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Neymar to Barcelona, again? | Footballers who returned to their former clubs

Officials from PSG and Barcelona met in Paris on Tuesday to discuss a possible deal for Neymar to return to Nou Camp, where he joined forces with Messi and Suarez. If he is re-signed by his former club he won't be the first as these stars did it before him.
Officials from PSG and Barcelona met in Paris on Tuesday to discuss a possible deal for Neymar to return to Nou Camp, where he joined forces with Messi and Suarez. If he is re-signed by his former club he won't be the first as these stars did it before him. (Photos | Agencies)
Officials from PSG and Barcelona met in Paris on Tuesday to discuss a possible deal for Neymar to return to Nou Camp, where he joined forces with Messi and Suarez. If he is re-signed by his former club he won't be the first as these stars did it before him. (Photos | Agencies)
TNIE online desk
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DIDIER DROGBA (CHELSEA): The finest forward Ivory Coast ever produced, Drogba spent eight years at the London club and had the perfect swansong by scoring from the spot to lift the UEFA Champions League. He became a club legend and one of the finest strikers in business before leaving for Shanghai Shenhua in China and Galatasaray in Turkey. However, football Gods was not done with him and Stamford Bridge and Jose Mourinho returned to anchor the Blues in 2013, leading to Drogba's homecoming. Drogba ended that spell in a glorious style as well, winning a fourth Premier League title. (Photo | AFP)
DIDIER DROGBA (CHELSEA): The finest forward Ivory Coast ever produced, Drogba spent eight years at the London club and had the perfect swansong by scoring from the spot to lift the UEFA Champions League. He became a club legend and one of the finest strikers in business before leaving for Shanghai Shenhua in China and Galatasaray in Turkey. However, football Gods was not done with him and Stamford Bridge and Jose Mourinho returned to anchor the Blues in 2013, leading to Drogba's homecoming. Drogba ended that spell in a glorious style as well, winning a fourth Premier League title. (Photo | AFP)
PAUL POGBA (MANCHESTER UNITED): 'It is disappointing. I don't think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest. I'm quite happy that if they carry on that way, they're probably better doing it away from us.' So who pisses off Sir Alex Ferguson like that? Well Pogba did with his Juve move, and now he is back at Old Trafford as one of most-expensive players of the generation. The young boy who once faced hard competition from the like of Park Ji-Sung and Ashley Cole has 'grown up' to become a World Cup winner and a regular presence in the United midfield. (Photo | AP)
PAUL POGBA (MANCHESTER UNITED): 'It is disappointing. I don't think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest. I'm quite happy that if they carry on that way, they're probably better doing it away from us.' So who pisses off Sir Alex Ferguson like that? Well Pogba did with his Juve move, and now he is back at Old Trafford as one of most-expensive players of the generation. The young boy who once faced hard competition from the like of Park Ji-Sung and Ashley Cole has 'grown up' to become a World Cup winner and a regular presence in the United midfield. (Photo | AP)
KAKA (AC MILAN): Some of us still believe when the Brazilian left Italy, the charm of Serie A went along with him. The only guy to win the Ballon d'Or in the Messo-Ronaldo era until Luka Modric, he was the cutest and smartest player on the planet for a very long time before leaving for Real Madrid for a world record deal. The very thought of him on the field along with Seedorf, Gattuso, Inzaghi and others were enough to give fans goosebumps. Kaka returned to Milan for a short spell before shidting to US soil with Orlando City. We don't know if he'd have remained the magician that he was if he never left San Siro, but deep down, we all feel that he shouldn't have... (Photo | AFP)
KAKA (AC MILAN): Some of us still believe when the Brazilian left Italy, the charm of Serie A went along with him. The only guy to win the Ballon d'Or in the Messo-Ronaldo era until Luka Modric, he was the cutest and smartest player on the planet for a very long time before leaving for Real Madrid for a world record deal. The very thought of him on the field along with Seedorf, Gattuso, Inzaghi and others were enough to give fans goosebumps. Kaka returned to Milan for a short spell before shidting to US soil with Orlando City. We don't know if he'd have remained the magician that he was if he never left San Siro, but deep down, we all feel that he shouldn't have... (Photo | AFP)
MARIO GOTZE (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Time to start the Dortmund-Bayern anthology. Jurgen Klopp had a bunch of wonder kids who won back-back Bundesliga titles and their filthy-rich rivals wanted them all. Best known for his world-cup winning goal in Brazil, Gotze is nowhere near his best for sometime now, forcing him to return to his former club from the capital after an unsuccessful three-year stint in which he just scores 22 goals from 73 games. (Photo | AFP)
MARIO GOTZE (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Time to start the Dortmund-Bayern anthology. Jurgen Klopp had a bunch of wonder kids who won back-back Bundesliga titles and their filthy-rich rivals wanted them all. Best known for his world-cup winning goal in Brazil, Gotze is nowhere near his best for sometime now, forcing him to return to his former club from the capital after an unsuccessful three-year stint in which he just scores 22 goals from 73 games. (Photo | AFP)
MATS HUMMELS (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Second after Gotze was the gifted defender who came through the Bayern youth academy before joining Borussia Dortmund where he spent eight successful years before moving to the Bavarian side. He is back at Signal Iduna Park now, hoping to reap more success. (Photo | AP)
MATS HUMMELS (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Second after Gotze was the gifted defender who came through the Bayern youth academy before joining Borussia Dortmund where he spent eight successful years before moving to the Bavarian side. He is back at Signal Iduna Park now, hoping to reap more success. (Photo | AP)
FERNANDO TORRES (ATLETICO MADRID): There are multiple ways to return to your boyhood club, but you won't fancy doing it the Torres way. Imagine winning the captain's armband at the age of 19 and competing for the league title with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona... Like it? Torres was right there before moving to Anfield and later to Stamford Bridge. Nobody knows what went wrong with the Spanish World Cup winner at London and it was never really sorted, even after his return to Madrid after 8 years. He won the UEFA Europa League: 2017–18, before signing with Sagan Tosu in 2018. (Photo | AFP)
FERNANDO TORRES (ATLETICO MADRID): There are multiple ways to return to your boyhood club, but you won't fancy doing it the Torres way. Imagine winning the captain's armband at the age of 19 and competing for the league title with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona... Like it? Torres was right there before moving to Anfield and later to Stamford Bridge. Nobody knows what went wrong with the Spanish World Cup winner at London and it was never really sorted, even after his return to Madrid after 8 years. He won the UEFA Europa League: 2017–18, before signing with Sagan Tosu in 2018. (Photo | AFP)
CARLOS TEVEZ (BOCA JUNIORS): 'I want to enjoy these next two years with Boca because it's the last thing I have left,' the Argentine said after penning a two-year deal with his boyhood club. Tevez had illustrious spells with both Manchester United and City, before joining Juventus. Legendary Diego Maradona famously commented on Tevez's trip to China: “He filled Santa’s sack with dollars and now he has returned to Boca.” That sums it up pretty much. (Photo | AFP)
CARLOS TEVEZ (BOCA JUNIORS): 'I want to enjoy these next two years with Boca because it's the last thing I have left,' the Argentine said after penning a two-year deal with his boyhood club. Tevez had illustrious spells with both Manchester United and City, before joining Juventus. Legendary Diego Maradona famously commented on Tevez's trip to China: “He filled Santa’s sack with dollars and now he has returned to Boca.” That sums it up pretty much. (Photo | AFP)
CLAUDIO PIZARRO (WERDER BREMEN): Now this one is hell of a 'love story.' The Peruvian holds the record for being Bundesliga's oldest goal-scorer, when he scored against Hertha Berlin aged 40 years and 136 days. The former Chelsea striker first played for Bremen in 1999 before returning to the club in 2008 and 2015. He then spent a season at FC Köln, before coming back at the age of 39 in July 2018 to “finish my career at the club I started in Europe with”. He is the second all-time leading non-German Bundesliga scorer - only behind Robert Lewandowski. Wow! (Photo | AFP
CLAUDIO PIZARRO (WERDER BREMEN): Now this one is hell of a 'love story.' The Peruvian holds the record for being Bundesliga's oldest goal-scorer, when he scored against Hertha Berlin aged 40 years and 136 days. The former Chelsea striker first played for Bremen in 1999 before returning to the club in 2008 and 2015. He then spent a season at FC Köln, before coming back at the age of 39 in July 2018 to “finish my career at the club I started in Europe with”. He is the second all-time leading non-German Bundesliga scorer - only behind Robert Lewandowski. Wow! (Photo | AFP
SHINJI KAGAWA (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Pogba left and Kagawa came. United thought they had things under control when they bought one of Klopp's wonder prodigies. May be they thought they have found their next Park in the Japanese, but things were not going to be so smooth. Kagawa landed in England when the Red Devils was going through one of their worst times and he was back in Germany just after years, and added a German Cup to his trophy cabin. (Photo | AFP
SHINJI KAGAWA (BORUSSIA DORTMUND): Pogba left and Kagawa came. United thought they had things under control when they bought one of Klopp's wonder prodigies. May be they thought they have found their next Park in the Japanese, but things were not going to be so smooth. Kagawa landed in England when the Red Devils was going through one of their worst times and he was back in Germany just after years, and added a German Cup to his trophy cabin. (Photo | AFP
NEMNANJA MATIC (CHELSEA): We started from Stamford Bridge and so will we end. Deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea following Tiemoue Bakayoko's arrival, Matic moved to Manchester United to link up with Mourinho, who previously brought him back to Chelsea from Benfica in 2014. The Serb's first spell at Chelsea consisted of three first-team appearances, but won two league titles and an FA Cup before leaving London on his second chance.(Photo | AP)
NEMNANJA MATIC (CHELSEA): We started from Stamford Bridge and so will we end. Deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea following Tiemoue Bakayoko's arrival, Matic moved to Manchester United to link up with Mourinho, who previously brought him back to Chelsea from Benfica in 2014. The Serb's first spell at Chelsea consisted of three first-team appearances, but won two league titles and an FA Cup before leaving London on his second chance.(Photo | AP)
Barcelona
Paul Pogba
Atletico Madrid
Neymar
PSG
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Kaka

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