14 legendary players who returned to the Premier League for a second spell
Ilkay Gundogan is returning to Manchester City in one of the most surprising transfers of the summer – and he’s not the first great player to come back to the Premier League for a second spell.
Gundogan left for Barcelona in 2023 after captaining City to the treble, but the La Liga club’s perilous financial situation means the midfielder is leaving the Camp Nou – and City couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring him back.
But he is not the first great player to make a return to the English top-flight. We take a look at 14 others who have left the Premier League only to come back at a later date.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Snaffled from under the noses of Manchester City, Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was greeted with a slew of celebratory tweets – that only intensified after he scored twice on his second debut against Newcastle.
Things didn’t go to plan afterwards though. Ronaldo scored regularly but he failed to inspire the expected title challenge and left the club under a cloud in November 2022.
At the same time, Ronaldo could have been forgiven for thinking he returned to a different club than the one he bestrode in the 2000s.
Thierry Henry
Henry’s move to Barcelona in the summer of 2007 was largely unexpected, with many expecting the striker to make the same move following Arsenal’s defeat in the 2006 Champions League final. Instead, he signed a new deal but still moved on a year later.
After eventually finding his way to New York Red Bulls, Henry returned to north London from the Big Apple on a two-month loan deal in January 2012.
It was a brief return to the top flight, but goals against Leeds United in the FA Cup and Sunderland in the Premier League ensured it was iconic.
Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann had a tough task on his hands to win over his new audience, after arriving in England in 1994 with a reputation for being a diver. One journalist even wrote an entire article detailing why they hated him upon his arrival.
But a self-deprecating celebration and 30 goals later he had done just that. After just one season, however, he was off to Germany with Bayern Munich. He would return on loan two years later to save Spurs from relegation during the 1997-98 campaign.
Didier Drogba
Drogba penned the perfect final chapter to his eight-year Chelsea career in 2012, slotting home a Champions League-winning penalty in Munich. But two years later, after spending time in China and Turkey, he was back.
“I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work with José again,” he said in 2014. “Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me. My desire to win is still the same and I look forward to the opportunity to help this team. I am excited for this next chapter of my career.”
I suppose the Premier League he added to his tally a year later is also not a bad ending.
Juninho
Voted Middlesbrough’s greatest-ever player in 2007, Juninho Paulista was part of an iconic time at the Riverside. Either side of a spell with Atletico Madrid, he was consistently brilliant.
READ: A tribute to the fantastic but flawed Middlesbrough side of 1996-97
Gareth Bale
When Bale left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2013, he did so as the most expensive player of all time. Upon his return on loan last season, he had four Champions League winners medals around his neck but close to zero popularity at the Bernabeu.
His return was certainly no failure, finding the net 16 times in 34 appearances, even if it would turn into an unstable season for Spurs.
Paul Pogba
Pogba’s return to Manchester United was met with enormous excitement as well as a new age for elaborate transfer announcements on social media.
The Frenchman did not match the dazzling ability displayed frequently with Juventus, but he certainly wasn’t an entirely BAD signing for the club either.
READ NEXT: 13 of the best free transfers since 2000 feat. Arsenal, Liverpool & Man Utd…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the Premier League-winning captain for every season?
Nicolas Anelka
A man with a hat-trick of Premier League returns to his name. After leaving Arsenal for Real Madrid before moving to Paris, Anelka made a permanent return to the English top flight with Manchester City following a loan at Liverpool.
But good luck trying to tie Anelka down. Three years later he was off to Turkey with Fenerbahce, only for Bolton to snap him up a year later.
A move to Chelsea followed before he again left the country, this time for China and Shanghai Shenhua. But he had one more stint in the Premier League in him and West Brom were the lucky recipients. A true legend of this very niche genre.
READ: Nicolas Anelka: ‘Le Sulk’ who inspired plenty of smiles at Arsenal & Chelsea
Sol Campbell
“For both club and country, Sol’s career just speaks for itself. He is a hugely experienced and intelligent footballer, who will bring a great amount of quality and knowledge to our squad. Sol as a player and a person will be an enormous asset to us.”
Those were the words of Arsene Wenger, speaking to Arsenal’s official website after bringing Campbell in on a short-term deal following his disastrous move to League Two side Notts County.
Because of injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas, the centre-back even found himself starting frequently but was still released at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Mohamed Salah
“It was always in my mind to come back to the Premier League to show the people who said I wasn’t a success the first time. It was always in my mind to become a success in the Premier League,” Salah told Sky Sports News upon his return to the top flight with Liverpool.
You probably don’t need us to tell you just how well that return has gone, either.
Joe Cole
Following a legendary stint with Chelsea, Cole made the move to Liverpool, which did not go particularly well for him.
After just one year with the Reds, he was loaned out to Ligue 1 side Lille for the 2011-12 campaign before rejoining West Ham upon his return. 37 appearances and five goals followed before a final Premier League hurrah with Aston Villa came around, with equally underwhelming results.
Michael Owen
Many felt that Owen was incredibly underrated during his season with Real Madrid, scoring 13 La Liga goals despite largely being confined to substitute appearances.
But there was huge excitement in Newcastle when they brought him in during the 2005 summer transfer window, a feeling not felt since.
The former Liverpool striker later had spells with Manchester United and Stoke City before hanging up his boots in 2013.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Hasselbaink spent two seasons with Leeds United before astronomical contract demands led to his exit, according to then-manager David O’Leary.
Atletico Madrid picked up the bill, and the Dutchman had a fantastic season in Spain, netting 24 times in La Liga. That form caught the eye of Chelsea and so the lethal marksman returned to the English top-flight in 2000.
He scored 87 goals in 177 appearances for the Blues before seeing out his playing career at Middlesbrough, Charlton and Cardiff City.
Robbie Keane
Coventry City benefitted from Keane’s services for just one Premier League season before he jetted off to Inter Milan to play for Marcello Lippi.
But his fortunes at the San Siro soured when Lippi was replaced by Marco Tardelli. With just 14 appearances to his name, he was back in England with Leeds United, first on loan and then permanently in May 2001.
The former Republic of Ireland international also had spells at Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa but is best remembered for his time at Tottenham.