The top 10 greats who returned to finish their careers with their boyhood clubs

Wayne Rooney recently became the latest in a long line of footballers to return where it all began when he completed his move from Manchester United to boyhood club Everton.

The 31-year-old England international made 77 impressionable appearances for the Merseysiders, across two seasons, before joining United for a then world record fee (£30m) for a teenager.

His return raises a few questions, notably how Everton boss Ronald Koeman will incorporate him in his young and exciting side, but it’s clear Rooney has brought into the Dutchman’s project and is determined to end the club’s 23-year trophy drought.

No one really knows how the Liverpudlian will fare back at Goodison Park, but across football history as mentioned there are numerous players who have returned to their spiritual home – the club where they made their senior professional debut after coming through its youth set-up – with contrasting experiences.

Listed below are 10 such examples of past masters who made the decision to come back home where they ultimately hanged up their boots.

10. Marc Overmars (Go Ahead Eagles)

Major honours won on return: 0
Appearances before: 11
Appearances after: 24

Affectionately dubbed “roadrunner” due to the blistering pace he exhibited, Overmars – an archetypal Dutch winger – made his name with Ajax where he played an instrumental role in their period of dominance under Louis van Gaal.

However, he never came through their fabled academy instead was signed from Go Ahead Eagles in 1991, after making over 180 first team appearances for the record Dutch champions the Emst-born footballer joined Arsenal before representing Barcelona.

As his career started to dwindle down, Overmars’ fitness never left him, and in 2008 made a sensational one-season return with the Eagles before taking up an upper-management role.

9. Henrik Larsson (Högaborgs)

Major honours won on return: 0
Appearances before: 64
Appearances after: 2

A career laced with so many goals, it was hometown club Högaborg who first benefited having the Helsingborg native in their team, city rivals Helsingborgs IF made the move in 1992 signing him only to lose him a year later to Dutch giants Feyenoord.

Celtic, where his legend grew, purchased Larsson in 1998 and after a decorated career he left for Barcelona playing a key role in their second European Cup triumph at the expense of Arsenal.

He returned to Helsingborg, from he briefly joined Manchester United on loan, until he departed for Råå and then back at Högaborg where he enjoyed the privilege of playing alongside his son Jordan.

8. Pablo Aimar (River Plate)

Major honours won on return: 0
Appearances before: 87
Appearances after: 1

An illustrious opening four seasons with River, after coming through their academy, convinced Valencia to bring the flamboyant playmaker to Spain.

After creating more memories with Los Che, Real Zaragoza and Benfica he finally returned to Estadio Monumental albeit playing once.

7. Juan Carlos Valerón (UD Las Palmas)

Major honours won on return: 0
Appearances before: 63
Appearances after: 91

For more than a decade he was the symbol of Deportivo La Coruña, but Valerón’s first love was Las Palmas whom he initially left for Mallorca, before enjoying two seasons with Atlético Madrid.

After leaving Depor in 2013 he dropped a division to once again play for Las Palmas and in the process helped them reach the Spanish top-flight further enhancing his legend.

6. Rui Costa (Benfica)

Major honours won on return: 0
Appearances before: 111
Appearances after: 67

One of the most complete number 10’s of his generation, Rui Costa’s fame was firmly established at Fiorentina where his partnership with Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta was the stuff of dreams, however the native of Amadora always felt he was a product of Benfica.

After a disappointing spell with Milan concluded there was only destination for the former Portuguese international. After his final two seasons as a pro, in which he registered five goals and eight assists across 43 league matches, Costa has since took up the sporting director role at the Lisbon powerhouse.

5. Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord)

Major honours won on return: 1
Appearances before: 126
Appearances after: 109

Another travelling Dutchman who returned to the nest. In the years between his two respective spells at childhood club Feyenoord the midfielder-cum-defender played his football in Glasgow, London and Barcelona.

As soon as he hanged up his boots with the Rotterdam giants, he immediately entered the world of management initially assisting managers Ronald Koeman and Fred Rutten before the powers that be handed the reins over to him.

To date, he’s won two major pieces of silverware, a Dutch Cup last year and more recently ending Feyenoord’s 18-year title drought.

4. Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv)

Major honours won on return: 1
Appearances before: 166
Appearances after: 83

At one stage he was the most feared striker in Europe, a reputation honed in Kyiv and transported to Milan, but a tough spell at Chelsea saw the Ukrainian striker’s powers start to wane but he nevertheless managed to eek out three final seasons with boyhood team Dynamo Kyiv where he registered 30 goals in 83 matches.

3. Juan Sebastián Verón (Estudiantes)

Major honours won on return: 3
Appearances before: 65
Appearances after: 214

Veron, who made his senior debut with Estudiantes in 1994, only recently hanged up his boots. It was this year in fact.

After leaving Argentina, his travels took him to Italy and England, but the call of Los Pincharratas was too strong and for the last eight years as a professional career he’s put all his efforts in advancing the club who made him the footballer millions adore.

And to say he’s been influential is an understatement, with him Estudiantes lifted two league titles as well as the Copa Libertadores in 2009, the first South American championship they’ve won since 1970 when his father Juan Ramón Verón was part of that selection.

2. Frank Rijkaard (Ajax)

Major honours won on return: 5
Appearances before: 248
Appearances after: 80

A falling out with then manager Johan Cruyff saw Frank Rijkaard unceremoniously leave Ajax, the club where he made over 200 appearances since coming through their incredible academy system, before reinventing himself in Arrigo Sacchi’s revolutionary AC Milan team of the late 1980s.

Citing unfinished business he returned to Amsterdam and immediately became a pivotal figure in Louis van Gaal’s side whilst adopting a leadership role for their young players.

His final act came in Vienna where his pass to an 18-year-old Patrick Kluivert saw Ajax win their fourth European Cup and Rijkaard’s third.

1. Vítor Baía (FC Porto)

Major honours won on return: 14
Appearances before: 315
Appearances after: 320

Unlike the names above Baia’s time away from FC Porto was comparatively brief.

The shot-stopper only spent two seasons at Barcelona before returning to the Portuguese giants.

In the subsequent eight years

he collected 14 trophies including five league titles and the Champions League crown, under the brash and young Jose Mourinho, to go with the many prizes from his first spell between 1988 and 1996.

Honorable mentions: Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentinos Juniors), Daniel Agger (Brøndby), Andreas Möller (Eintracht Frankfurt), Igor Tudor (Hajduk Split), Marcelo Salas (Universidad de Chile), Tore André Flo (Sogndal), Vladimír Šmicer (SK Slavia Prague), Paolo Montero (Peñarol), Alexander Frei (FC Basel)