From Ashley Cole to Franck Ribery: Five Unlikely Serie A Signings

Roma confirmed the signing of former Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels on a free transfer this week. The German, 35, had left the 2024 Champions League finalists after five years back in Dortmund upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June. 

After Roma’s deal for Lens centre-back Kevin Danso collapsed due to a failed medical, the Giallorossi pounced to sign Hummels on a free, with his experience invaluable to what is still an inexperienced back line. Mario Hermoso was also signed as a free agent to provide cover for Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka and Hummels, with the defender’s contract from Atletico Madrid also expiring last season.

Hummels’ arrival is perhaps one of the most unlikely signings by a Serie A side in recent memory. Yet as evidenced from his form last season, the German international can still contribute at the very highest level.

Here, Destination Calcio takes a look at some of the oddest Serie A signings over the past decade.

Ashley Cole to Roma, 2014

When one thinks of Cole’s stint in Italy, it’s of that picture. During a pre-season tour of the USA, a picture of the Roma squad was taken and, to the left of the photo, Cole can be seen looking somewhat awkward and disconnected from the rest of the team. A photo can be manipulated to tell any kind of story, of course, and while Cole later explained it wasn’t as clumsy as appears, it did in many ways come to encapsulate his time in the Italian capital.

Cole arrived at the age of 33 and was clearly past his swashbuckling prime. He started at left-back for the Giallorossi but quickly lost his place in the team, and never regained it. He made a total of 11 Serie A appearances, and his two-year deal was cut short mid-way through the following season. Yet memories of that photo will live on.

Dani Alves to Juventus, 2016

This was during a time that Juve could seemingly do no wrong in the transfer market. Beppe Marotta had the Midas touch during this period and Juve had cornered the market on ‘free’ signings. Dani Alves was the latest one, arriving from eight years of rampaging down the right-hand side for the Catalan side.

The Brazilian broke his leg against Genoa in November 2016 and that injury kept him out of action for three months. When he did return he produced some excellent performances, especially in Europe, where he kept Neymar very quiet in the Champions League quarter-finals. 

Alves struggled to adjust to the slightly more defensive nature of the Italian game, and terminated his contract by mutual consent at the end of his lone season in Serie A.

“I joined Juventus also to prove to Italian football that it could improve and raise its level,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “I just wasn’t understood. I wanted to do something more, but I felt that it wasn’t easy for me.

“I wasn’t happy like I was used to being and this cost me a lot of effort. This is why I chose not to continue.”

Micah Richards to Fiorentina, 2014

Serie A hadn’t had an Englishman in the league since David Beckham’s second stint with Milan in 2009-10, and then it gets two in one summer. Richards joined La Viola in the same summer Cole pitched up at Roma, and Richards was even less successful than Cole.

Signed on loan from Manchester City, Richards was a victim of a change in system from then-coach Vincenzo Montella. During the earliest part of the season, Montella pivoted from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2, and this marked the end for Richards, who was unable to adjust to the demands of a wing-back. 

He made a total of 19 appearances in all competitions — 10 in Serie A — before returning to England and signing for Aston Villa. The highlight of his time in Tuscany was arguably being pranked by Mario Balotelli, who told him how to greet his new boss Montella upon arriving.

Franck Ribery to Salernitana, 2021

The last season of Ribery’s brilliant career was spent in the tranquil city of Salerno, home to one of the most vociferous set of fans in Italy. Signing for Salernitana after two years with Fiorentina, Ribery was 38 by the time he arrived in southern Italy and was beset by a recurring knee issue, but could still go when the occasion called for it. He only played 23 games in 2021-22 but managed to help the club stay in the Italian top flight, escaping by a single point.

This meant the club had to automatically renew his contract for a further year but, while Ribery spent a career avoiding defenders, he couldn’t outrun his injuries. After just 36 minutes of action, he decided to rip up his contract and announce his retirement. Yet seeing Ribery, one of the best players of the 21st century, finish his career at Salernitana felt like a fever dream.

Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan, 2017

Bonucci signed for AC Milan in the summer of 2017, when Hong Kong businessman YongHong Li took over the club from Silvio Berlusconi and embarked on a €200m (£168m) spending spree of money he didn’t have.

Signed for €42m, Bonucci was seen as the feather in the cap for a new Milan era. The Italy international had fallen out with Juventus manager Max Allegri in the final months of his time at the club and wanted to leave.

Milan paid over the odds to bring him to San Siro, but Bonucci never looked comfortable in red-and-black, even after the club stripped Gianluigi Donnarumma of the captain’s armband and gave it to him, despite being at the club for all of five minutes. 

Moreover, it was evident that without Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli to hold his hand, Bonucci wasn’t quite the defender he believed he was. Within a year he was back at Juve, but was never quite the same performer at club level. YongHong Li didn’t last much longer either, with Elliott Management taking control of the club weeks after Bonucci headed back to whence he came. A weird and disastrous move for all concerned.