The FIFA World Cup Icons Who Went Back Home
After spending more than 11 years bamboozling defences across Europe and Asia, while lighting up the FIFA World Cup™ with Brazil, Neymar has returned to boyhood club Santos.
The Brazilian winger, who spent his prime in the forward line of Barcelona alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, is now looking to end his career by adding to his considerable Santos legacy, while also aiming for the international success which has thus far eluded his stellar career.
In honour of Neymar, FIFA looks back at a handful of FIFA World Cup icons who returned to the clubs where they made their name.
Andreas Brehme – Kaiserslautern
While defender Brehme would win honours aplenty with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, it’s with Kaiserslautern where he is most fondly remembered. After moving to the club as a 21-year-old, he played more than 150 games before taking in spells in Bavaria, Milan and Spain with Real Zaragoza. He featured in the FIFA World Cup finals of 1986 and 1990, famously netting the winner from the penalty spot in the latter as West Germany edged out Argentina in Rome.
In 1993, some 12 years after leaving, Brehme returned to the club where he made his name and helped them win the DFB-Pokal in 1996, though that success came one week after relegation from the Bundesliga was confirmed. Breheme stuck with the side in the second tier as they earned promotion back to the top flight, before going on to become the first promoted side to immediately win the Bundesliga in Breheme’s final season in football.
Diego Maradona – Boca Juniors
After making his name with Argentinos Juniors, the legendary Maradona continued his path to stardom by joining Argentinian heavyweights CA Boca Juniors in February 1981. He would go on to lead his new side to the league title that August, in what was the only major honour he won in his homeland.
After spells with Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys, as well as a stellar international career which was marked by victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup final, Maradona returned to see out the final two years of his career at La Bombonera.
Rafael Marquez – Atlas
The legendary career of Marquez began in Guadalajara, with the centre-back making his Atlas debut at just 17. He went on to play more than 70 matches across three seasons for Los Zorros, before heading to Monaco after impressing at the 1999 Copa America. A trophy-laden seven years with Barcelona was followed by spells with New York Red Bulls, Club Leon and Hellas Verona, before the veteran headed back to Atlas to see out the final days of a storied career.
Arguably Marquez’s finest days came with the national side. Across 147 caps, he won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup and two Concacaf Gold Cups. He also appeared 19 times at the FIFA World Cup – more than any other North American player – becoming only the third player to play at five tournaments at Russia 2018, while also becoming the first player to captain a side at five editions of the global finals.
Lothar Matthaus – FC Herzogenaurach
Matthaus’ lengthy career started in the youth ranks of amateur club FC Herzogenaurach in 1971, where he topped the scoring in each year until 1975. A move to Borussia Monchengladbach in ’79 kick-started a legendary spell at the top of the game, which included titles with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, the FIFA World Cup with West Germany in 1990 and being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991.
He retired from the game in 2000 after a year with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in Major League Soccer, but would lace up his boots one final time almost 18 years later. With FC Herzogenaurach already confirmed as seventh tier champions, Matthaus, at the age of 57, played 50 minutes as captain in the club’s final game of the season. “50 years ago, my career began on this pitch. I played my first competitive match here, and this is where my last one should take place,” he said following the match.
Neymar – Santos
During his first spell at Santos, Neymar became the first superstar teenager whose name was synonymous with YouTube highlight reels, as his skills wowed people all across the globe. After helping Santos to a hatful of trophies, including the 2011 Copa Libertadores, he moved to Barcelona in 2013 where he continued his ascent to one of the game’s best, before moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Al Hilal.
After an injury-plagued 18-month stint in Saudi Arabia, it was announced on 31 January that Neymar would be returning to Santos 11-and-a-half years after leaving for Europe. He’s now targeting success at FIFA World Cup 26, where he hopes to add to his impressive numbers at the finals, and earn a maiden crown.
Sergio Ramos – Sevilla
Ramos spent eight years with the youth and reserve teams of Sevilla, but it took just 50 games with the senior side before Real Madrid snapped up the teenager for €27m in 2005. He went on to play more than 650 times for Los Merengues, during which time he won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain among a staggering 180 caps, before taking in 58 matches with Paris Saint-Germain.
Following two years in the French capital, the defender returned to Sevilla on a one-year deal in 2023. He played 37 times in all competitions during his return, netting seven times as the club’s second-highest goalscorer.
