They say you can never go back home. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, known simply as Neymar to most, proved that wrong.
The thirty-three-year-old Brazilian striker recently returned to Santos after twelve years away from his boyhood club. “I have no words to describe what I felt tonight when I stepped again on this pitch,” he said of his return to the Brazilian soccer franchise.
Neymar left Santos in 2012 for Barcelona. His return after all this time was met with enormous enthusiasm both from the people of Brazil and the wider world of soccer.
You don’t have to have a local interest in Santos soccer to enjoy this feel-good story. Those of us with a sentimental streak take joy from happy reunions. As one of the most famous Brazillian soccer players of all time, Neymar’s return to the club of his youth was a major boost.
Neymar isn’t the only one to find his bliss by returning to the soccer pitch of his youth. What other soccer stars returned to their boyhood clubs?
Santi Cazorla
At thirty-eight years old Santi Cazorla is securely in the final act of an extremely noteworthy career. Cazorla is best known for what he has accomplished in Spain. However, it’s clear where his heart is. Oviedo, the franchise where he cut his teeth as a young man.
“This is a special place for me,” says Cazorla. “I played here many, many years ago when I was only young.”
Cazorla’s return to the pitch of his youth is a passion project. The team has been in and out of dire financial straits for decades, nearly collapsing in 2012, before a global financing campaign brought it back from the edge of bankruptcy.
Cazorla himself contributed significantly to that movement, despite the fact that he was playing in Arsenal at the time.
Now, as his career winds down, Cazorla is happy to spend his final years where he started. To make this arrangement work, he accepted the league minimum salary and even offered over his imaging rights to help the franchise thrive.
“This is really, really important for me,” he says.”It has been everything that I expected.”
Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is best known for his contributions to Real Madrid where he played for sixteen seasons. The thirty-seven-year-old did a brief foray in France after failing to accomplish a contract extension with Madrid in 2021.
“Sergio arrived at our youth academy at the age of seven and progressed through the youth ranks until he made his debut in the first reserve team at the age of 16 in the 2002-03 season,” Sevilla said in a statement.
“Our academy’s centre-back… returns home almost two decades after leaving at the age of 19 for Real Madrid.”
It’s a heartwarming story, though one that did not last for long. Ramos spent just one season with his boyhood team before moving on and he was just announced in Monterrey, where he is likely to hang up his boots eventually.
Thiago Silva
“It’s a moment I will never forget,” Brazilian superstar Thiago Silva said after making his long-awaited return to the club that started his career. Silva, at 39, proved to be a lucky charm for his boyhood club of Fluminense, helping them win their first match in ten contests.
Recording his feelings on Instagram, Silva said:
“It’s been 16 years since I experienced such a beautiful feeling to wear this shirt on the field. Without a doubt, this is a moment I will never forget and I thank God for being by my side and helping us get the victory tonight. I also want to thank my family and the tricolour team for their support and care. We keep striving for more winnings LET’S ALL COME TOGETHER I love you Fluminense!”
What do most of these stories have in common?Perhaps you noticed the pattern. Most of these stories involved players going home in the twilight of their careers. Picking up where they left off at smaller clubs before they made it big on a larger international stage.
A cynical view of the situation would be to assume this is the option left to them over age-related retirement. To an extent, that is the case. Contract negotiations become increasingly challenging for players over thirty.
Still, there’s a level of passion driving these choices that can’t be ignored. Where some athletes might choose to cash in as much as they can before hanging up their cleats, these men have decided on a more rewarding sentimental experience that doesn’t always happen in sports. Too often do we find aging athletes trying and failing to hold on to a fleeting spotlight.
These men took a different path. They accepted less money and received more love and appreciation. Sports don’t always offer that level of closure.
