Top five players who came out of retirement

Many players returned from retirement to play football again.

The former Arsenal goalie Wojciech Szczesny is expected to play again for Barcelona, replacing the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Very few active players can resist the tempting lure of Barcelona when they come knocking, even in their current chaotic situation. The same seems to apply for players who have recently retired, as Szczesny appears to be planning to reverse his August decision where he decided to hang up his boots (and gloves). Reportedly he will accept a one-year contract with Barcelona in the wake of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season-ending injury.

On that note, we take a look at the top five players who reversed their decision and came back from retirement in football.

Wojciech Szczęsny is coming out of retirement to sign with Barcelona, per multiple reports 🧤🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/IfpQhp2l7W

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 25, 2024

5. Jens Lehmann

It was an ironic situation that happened with Lehmann when Szczesny played an important role in helping Lehmann come out of retirement 13 years ago. Lehmann agreed to sign a deal with Arsenal after returning from retirement in 2011. Despite reversing his decision Lehmann was only made to sit on the bench after Szczesny’s injury, as Arsenal had Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone.

Even though they all suffered ailments the Gunners still had Manuel Almunia a fit shot-stopper. He also subsequently suffered an injury during warm-up before Arsenal’s game against Blackpool, which forced the former German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to start the game at the age of 41.

Lehmann retired again at the end of the season. That Blackpool game ended up being his last game during his second stint at Arsenal.

4. Marc Overmars

However, Marc Overmars was an anomaly. Four years after suffering a knee injury that forced him into retirement at age 31, the former Barcelona and Arsenal winger participated in Jaap Stam’s testimonial match. His performance was so good that he was approached by several clubs in the Netherlands and Germany.

In 2008, Overmars decided to rejoin Go Ahead Eagles after first turning down all the offers. Throughout the season, Overmars made 24 league appearances in the Dutch second division. Nevertheless, at the end of the season, he opted to retire permanently due to knee problems.

3. Johan Cruyff

One of the greatest football players Johan Cruyff decided to call it quits on the sport. But the player had to return due to financial reasons. He was involved in a pig-farming scam that saw him lose most of his money and forced him to return from retirement. Cruyff once again embarked on his playing career for the North American Soccer League (NASL) with the Los Angeles Aztecs, where he was named Player of the Year.

He later returned to Ajax in 1981 and led them to back-to-back league titles. But the Dutch club couldn’t offer him a contract further which saw him join rivals Feyenoord. There he further guided them to the Eredivisie title for the first time in over a decade. That was his final time as a player after that he retired from football.  

2. Arjen Robben

In the summer of 2019, Arjen Robben declared his retirement from football. But less than a year later, he was back in the Eredivisie, laced up for his boyhood club, FC Groningen.

However, Robben’s return was not as merry as it was expected. The Netherlands winger was pulled off with an injury just 28 minutes into his second team debut against PSV, another of his former teams. The injury would sideline him for nearly seven months.

The veteran did succeed in getting well in time for the season’s conclusion. Before saying a final goodbye to the game, he made a few appearances in the closing weeks.

1. Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes made a shocking decision to return from retirement to be available for the Manchester Derby in 2012. After retiring from the game at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the England midfielder astonished everyone when he was selected on the bench against Manchester City, a little over six months later.

He continued to play, making 21 appearances for the remainder of the season. The following year he announced his permanent retirement from football.

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