining the Boston Red Sox in 1914,
08:56Babe Ruth led the side to three World Series wins,
08:59beginning his legend and turning him into their beloved hero.
09:02In 1919, the Babe led the American League with 29 home runs,
09:06which was more than all but five teams in baseball.
09:10Ruth was the Red Sox' principal attraction, the team's biggest draw.
09:13Yet in 1919, his contract was suddenly sold to the New York Yankees.
09:17It's rumored it was done to finance a Broadway play.
09:20There, Ruth continued to excel, winning more World Series
09:22while Boston underwent the infamous curse of the Bambino.
09:25That single transaction, perhaps the most famous and curious in sports history,
09:31defined the Red Sox franchise.
09:33They didn't win a championship for 86 years,
09:35causing further resentment between the two baseball teams.
09:38Red Sox fans have longed to hear it.
09:40The Boston Red Sox are world champions.
09:44This led to the Red Sox and Yankees developing one of the most intense rivalries
09:47in not just baseball, but in all American sports.
09:51Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:54Bernd Schuster. The midfielder shockingly went from Barcelona to Real Madrid to Atletico Madrid.
10:00Johnny Damon. After claiming he wouldn't do it,
10:03Damon left the Boston Red Sox for the New York Yankees.
10:05Johnny Damon, with his sixth hit of the game, drives in Bettermeat, and the Yankees win!
10:11Deion Sanders. The Super Bowl-winning 49er left them for the Dallas Cowboys to win it again.
10:17Unfortunately, I played for five teams.
10:19It's not like I wanted to leave one, but I had to.
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10:39Number one, Luis Figo. Barcelona to Real Madrid.
10:42The Portuguese played over 300 games in the first division,
10:46scoring more than 60 goals and being named the best player in the world.
10:50In the world of sports, there aren't many rivalries as iconic
10:52and as bitter as Spain's El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
10:57For five years, Portugal's Luis Figo was Barca's standout player.
11:01Figo burst onto the scene and became the club captain,
11:04guiding the Blaugranas to numerous trophies.
11:07Yet in 2000, he broke the sacred rules when Madrid signed him.
11:10Shortly after, Figo won the Ballon d'Or for his performances with Barca,
11:14rubbing more salt in the wound. When he returned to Camp Nou after his transfer,
11:18Figo was met with horrendous signs and taunts as he feared attack.
11:21It got worse in 2002. Whenever Figo took a corner,
11:24projectiles rained down from the Barca crowd.
11:26Forcing the winger to remove them from the pitch.
11:29One of the items disturbingly and infamously included a pig's head.
11:33Who's the greatest athlete to spend their whole careers with one team?
11:36Paul Scholes, Lou Grossa, George Armstrong,
11:39George Brett, or someone else? Let us know below.
11:41Paul Scholes with the most brilliant goal.
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