- Porto surprised the football world by unveiling Luuk de Jong without any prior announcement
- Only eight people knew about the transfer, including Andre Villas-Boas and the player’s agent
- De Jong arrived discreetly and even his medical was registered under a false name
Key Takeaways:
Porto president Andre Villas-Boas made a major move on the transfer market with the secret signing of Luuk de Jong. The Dutch striker was directly unveiled without any prior announcement before the friendly against Atletico Madrid, surprising the entire football world and without the knowledge of the media or insiders such as Fabrizio Romano.
The day FC Porto and Luuk de Jong shocked the world 🤩#SeguimosJuntos pic.twitter.com/89UVngm7wG
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 4, 2025
Portuguese outlet A Bola revealed the plan executed by Porto to prevent any early leaks of the transfer. Only eight people knew that the deal was going to happen: AVB (Andre Villas-Boas), sporting directors (Costa, Madureira and Monteiro), financial director Pereira da Costa, coach Farioli, the player himself, and his agent.
To arrive unnoticed, De Jong was the last to board the plane, his agent took care of the luggage, and his medical tests were registered under the name of a handball player, which prevented any information from leaking.
Even the footballers were unaware and only found out when De Jong appeared in the dressing room. To avoid any leaks, even the stadium announcer didn’t have the correct script until the moment De Jong was almost ready to walk onto the pitch at Estadio do Dragao.
The veteran arrived as a free agent after his contract with PSV Eindhoven expired.