One of the most controversial transfers in Premier League history saw a global star arrive in England but then leave his new club just four days later

One of the world's best footballers infamously made a shock move to the Premier League - only to leave his new club just four days later. And the ace never made a single appearance on these shores, before jetting off to Real Madrid.

Robert Jarni earned a reputation as one of the finest left-footed players on the planet during the mid-1990s. The flying winger and wing-back, who had already won Serie A with Juventus after moving from Hajduk Split in his native Croatia to Italian outfits Bari and then Torino, truly blossomed during his time with Real Betis in Spain, reports Coventry Live.

A star for his country at Euro 96 - where he helped his nation reach the quarter-finals before they were knocked out by eventual winners Germany - Jarni dazzled again at the 1998 World Cup, with his pinpoint crosses and surging runs down the left flank a key asset for Croatia as they finished third, beating the Netherlands 2-1 to capture a bronze medal. So it was seemingly an outstanding coup for Coventry City to secure his signature just weeks after the tournament ended.

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Jarni, who turns 58 today, October 26, arrived at Highfield Road in a £2.6million deal in June 1998. Sky Blues supporters were thrilled when speculation became reality and Jarni pitched up at Highfield Road, seemingly ready to fight for a place in then manager Gordon Strachan's team.

It made headlines that grabbed attention globally, particularly in Madrid where European powerhouses Real realised they'd been caught off guard - or so they insisted - when it came to a player they had long-admired.

However, as the then 30-year-old ace looked on from the Highfield Road stands in a suit and sunglasses, a bid was already winging its way from the Bernabeu. Barely four days on, Jarni was paraded as a Real Madrid signing, with Coventry pocketing just shy of £1m in profit from a £3.5m transfer that saw them do little more than host a European icon for a few hours in the West Midlands.

The conspiracy theorists wasted no time getting to work. Claims in the Spanish media suggested that Betis had point-blank refused to flog him to Madrid, prompting questions about whether the entire saga was an elaborate scheme cooked up between the two clubs to deliver Real their target while bunging the Sky Blues some handy extra readies. But why on earth Coventry City?

Alternative theories emerged claiming that Jarni's wife took one look at Coventry when she touched down and was so horrified by what she saw that she demanded her other half pack his bags and head straight back to Spain.

However, the man at the heart of the whole affair later set the record straight, insisting that City gaffer Strachan absolutely did bring him in with genuine intentions to use him, and that he was genuinely excited about the move, before an offer the club simply couldn't knock back arrived from Madrid just days afterwards.

"Strachan wanted me to sign for Coventry," he stated, firmly dismissing suggestions that the transfer circus was a cunning ploy to smuggle Jarni away from Betis and into rival Madrid's clutches.

"He liked the way I played, he liked my performances in the Spanish league and with the national team".

"But after [he signed me at Coventry] we received an offer from Real Madrid and I decided to sign for them instead.

"I wouldn't say it was my wife's decision, but it was a family decision," he clarified when pressed on the speculation. "My family was against moving to England. We had small children and my daughter was in elementary school in Spain so we preferred to stay there rather than move to England."

The transfer enabled City to bring in Paul Hall and Marc Edworthy shortly afterwards - players admittedly not of the same calibre as the Croatian ace - but it became one of the most bizarre Premier League transfer stories ever recorded.

Jarni meanwhile wasn't a hit with the La Liga giants, spending just one season in the Spanish capital and making most of his 35 appearances for the club as a substitute. Leaving with just an Intecontinental Cup to his name, he then helped Segunda Division side Las Palmas gain promotion to the top flight, before a short-lived spell at Greek giants Panathinaikos.

Jarni then took up futsal, shining for MNK Split and Croatia in the five-a-side indoor version of the beautiful game, and would later coach and manage multiple teams, ranging from his old clubt Hajduk Split to most recently Indian Super League outfit NorthEast United.