On Thursday evening, Jadon Sancho completed his loan move from Manchester United to Borussia Dortmund.

The agreement was supposed to be completed last week, but due to minor technicalities being worked out between the teams, it took about a week longer than intended.

Due to the delay, Sancho is unlikely to make his second Bundesliga debut against Darmstadt on Saturday, when the Bundesliga returns to action after the Christmas break. Dortmund had hoped for him to be available for their Marbella training camp, which began this week.

It is the most high-profile January transfer window deal in 2024, with Sancho having been shut out of Manchester United’s plans by manager Erik ten Hag and now released to show what he can do for the first time since August.

Naturally, this means that the transaction has piqued the curiosity of some of the world’s most powerful people.

The reaction of football to the Sancho deal

Real Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior were among the players to react to the deal, both of whom appeared to sympathize with Sancho’s struggle in recent months, posting emojis of hands making a heart on Instagram in response to the news.

Similarly, Sancho appears to have supporters among Dortmund’s rivals, with Alphonso Davies sending him a prayer emoji.

Meanwhile, Dortmund teammate Jamie Bynoe-Gittens responded, “Let’s go,” while Marco Reus uploaded a slew of fire emojis.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a former BVB player, said, “Bruvv show the world.”

“Love to see it bro!” said Newcastle’s Callum Wilson. Tammy Abraham of Roma added, “Let’s go, brother.”

England teammate Dele Alli also lent his support, since he knows all too well what it’s like to sit on the bench, having spent numerous tough seasons looking for his form.

The Everton midfielder sent a message on his Instagram stories that simply said, “My brother.”