8. Robert Lewandowski – Lech Poznan to Blackburn Rovers
Before he became a household name, the Polish international was busy making a name for himself in his home country with Lech Poznan. His performances had attracted Premier League interest in the form of Blackburn Rovers. A deal was all but agreed when his flight to the Northwest was postponed by the Icelandic ash cloud that forced flights to grind to a halt all over Europe. That delay allowed Borussia Dortmund to steal in and bring him to the Bundesliga instead.