Remembering Robben and 5 others who came out of retirement as Szczesny eyes Barcelona transfer

2 months ago 108

Wojciech Szczęsny is poised to come out of retirement to join La Liga outfit FC Barcelona following the injury to Marc-André ter Stegen
The Polish shot-stopper had earlier announced his retirement from football after the mutual termination of his contract with Juventus
We shine the spotlight on a list of footballers who have opted to come out of retirement to play for other clubs

Wojciech Szczęsny is set to come out of what will now be considered an early retirement due to recent transfer interest from Barcelona.

The Catalan club, which initially seemed to have a closed squad for the season, found themselves scrambling for a new shot-stopper after Marc-André ter Stegen sustained a right knee ligament injury during the La Liga clash against Villarreal.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is stretchered off

As a result, the Spanish side has opted to sign Szczęsny as an emergency alternative, with transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, confirming that the deal is complete.

It’s important to note that Szczęsny is not the only player to make such a return; several elite athletes have retired at various points in their careers only to come back to the beautiful game.

In light of this, we shine the spotlight on a list of footballers who have come out of retirement in recent years.

Footballers who came out of retirement

Paul Scholes

The English midfielder returned to football just six months after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2011/12 season.

Paul Scholes was named on the substitute bench for Manchester United in their derby match against Manchester City. The veteran midfielder went on to make 21 appearances for the Red Devils before ultimately deciding to retire once more.

Marc Overmars

After being forced into retirement at the age of 31 due to a knee injury, the former Arsenal and Barcelona winger participated in Jaap Stam's testimonial match four years later.

His performance was so impressive that he received offers from several clubs in both the Netherlands and Germany.

Initially, Overmars rejected them all, but he eventually agreed to resume his career with Go Ahead Eagles in 2008. Unfortunately, his knee issues resurfaced, leading him to retire again at the end of the season.

Arjen Robben

After announcing his retirement from football, Arjen Robben made a return to the beautiful game less than a year later with his boyhood club, FC Groningen.

Unfortunately, his comeback lasted just 28 minutes, as he suffered a season-ending injury that sidelined him for seven months.

The former Bayern Munich attacker ultimately returned in the final weeks of the Eredivisie season to bid farewell to the fans and the beautiful game one last time.

Jens Lehmann

The German shot-stopper was largely forced out of retirement by Arsenal, nine months after retiring from VfB Stuttgart.

The 41-year-old was summoned due to injuries to three of Arsenal’s first-team goalkeepers: Szczęsny, Łukasz Fabiański, and Vito Mannone. Manuel Almunia, Arsenal’s only fit senior goalkeeper, also suffered an injury during their Premier League clash against Blackpool, paving the way for a second debut for the veteran German.

However, this fixture would be Lehmann’s only appearance, as he retired once again at the end of the season.

Johan Cruyff

The Dutch icon also makes our list of players who returned to football after retiring. Johan Cruyff was compelled to come back to the sport after a pig farm scam scheme resulted in the loss of a significant portion of the money he had earned during his career.

At the age of 31, he returned just months after announcing his retirement, playing in Major League Soccer (MLS), the Eredivisie, and at the Spanish club Levante, before finally retiring again at the age of 37.