Top Greatest Football Player Comebacks
Sporting careers have been defined by individual achievements on and off the pitch. In football, we’ve seen thousands of players lining up weekly for their sides, some who’ve gone on to become cult heroes among fans of their teams. Sometimes, injuries or transfer decisions impact on performances of some of these athletes. Looking at football players who switched sides only to come back stronger after some time, the following cases deserve a feature in the most stunning sports comebacks of all time.
Jurgen Klinsmann
The prolific German scoring machine enjoyed two remarkable spells at Tottenham Hotspurs in England. First, he joined Spurs in 1994 for 2 million pounds, where he made 50 appearances, scoring 30 goals. He left for Bayern Munich after only one and a half years in London, went for a short stint at Sampdoria in Italy, before returning to White Hart Lane on loan in 1997. He scored nine goals in just 15 appearances for the club. Like he never left.
Teddy Sheringham
The tall striker could not resist when Sir Alex Fergusson came calling. After all, Manchester United offered more European football and nearly guaranteed a shot at the coveted Premier League trophy. After his time at Old Trafford, Teddy went back to Spurs to finish what he had started, and in two years only, he managed 26 league goals. He remains one of Spurs’ most prolific goalscorers of all time.
Juan Sebastien Veron
At 21, Veron was already a hero at Boca Juniors in his native Argentina. He would later travel to Italy and England to become one of the most decorated foreigners in the European elite leagues. After his exploits abroad, he returned to his boyhood Boca where he helped them secure their first Copa Libertadores in 39 years.
Johann Cruyff
Cruyff made Barcelona more popular than it was after his transfer from Ajax Amsterdam, but it was his glittering career at Ajax that made him a cult hero among Eredivisie fans. He left Ajax Amsterdam with six league titles, 3 European Cups, and 4 Dutch cups. He returned to the capital later after winning more titles in Spain, going on to win two more Dutch league titles, scoring 16 goals.
Peter Beardsley
Liverpool fans may argue that they owned the prolific Peter Beardsley, but it is at St. James Park where his name was made. His goal scoring exploits for the Magpies in the 80s saw Liverpool snap him, where he went on to win several domestic and European titles in a red shirt. His return to Newcastle did not add any trophies, but he was part of the legendary ‘premier league entertainers’ under Kevin Keegan.
Ian Rush
The man from Wales scored 207 goals for premier league giants Liverpool, before a historical big-money transfer to Juventus in Italy in 1987. In Italy, he confessed that he felt like a complete foreigner, and a transfer back to Merseyside was finalized. Back in his hunting ground, he scored 139 more goals where he remains the club’s record scorer. In total, he won five league titles, one European Cup, three FA Cups, and five league cups with Liverpool.
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