A list of Premier League stars who returned to their former clubs after being sold…
Gareth Bale has followed in the footsteps of his Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo by admitting that he hopes to return to the Premier League in the future.
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The 25-year-old, who joined the European Champions from Tottenham in the summer of 2013 for a world record transfer fee of around £86m, has expressed his desire to one day go back to White Hart Lane, just as Ronaldo has been open with his dream of heading back to Manchester United.
Bale was quoted in the Telegraph, saying: “I’ll never forget the great European nights at White Hart Lane. They were amazing, Tottenham will always have a place in my heart. I hope the fans still love me even though I’ve moved on.
“I love Spurs fans; you never know, I could come back one day. I hope they understand that obviously Real Madrid is a massive, massive club and that they respect my decision.”
Bale and Ronaldo won’t be the first names to return to their former clubs. Here are twelve stars that left, and then came back:
12) Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
He left City for Chelsea in 2005 in a £21m deal, but returned to Manchester three years later, with the fee believed to be in the region of £8.5m. The England international finished with 47 goals in 275 games during his time with City.
11) Robbie Fowler (Liverpool)
He was one of the most successful strikers in Liverpool’s history, scoring 120 league goals during his first spell with the Reds. He left for Leeds United in 2001, before moving to Manchester City two years later. In 2006 Rafael Benitez brought him back to Anfield for another 18 months, and a proper goodbye.
10) Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Irishman has the most successful years of his club career during his first spell with Spurs, scoring 82 league goals between 2002 and 2008. His form earned him a move to Liverpool that summer, but the move was such a failure he returned to London in January 2009.
9) Sol Campbell (Arsenal)
A popular defender in one half of North London, Campbell was an integral part of Arsenal’s invincible’s team, and a goalscorer in the 2006 Champions League final. He left the club that year for Portsmouth, spending three successful years on the South Coast. In 2010 he was brought back to Arsenal to solve a defensive crisis, playing 11 Premier League games.
8) Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)
The talented Japanese star was one of the highest rated young midfielders in the world when he came to Manchester United in 2012, but it never worked out for him at Old Trafford, and he returned to Borussia Dortmund this summer. It felt like he’d never been away as, after a rapturous reception, he scored on his second debut with the German club.
7) Peter Crouch (Portsmouth & Tottenham Hotspur)
The former England international has actually returned to a former club twice. He began his career at Tottenham, but didn’t make a senior appearance before leaving for QPR in 2000. He would come back in 2009, staying until 2011. After QPR, he joined Portsmouth for a year before a switch to Aston Villa. He came back in 2008 after leaving Liverpool.
6) Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Chelsea’s current midfield maestro also had a lesser mentioned first spell at Stamford Bridge between 2009 and 2011, in which he made just two Premier League appearances. He was sold to Benfica in part-exchange for David Luiz – with the Blues also throwing in £21m. Three years later and Jose Mourinho was forced to spend another £21m to buy him back. Good business all round for the Portuguese side.
5) Rickie Lambert (Liverpool)
The fairytale story of the man who failed to make the grade at Anfield as an academy player, only to return to the club that released him 17 years later. He worked his way up from the lower echelons of the football league, starring for the likes of Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers, before making his name at Southampton.
4) Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defoe’s first spell at Tottenham came between 2004 and 2008 when he netted 43 Premier League goals. After a year away with Portsmouth, he was brought back to Spurs by Harry Redknapp. Another 47 goals followed in his second spell at White Hart Lane, with the England international leaving the club earlier this year for MLS franchise Toronto.
3) Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
The prolific Arsenal striker scored 174 Premier League goals between 1999 and 2007 before leaving for Barcelona. Five years later he would return to the club for a brief loan spell, netting twice in seven appearances. It was a much appreciated opportunity for Gunners fans to be able to bid farewell to one of their greatest heroes.
2) Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona)
Fabregas was a youth team player at Barcelona when he was picked up by Arsenal in 2003. After many months of speculation, the Spanish midfielder headed home in 2011, with the Catalans paying an initial fee of €29 million with a further €5 million in variables. He would stay at Barca for three years before moving to London again, this time joining Chelsea.
1) Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
The hero of the 2012 Champions League final is renowned as one of the greatest strikers in Chelsea’s history, having scored 157 goals in 341 games for the club between 2004 and the match in Munich, which would prove the final appearance of his first spell with the club. He returned this summer to provide back-up to Diego Costa.
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