When players return to former clubs there is always drama, and more often than not the player seems to score.
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Cesc Fabregas will face his former club Arsenal on Sunday, and he’s unlikely to get a good reception, despite the fact that it was Arsenal who rejected the opportunity to have him back at the club. There always seems to be high drama when players return to clubs where they were heroes, and Sunday is unlikely to be any different. Here are some of the most famous goals scored by players returning to former clubs.
5) Adebayor for Manchester City against Arsenal, 2009.
As a club with a reputation for selling players at their peak, Arsenal have had many occasions where players have come back to haunt them. While Adebayor was never truly a Gunners hero, his response to abuse from Arsenal fans in his first game against them was to score and then run the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of them. He was fined £25,000 for the action.
4) Ronaldo for Real Madrid against Manchester United, 2013.
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was much more friendly, but equally painful, as the Portuguese star scored in both legs of the Champions League tie to knock out Manchester United in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season as manager.
3) Robin Van Persie for Manchester United against Arsenal, 2012.
Arsenal fans felt betrayed by Van Persie’s move to Manchester United more than they had with Fabregas’ move to Barcelona, who had gone back to his boyhood club. To make matters worse, Van Persie wasted no time in punishing his old club, scoring within three minutes of his first game against them. To make matters worse, he then scored again in the return fixture later in the season, and bagged another the season after.
2) Henrik Larsson for Barcelona against Celtic, 2004.
Celtic legend Henrik Larsson’s return to Celtic Park was an emotional affair, and the Swede said he was uncomfortable playing against his former club. But, ever the professional, after coming on as a late sub the notorious poacher latched onto an Alan Thompson backpass and fired home to seal a 3-1 win for the Catalans.
1) Lampard for Manchester City against Chelsea, September 2014.
In one of the most dramatic returns to a former club ever, Frank Lampard, Chelsea legend and club top scorer, who won everything there was to win with the Blues, scored a late equaliser after coming on as a sub for Manchester City. Seeing Lampard play against Chelsea was bizarre enough, seeing him score was truly astonishing drama.