Abdellah Ouazane has become the latest name on the growing list of footballers whose big moves collapsed at the final hurdle — the medicals.

The 16-year-old midfielder was poised to join Spanish giants Real Madrid following his rise to prominence earlier this year, but the deal has now been officially called off after he failed to pass the club's routine medical checks.

Ouazane was a standout performer at the 2024 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was named Player of the Tournament as host nation Morocco lifted the title. His exploits attracted interest from Europe, and a switch to Real Madrid seemed imminent.

Having spent most of his youth career at the famed Ajax Academy since 2016, Ouazane had reportedly agreed to personal terms with Los Blancos. However, just last week, the dream move hit a wall when medical examinations raised concerns, prompting Madrid to withdraw their interest.

While disappointing for the teenager, he now joins a long list of notable players who have seen career-defining transfers delayed or fall through due to failed medicals. Here’s a look at ten of the most high-profile cases in football history.

10 Notable Footballers Who Failed Medicals 

1. Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2000

Ruud van Nistelrooy tops the list of notable footballers who failed medicals. He was to sign for Manchester United ahead of the 2000/01 season, but fate had other plans. The move fell through after he failed his medical, with concerns surrounding his incomplete recovery from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury.

As a result, he stayed with PSV Eindhoven for another year, managing just a dozen appearances during that campaign. Eventually, in the summer of 2001, United revived their interest and secured his signature for a fee of £19 million.

His time at Old Trafford would go on to vindicate the club’s patience. Throughout five seasons, he scored 150 goals in more than 210 appearances across all competitions, winning four major trophies before making a big move to Real Madrid in 2006.

United received €14 million from Los Blancos for the deal.

2. Andrey Arshavin in 2009

Famously remembered for his four-goal haul against Liverpool at Anfield, his move to Arsenal from Zenit St. Petersburg in January 2009 almost collapsed due to a heart-related issue that left doctors uncertain during his medicals.

Andrey Arshavin was ultimately declared fit to complete the move after another attempt a few days later. His move was further delayed by a payment the player was supposed to make to Zenit, and he even returned to Russia on the deadline day from London.

Arsenal finally secured the permission of the Russian club for the forward to complete the move. Traveling back to London, a snowstorm delayed him, and the move wasn't announced until 24 hours after the deadline, on the 3rd of February.

The Russian featured 145 times in four and a half seasons for the Gunners, scored 31 goals and 46 assists. Arshavin is also fondly remembered for his winning goal against Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash with Barcelona in the Emirates.

3. Radamel Falcao in 2016

Radamel Falcao is one of the greatest strikers of this generation. His time and achievements at Porto and Atlético Madrid represent the peak of his career.

However, while past the peak of his powers, the Colombian embarked on an expedition to England, where he signed for Manchester United and then Chelsea, but failed woefully at both clubs.

Six months into what was a regrettable loan spell with Chelsea, Falcao sought an early exit, but his hopes were dashed after he failed a medical, and he was not only unable to seal a return to Monaco, but also joined the list of notable footballers who failed medicals.

He would go on to make just one more Chelsea appearance in the second half of the season before returning to Monaco in the summer, where he rediscovered his form and even helped them reach the Champions League semis in 2016/17.

4. Nwankwo Kanu 1996

Papilo, as he was famously known during his playing days, Kanu Nwankwo returned to his new club, Inter, after winning the Olympics with Nigeria in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996, with a heart defect.

The forward completed a move to the Italian club from Ajax earlier in the summer, but the medical was delayed as he had to leave for international duty. Inter had the option to terminate the agreement, but chose to keep the player.

Kanu underwent surgery and was out of action for five months between November and April of the following year. He didn't feature much in his two-and-a-half-year stint with Inter, but he was part of the team that won the UEFA Cup in 1998.

He left for Arsenal in February 1999 and enjoyed more success. Although Doctors feared his career was over following the discovery of his heart condition, Kanu played for 14 more years after his recovery.

5. Victor Valdes in 2014

The Spanish goalkeeper was in the final year of his contract at Barcelona when he signed a pre-contract agreement with AS Monaco in January 2014, to move to the French club in the summer.

However, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in March, ending his season early, and was not in a healthy condition when he was to complete his move to Monaco in the summer, leading to his inclusion in the list of notable footballers who failed medicals.

As a result, the agreement was resolved as Monaco pulled out, but later in the year, he was offered a chance to complete his rehabilitation at Manchester United, where he ultimately signed an 18-month contract as backup to his countryman, David de Gea.

6. Gabriel Milito in 2003

Real Madrid had an agreement with Argentine club Independiente to sign promising young center back Gabriel Milito in the summer of 2003, but when the player arrived for his medical, the results showed that he had not fully recovered from a knee injury.

While the club insisted they were very keen to sign the player, they could not risk his fitness, and ultimately backed out. The defender did not want to return home to Argentina, so he accepted a move to Real Zaragoza, which offered him a solution.

Ironically, he won the Copa del Rey title in his debut season, beating Real Madrid in the final. He was so fit that he played 44 club matches across the League and the domestic Cup.

Gabriel Milito made 173 Zaragoza appearances in four seasons, an average of more than 43 per season, before moving to Barcelona in 2007, where he enjoyed further success before returning home to Independiente in 2011, and retiring a year later.

7. Nabil Fekir in 2018

The French playmaker was just coming off the back of an impressive season with Lyon in the summer of 2018 — 23 goals and nine assists in 40 games across all competitions. European heavyweights were alerted.

Of all his suitors, it was English giants Liverpool who pursued the deal and eventually reached an agreement for his transfer with Lyon, in a deal €60 million.

A personal terms agreement was also sealed with Fekir, but the unfortunate red flag was spotted during his medicals in Merseyside. Doctors uncovered a knee issue, leading to the collapse of the deal, and the player returned to France. That same summer, he played for France as they won the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

A few months later, the Frenchman revealed that the move collapsed due to the demands of his agent, and that the failed medical was just a cover-up story, but that didn't discard him as one of the notable footballers who failed medicals.

8. Kevin Danso 2024 and 2025

The Austrian defender has experienced multiple failed medicals before his move to Tottenham Hotspur from Lens in the winter window of 2025.

An agreement had been sealed with AS Roma for a move in the summer of 2024, but the center back was returned to France after failing his medical due to a heart condition. After the failed move, Danso said;

“I am disappointed and upset about the events of the last few days and by the failure to transfer to AS Roma.”

“Above all, I am very surprised by the supposed reason why the transfer failed. Both the doctors of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) and the medical department of RC Lens have followed me closely and visited me regularly in recent years. I recently underwent a thorough assessment at the start of pre-season preparation in Lens and no irregularities were ever found.”

“Therefore, the interpretations of the medical check-up in Rome are very perplexing and completely incomprehensible to me and my team. I will now discuss my situation with the responsible parties of Lens and the ÖFB and concentrate on the tasks ahead of me.”

Six months later, he failed another medical test at Juventus, before eventually sealing a six-month loan move to Tottenham Hotspur, who have now signed him on a permanent deal.

9. Marko Arnautovic in 2009

Did you know? Marko Arnautovic could have played alongside Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard at Chelsea, only that fate had other ideas.

Dubbed the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Austrian was a medical away from securing a move to Stamford Bridge from FC Twente in 2009, but his not fully healed fractured foot disrupted the £12 million deal, as Chelsea chose to continue with the agreement.

Although he later played in England, it was years later when he signed for Stoke City in 2013. Before that, Arnautovic spent time at Inter in Italy and Werder Bremen in Germany.

10. Loïc Rémy in 2014

A list of notable footballers who failed medicals is never complete without a Loic Remy scenario. The Frenchman joined Liverpool for the tour of the US ahead of a move from Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2014, but the proposed £8.5 million move collapsed after a failed medical.

Remy, who spent weeks in the Liverpool camp, had to return to QPR due to a reported heart problem, but that was no news for the striker, who has had similar cases in previous tests.

The frustration of the failed medical made then QPR boss, Harry Redknapp, drop a famous line: “he had a stringent one here, one at Marseille and at Newcastle and with France before the World Cup. You couldn’t meet a fitter lad.”

He signed for Chelsea, who activated his release clause that summer, and continued to play until his retirement in October 2023. Turned out Harry Redknapp was right after all.