15 players who returned to their boyhood clubs, ft. Ramos and Suarez | OneFootball

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Legendary football stars returning to the clubs where they first began their careers feels ripped right out of a movie. The hero's homecoming to the place it all started can be a feel-good moment for both the players themselves and the clubs. It shows that affinity for the side exists in them no matter how long it's been and allows them to, usually, end their career on wholesome terms.

That's why a number of footballing greats have tried this method in the past, embarking on incredible careers before returning to their boyhood clubs when they're entering their twilight years. Some had admittedly had more success with it than others, but they all tried it nonetheless.

15 Sergio Ramos - Sevilla

The most recent name on this list, Sergio Ramos spent just one year as a fully fledge member of the Sevilla first team. Breaking through with seven appearances in the 2003/04 season, he earned a regular spot in the side the following campaign where he played 42 games in all competitions for the side. It was enough to catch the eye of Real Madrid, who brought him to the Bernabeu the very next summer.

From there, Ramos became one of the greatest defenders in the world and won a simply ridiculous amount of trophies with Los Blancos for his troubles. The Spaniard spent 16 years with Madrid, making 671 appearances and scoring 101 goals, a mindblowing tally for a defender. In 2021, he left the club for Paris Saint-Germain where he spent two seasons, but he was released this past summer.

It was recently announced that the 37-year-old had signed a contract to return to Sevilla, the club where it all began for him, and he'll be donning the shirt for the first time in 19 years.

14 Giovanni van Bronckhorst - Feyenoord

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is unlike many others on this list in the fact he actually spent a prolonged amount of time in his boyhood club's first team before he moved on. Having spent 11 years in the Feyenoord academy, he moved through the youth ranks and made his debut for the senior side in 1994. He quickly established himself as a key figure in the team, making 126 appearances and scoring 25 goals for the side, but moved on in 1998 when he joined Scottish side Rangers.

From there he played for a series of fantastic clubs, eventually leaving Scotland for Arsenal where he won a Premier League title as well as a pair of FA Cups during two seasons at the north London club. He soon moved on to Barcelona where he won a couple of La Liga titles but also bagged the first Champions League of his career. After four years at the Catalan giants he made the decision to return home to Feyenoord for the first time in nine years, and he remained there for the rest of his career, retiring in 2010. He even went on to spend four years as the club's manager between 2015 and 2019.

13 Daniel Agger - Brondby

Daniel Agger's Liverpool tenure was bookended by two spells at his boyhood club Brondby, and he only ever played for the pair. Initially breaking through at the Danish side in 2004, the centre-back made 40 appearances over 18 months, but was snapped up by the Reds in January 2006.

He had a solid career in Merseyside and played a major role for the club during his days in the Premier League. Agger spent eight and a half years in England with Liverpool and made 232 appearances for the side. In 2014, he made the decision to return to Brondby, despite interest from a number of English sides as he was intent on playing in a less physically demanding league. That decision makes sense considering he retired just two years after returning to his boyhood team at the age of 31.

12 Alexandre Lacazette - Lyon

After eight seasons in the Lyon academy, Alexandre Lacazette emerged into the first team in 2010 and became one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world over the course of seven years in the side. He made 275 appearances and scored 129 goals for the French side before moving to Arsenal in the Premier League.

He had five solid years at the Emirates, winning an FA Cup, but couldn't quite reach the levels of form he showed at Lyon. In 206 appearances, he scored 71 goals and returned to his boyhood club last summer. He instantly hit the ground running as well, scoring 31 goals in 39 appearances and immediately picking up where he left off when he departed the club five years earlier.

11 Juan Sebastian Veron - Estudiantes

Not only did Juan Sebastian Veron return to his boyhood club Estudiantes, he actually did it on three separate occasions. Starting things off with the side in 1993, the star spent three seasons there and made 65 appearances before he moved on in 1995 and joined Boca Juniors. He went on to spend a large chunk of his career in Italy, playing for Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio, before trying his luck in the Premier League.

In spells with Manchester United and Chelsea, Veron struggled to adapt to English football, and he left the country three years after arriving and returned to Italy when he joined Inter Milan on loan. After a couple of seasons at the San Siro, he made his first return to Estudiantes in 2007. He spent five years with the club, making 107 appearances and scoring 18 goals before he left once again, this time for Brandsen.

After one sole year with the Argentine side, he returned to Estudiantes yet again and spent another year at the club before making the decision to retire in 2014. Inexplicably he decided to come out of retirement in 2017 and play for, you guessed it, his boyhood team and embarked on his fourth stint with the side. He played just five games for them following his return and retired again later that year.

10 Dirk Kuyt - Quick Boys

Dirk Kuyt had a solid career for the likes of Utrecht, Feyenoord and Liverpool, but he started things off at Dutch side Quick Boys. He spent 13 years with the club's academy, but made just six appearances and scored three goals before he was quickly snapped up by Utrecht. He spent five years with the club before moving onto Feyenoord and then eventually joined Liverpool after three incredibly prolific seasons with the side.

In England, he had a solid career, scoring in double figures in five of his six years at Anfield. Making 286 appearances, he scored 71 goals for the Reds and then moved to Fenerbahce in 2012. He spent three years in Turkey before returning to Feyenoord. He played for the side for a couple of years and continued scoring at a high level. In 2017, he made the surprising decision to return to his boyhood team and signed with Quick Boys 19 years after he first left the side. It wasn't quite the fairytale ending, though, and Kuyt made just three appearances and failed to score a single goal during the stint before he retired.

9 Luis Suarez - Nacional

Luis Suarez has had an incredible career, scoring a bucket load of goals for the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona, but he started his career plying his trade with Nacional in Uruguay. His talent was apparent immediately, and he joined Groningen after just one season in the club's first team.

He spent just one year with the Dutch side before Ajax snapped him up, and he took his game to another level. Four years with the side saw him emerge as one of the most promising forwards in football and Liverpool signed him as a replacement for Fernando Torres in 2011. He certainly lived up to the role and became one of the best strikers in football during his time at Anfield which led to Barcelona spending the big bucks to land him in 2014.

He had an incredible eight years in Spain playing for the Catalan giants and then Atletico Madrid, but surprisingly announced his decision to rejoin boyhood club Nacional in 2022. In typical Suarez fashion, though, it wasn't quite the fairytale ending many expected it would be, and he made just 16 appearances for the side, scoring eight goals, before he left once again, this time joining Gremio in Brazil.

8 Fernando Torres - Atletico Madrid

Having spent six years in the Atletico Madrid academy, Fernando Torres mirrored that and spent a further six in the first team before he joined Liverpool in 2007. Becoming the club's youngest-ever captain at 19, he left Spain a legend, with 244 appearances and 91 goals for the side. He was a hit in England too, firing on all cylinders at Anfield and bagged 81 goals in just 142 appearances for the side.

Chelsea were clearly impressed by the star and splashed out a massive £50m on his services, an absurd figure for 2011. He never quite replicated the level of form he'd previously shown at Stamford Bridge, though. Despite playing 172 times for the Blues, he scored just 45 goals for the club which was a major drop-off compared to the rate he'd shown previously. After a brief loan move to AC Milan, he returned to Atletico in 2015.

His return to his boyhood club saw him spend three and a half years with the side, making another 160 appearances and scoring 38 goals, but he didn't sail off into the sunset with the Colchoneros. Instead, he joined Sagan Tosu in Japan and spent two years with the side before retiring in 2019.

7 Arjen Robben - Groningen

Throughout his career, Arjen Robben played for some incredible clubs. The forward turned out for the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich over the course of his playing days, but his career was bookended by two spells at his boyhood club, Groningen. He initially spent two seasons with the club after coming through its academy, but it was pretty apparent early on what a talent he was, and he soon left for PSV Eindhoven.

He spent two seasons with the club until Chelsea splashed out on his services and he had a fine few years at Stamford Bridge. Injuries restricted him from truly cementing a spot as a regular in the team, but he always performed when called upon and Real Madrid came calling in 2007. He spent just two years in Spain before joining Bayern Munich and it was in Germany where he truly took his game to another level.

Over the course of nine years, he made 309 appearances and scored 144 goals for the Bavarian giants, cementing his position as one of the best forwards in the world. He decided to retire at Bayern in 2019, but reversed his decision in 2020, deciding to return to football, but this time for his boyhood club, Groningen. He played just seven games for the side after his return and retired shortly afterwards.

6 Robin van Persie - Feyenoord

After emerging from Feyenoord's youth ranks, Robin van Persie spent three years with his boyhood club before Arsenal recognised his potential and signed him up in 2004. Arsene Wenger saw big things for him, and he certainly paid him back for that faith. Over the course of eight years, he scored 132 goals in 238 appearances for the Gunners. All the more impressive considering the lengthy injuries he suffered during his time with the side.

He made the shocking decision to leave Arsenal for their rivals Manchester United in 2012, though, but it proved to be the right call, winning his first Premier League title shortly afterwards. After three years at Old Trafford and a further three years at Fenerbahce, he returned to Feyenoord in 2017 and spent a couple of years with the side before calling it a day and hanging his boots up in 2019.

5 Andriy Shevchenko - Dynamo Kyiv

While he's predominantly known for his time at AC Milan and Chelsea, Dynamo Kyiv is where Andriy Shevchenko both started and ended his playing career. After spending seven years in the club's youth set-up, the former Ukraine international spent six seasons leading the frontline for Kyiv. He moved on to Milan in 1999, and it was in Italy where he became a superstar.

With 173 goals in 296 games, the forward became one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world, and it was his form at the San Siro that convinced Chelsea to splash out what was a British transfer record of £30m at the time. He didn't come close to matching the form he'd previously shown, though and his time at Stamford Bridge was a bit of a disappointment. After just two years in London and a loan spell back at Milan, he rejoined Dynamo Kyiv in 2009. He spent three seasons with his boyhood team and scored 30 goals in 83 appearances before he eventually retired in 2012.

4 Gianluigi Buffon - Parma

Regarded as one of, if not the greatest goalkeeper of all-time, Gianluigi Buffon had an incredible career in between the sticks for the likes of Juventus and PSG, but it was Parma where his heart truly lay. The Italian spent six seasons as the side's designated number one before joining Juventus in 2001. What followed was a sensational 17 years at the Old Lady as he made 656 appearances and won a plethora of trophies.

He joined PSG in 2018, but spent just one season in France before returning to Turin and then spent two seasons back at Juventus before he made the decision to go back to Parma in 2021, two decades after he initially left. Returning to the club where it all started, Buffon spent two years playing at the Ennio Tardini stadium before retiring this summer at 45 years old.

3 Vincent Kompany - Anderlecht

After Manchester City's big-money takeover, Vincent Kompany was one of the first true superstars to join the side and his impact over the course of his tenure in England can't be overstated. He joined the club from Hamburger SV, but it was Anderlecht where he first made a name for himself.

After 11 years at City where the Belgian won an insane amount of silverware, the centre-back decided to return to his boyhood club and spent one season back at Anderlecht before he retired in 2020. What followed was a two-year stint as the club's manager.

2 Carlos Tevez - Boca Juniors

Known primarily for his time in the Premier League playing for both halves of Manchester, Carlos Tevez started and ended his career with Boca Juniors. The Argentine was a monster in front of goal, and he first burst onto the scene with his boyhood club in 2001. He spent three years with the side before joining Corinthians and excelled. He spent one season with in Brazil, but his form caught the eye of West Ham United who signed him shortly afterwards.

After a sole year with the Hammers, he spent a season on loan at Old Trafford before making the controversial decision to join their local rivals, City. He spent four years at the Etihad and was influential in their success throughout the time, but a bust-up with Roberto Mancini led to him joining Juventus in 2013.

He had a solid couple of seasons in Italy before rejoining Boca Juniors. The reunion was short-lived, though, and he left after a year when he headed to China and joined Shanghai Shenhua. He did eventually return to his boyhood club once again in 2018, this time remaining with them until he retired in 2021.

1 Wayne Rooney - Everton

No one has burst onto the scene quite like Wayne Rooney did at Everton. The Englishman took the world by storm when he arrived seemingly out of nowhere at the age of 16. His last-minute winner against Arsenal had the world take notice and his days at Goodison Park felt numbered pretty much immediately.

After spending two years in the Toffees' first team, he joined Sir Alex Ferguson's United in 2004 and had 13 incredible seasons with the Red Devils. From winning pretty much everything there was to win, to becoming the side's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, few players had the impact Rooney did at United.

He decided to leave Manchester in 2017, though, returning to Everton 13 years after he left, and it sparked an emotional return. He shone in his second stint as well, making 41 appearances and scoring 10 goals in a single campaign for the club, but he moved on shortly after. Heading to MLS and joining DC United, before ending his playing career at Derby County, the Englishman is considered a legend of the sport and it's a shame he didn't eventually end his career with his boyhood club like so many other greats have done.