Ademola Lookman’s mysterious disappearance from Atalanta’s training ground has reignited a peculiar yet familiar phenomenon in modern football — players who simply vanish without warning, effectively forcing transfers or rebelling against situations they find unbearable.
Lookman stands as the latest name on a long list of so-called “desaparecidos” — players who have chosen silence and absence over confrontation. This list reads like a who’s who of football controversy, including the likes of Carlos Tevez, Ronaldinho, Nicolas Anelka, and Mauro Icardi. Their reasons may differ — protest, financial motives, personality clashes — but the act of disappearing remains equally dramatic.
Let’s explore some of the most sensational cases of footballers who went off the radar in the most jaw-dropping ways.