In a move that football purists, romanticists and aficionados of 1990s Serie A will be excited by, Gianluigi Buffon is returning to Parma after 20 years away.
Buffon came through the club s academy in the early 90s and made 220 appearances for them in all competitions, winning the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and UEFA Cup during a six-year spell in the first-team.
Juventus made Buffon the world s most-expensive goalkeeper at the time when they paid €52million for him in 2001 and he played 685 times for them across two spells, 20 short of Alessandro Del Piero s club record.
Nevertheless, Buffon s longevity has ensured he is the record holder for the most Serie A appearances (657) and titles (10) in the league s history.
After leaving Juve at the end of the 2020-21 season, it was unclear what would be next for Buffon, but links with Parma began to stir despite their relegation to Serie B.
And on Thursday the club confirmed Buffon is back. While the days of challenging for major honours are long gone for Parma, the goalkeeping great represents a coup and the kind of transfer that tugs at heartstrings.
In honour of Buffon s momentous return, Stats Perform takes a look at other greats who ve gone back to their spiritual home to close out their career.
He is back where he belongs.
He is back home.
— Parma Calcio 1913 (@1913parmacalcio)
Arjen Robben Groningen
Arjen Robben s retirement lasted just a single season, as the Netherlands and Bayern Munich great announced last year that he was returning to his boyhood club Groningen for the 2020-21 campaign. Robben, now 37, initially brought an illustrious playing career to an end in July 2019 shortly after his 10-year spell with Bayern finished. Although at the time he was linked with a potential return to the team that gave him his professional debut, Robben – who suffered with numerous injury problems throughout his career – opted to retire. He then caused something of a shock as he finally went back to the place where it all began, but once again injuries blighted his season, restricting him to just seven Eredivisie appearances. It s unclear if he ll play on into 2021-22, though either way it s safe to assume Groningen will be where he retires once and for all.
BREAKING:
ARJEN ROBBEN = BACK
— FC Groningen English (@FCGroningen_EN)
Juan Roman Riquelme Argentinos Juniors
Perhaps more synonymous with Boca Juniors, where he made his professional debut and also spent most of his final years, Riquelme also had a strong affinity with Argentinos Juniors. He came through the club s academy in the early-to-mid 1990s, before then finishing his immense career at Estadio Diego Maradona in 2014, having also played for Barcelona, Villarreal and Argentina. Although the iconic attacking midfielder appeared close to joining Paraguay s Cerro Porteno the following year, the move never materialised.
Este domingo, Juan Román Riquelme estará presente en el Estadio para presenciar el encuentro ante River Plate
— Argentinos Juniors (desde ) (@AAAJoficial)
Dirk Kuyt Quick Boys
Kuyt briefly came out of retirement three years ago to help Quick Boys, with whom he spent 13 years as a youth. Playing in the Derde Divisie Saturday league, Kuyt was already working as assistant at the time, but made himself available for selection during a striker shortage and he made three appearances. The former Netherlands and Liverpool forward had retired the year before following a second spell with Feyenoord, where he had made his initial breakthrough in the mid-2000s, his form at the time earning a move to Anfield.
Een mijlpaal voor , onze trots!
— Quick Boys (@KvvQuickBoys)
Rafael Marquez Atlas
One of Mexico s greatest players, Marquez s longevity at such a high level was nothing short of incredible, as he accumulated 147 international caps. After breaking into the Atlas team as a teenager having come through their academy, the elegant centre-back enjoyed a sparkling career in Europe, winning 14 titles across spells with Monaco and Barcelona. Time with New York Red Bulls, Leon and Hellas Verona followed, before a final two-year stint back at the Jalisco ended in 2018. Although plagued by off-field allegations towards the end of his career, Marquez went on to become the club s sporting president, before standing down last in 2019 to focus on other areas of the sport. He is expected to be taking up a youth coaching role at Barca next season.
¡Rafa Márquez está de regreso!
— Atlas FC (@atlasfc)
Juan Pablo Angel Atletico Nacional
Angel perhaps never quite lived up to the expectations he set during his early days as part of River Plate s so-called Fantastic Four with Javier Saviola, Ariel Ortega and Pablo Aimar, having joined from Colombia s Nacional. Nevertheless, he became a fan favourite at Aston Villa in the Premier League, before spending six years in MLS with New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. In 2013 he returned to Nacional for two seasons, having left them in 1997. He called it quits in late 2014, just a few days after losing to his former club River in the final of the Copa Sudamericana. I am ending my career with a final between the two clubs I love the most, he said.
Juan Pablo Ángel, una de sus principales características es el juego aéreo.
— Atlético Nacional (@nacionaloficial)
Henrik Larsson Hogaborgs
While the Swedish club most may associate with Larsson is Helsingborgs, he actually made the breakthrough at a smaller side – Hogaborgs. It was here where he trained from the age of six, before eventually becoming a regular in the senior side and earning a move to Helsingborgs. A trophy-laden career followed, taking him to Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United. Although he retired in 2009, he returned to the pitch for Raa in the Swedish third tier three years later, before then finding himself back in the team at Hogaborgs in 2013, helping out due to an injury crisis despite him only previously being registered to a casual team for seniors . This gave him the chance to play alongside his son, Jordan.
