2) A Volcano
Lech Poznan striker Robert Lewandowski was due to fly to England to seal a move to Blackburn Rovers in 2010 but the move was scuppered by the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull.
The ash cloud that resulted from the eruption grounded all flights, stalling his switch long enough so that Borussia Dortmund could swoop in and sign him. The rest, as they say, is history.