Comebacks

Fenian Army

With Scholes's comeback I got thinking of other footballers who have come back out of retirement and how they got on.

I can't think of too many, but two in recent years who come to mind are Stephen Carr and Edgar Davids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDM52QpNTTs

Stephen Carr was a good player with loads of promise had a real bad time with knee injuries over his career which eventually led to his release and retirement.

After Newcastle

Carr had been linked with moves to Aston Villa, Everton, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic, Hertha Berlin, Racing Genk and Bohemians. He was also on trial with League 1 side Leicester City where he would have linked up with Nigel Pearson whom he played under at Newcastle. Having failed to find a suitable club, Carr announced his retirement from all forms of football on 1 December 2008.


Carr with Birmingham City

However, in February 2009 he began training with Birmingham City with a view to coming out of retirement, and signed a one-month contract with the club on 23 February. He made his debut the following day, playing the whole of the goalless draw away to Crystal Palace. After impressing during the initial month, Carr signed an extension until the end of the season. Following Birmingham's promotion to the Premier League, Carr signed a new two-year contract with the club. Made acting captain in the absence through injury and squad rotation of Lee Carsley, he was a member of the Birmingham team that went 15 games unbeaten in all competitions, including a club record 12 unbeaten in the top flight, during the 2009–10 season. Towards the end of the season Carr received a one-match suspension for improper conduct after making an "offensive gesture" towards Aston Villa supporters at the end of the local derby won by Aston Villa via a late, controversially-awarded penalty.

He captained the team to victory in the 2011 Football League Cup Final as Birmingham defeated favourites Arsenal 2–1. Carr played every game of the 2010–11 Premier League season, in which Birmingham were relegated to the Championship, and the club took up the option of retaining his services for another year.

Carr made his 100th appearance for Birmingham in the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, the first time the club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years.

I think its fair to say that Carr's comeback has been incredibly successful, I believe he was one of the top right backs in the premier league in the 09-10 season and he captained his club to a league cup. He should have been back in an Ireland shirt too.

On the other end of the spectrum we have Edgar Davids. He was undoubtedly a great player and retired in 2008 after a very successful career with numerous great clubs.

Honors:

Ajax
Eredivisie (3): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
KNVB Cup (2): 1992–93, 2006–07
Johan Cruijff Schaal (4): 1993, 1994, 1995, 2007
UEFA Champions League (1): 1994–95
UEFA Cup (1): 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup (1): 1995
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1995

Juventus
Serie A (3): 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
Supercoppa Italiana (2): 2002, 2003
UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1999

Internazionale
Coppa Italia (1): 2004–05

Individual
UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament
1998 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team

He came out of retirement in 2010 and joined Crystal Palace on a years pay as you play deal. He only made 6 appearances and retired again after around 3 months. I only saw one of his games, he played at left back and was fairly crap. He should have stayed retired.

It's too early to say definitively, but it looks like Scholes's comeback has been a success, he has put in some great performances.

What other players have retired and made a comeback, and how did their comeback go?

amiable

Lazarus made a pretty decent comeback

Fenian Army

amiable wrote: »

Lazarus made a pretty decent comeback

Good call, but I'd give most of the credit to his manager, Jesus. He showed phenomenal man management skills in bringing his career back to life and coaxing brilliant performances out of him in the Holy Land's World Cup winning campaign of 30-31.

Turtyturd

Zidane 2006 World Cup.

ArmaniJeanss

Pele, retired in 71, didn't play for about 18 months and then had a successful 3 seasons in MLS.

losthorizon

Ferenc Puskas

Played with Honved when Hungarian football was King. After the Revolution he and his team mates were left in Limbo. He decided to go to western Europe unlike some of the rest of the team which meant he coudn't play competitively. He either didn't play or played in some friendlies. Finally he signed for Real Madrid and won the European Cup with them and the Spanish League five times in a row. Many people believe that Puskas was the best player that ever lived and that Honved were the greatest club team of all time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Pusk%C3%A1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oEt4zQZ9Jg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhoxJOAME-4

Fenian Army

Good shout, but he was banned and didn't retire?

losthorizon

Fenian Army wrote: »

Good shout, but he was banned and didn't retire?

Sorry, you are right! That's what you get for speed reading! I only read comebacks and missed the word retirements

Fenian Army

Thought this would be a bit more poplar!

dfx-

Davids transformed Rijkaard's Barcelona when he moved in December '03 for 6 months.

Hank Scorpio

Turtyturd wrote: »

Zidane 2006 World Cup.

This and only this, he was epic

inforfun

Johan Cruijff.

Retired in 1978 after an epic farewell match versus Bayern Munchen ended 8-0.
In Bayern's favour.

Was forced to start playing again after 1 year because he was taken to the cleaner by his business partner.

He played on till 1984 for teams like LA Aztecs, Washington Diplomats and Levante before going back to Holland to play for Ajax and making them league champions.

When he ended up in a row with the Ajax board he signed a 1 year deal with Feyenoord based on commission (got 50% of the ticket price when over 30.000 people attended the match)

Age 37, he was still in a class on his own, he got his revenge on Ajax by winning the Cup and league double with Feyenoord.

He retired, again, after the 83/84 season. After becoming the league winner in each of his last 3 years of his career.

Seaneh

Costacurta retired at the end of the 2005-06 season. HE worked with the youth team as a coach all that summer part time.

About 1 month into the next season Milan convinced him to come back playing for another season.

He played 11 games that season, mostly at right back, and scored a penalty in the last game of the season in a 3-2 loss to Udinese.

He was subbed near the end of the game and the crowd gave him a standing ovation, at the end of the game all the Milan players came back onto the pitch wearing jerseys with his name and number.

LuckyLloyd

Fenian Army wrote: »

Thought this would be a bit more poplar!

Your OP was brilliant, and the subject is interesting - problem is it simply doesn't happen all that often at the top level!

Beefy78

Mauricio Tarrico has played twelve games for Brighton this year, six seasons after retiring after getting injured on his West Ham debut.

He retired again , I believe after getting a red card on his debut, but that second retirement didn't last anywhere near as long as the first one did.

Giggsy11

Cantona. Retired for about a month, made a comeback and won 5 league titles and 2 FA cups.