20 Instances of Players Returning to Hurt Their Former Clubs
To celebrate or not to celebrate?
Everyone has an opinion on just what a player should do if they score against their former club, but 41 years ago on April 27, there was little doubt about what was going through the mind of Manchester City's Denis Law.
An icon at Manchester United—who unveiled a statue of him at Old Trafford in 2002—Law scored for their great rivals in a Manchester derby, with City's victory all but confirming United's relegation to the old Division Two.
Law's backheeled goal stunned his former club, and the former Scotland international seemed distraught at what he'd done. He was substituted soon after, almost in tears.
As we know, though, plenty of players have followed in Law's footsteps and bagged vital goals against former employers in the past. Here are just a few of them.
Frank Lampard, Manchester City vs. Chelsea, 2014
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Sometimes, football produces storylines that even Hollywood would knock back for being too unbelievable.
Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer Frank Lampard was supposed to leave the club for a new life in New York last summer, but he instead showed up at the club's main title rivals, Manchester City, much to the disappointment of his former employers.
What happened next? Well, he came off the bench to score a late equaliser when the clubs met a month into the new season, a goal which provoked an apologetic reaction from the former England man, who looked as though he wanted a hole in the ground to open up and swallow him.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United vs. Real Madrid, 2013
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There was a lot of emotion attached to Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Champions League in 2013, and the Portuguese responded by knocking his former club out.
Ronaldo scored Real Madrid's equaliser in the 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg of this last-16 tie before. With United down to 10 men and the tie locked at 2-2 on aggregate, the forward popped up to bite the hand that used to feed him and end Sir Alex Ferguson's Champions League managerial career.
Nicolas Anelka, Liverpool vs. Manchester City, 2003
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In the summer of 2002, Liverpool were looking to build on an impressive season that ended with them finishing second to Arsenal in the league after a campaign of impressive attacking football, which had been aided by the loan signing of Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint-Germain.
But instead of making Anelka's signing permanent, Reds boss Gerard Houllier opted against signing his compatriot and instead paid £10 million for El Hadji Diouf—a move that turned out to be as disastrous as it sounds.
Fast forward to Liverpool's last home game of the 2002/03 season, in which they were playing against Manchester City. Sure enough, City forward Anelka was on hand to score two goals in a 2-1 win for the visitors, which served as a huge blow to the Reds' top-four hopes—hopes that were over following defeat at Chelsea the following week.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Manchester City vs. Arsenal, 2009
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You were waiting for this one, weren't you?
Producing the polar opposite to the muted celebration we often see out of respect to your former employers, Emmanuel Adebayor wanted to make a point to Arsenal supporters after heading home a goal for his new club, Manchester City, in a 4-2 victory in 2009—the first time he met the Gunners following his acrimonious departure.
Cue a pitch-length sprint, a jubilant knee slide, some very angry visiting supporters, a suspended two-match ban and a £25,000 fine.
He'd probably tell you it was all worth it, though.
Glen Johnson, Chelsea vs. Liverpool, 2011
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Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool put another nail in the coffin of Andre Villas-Boas' reign as Chelsea manager in 2011, and the sucker punch was provided by Chelsea old boy Glen Johnson.
Maxi Rodriguez and future Reds forward Daniel Sturridge traded goals to leave the scoreline at 1-1 at Stamford Bridge before Johnson—who has scored three goals for Liverpool against his former club West Ham United during his Reds career—picked up the ball on the right flank and surged toward goal.
He ended up cutting inside and firing home a low, left-footed effort to send the travelling supporters wild and push Villas-Boas closer to the exit door.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Inter vs. Milan, 2010
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Given his stellar CV and the calibre of clubs he's played for in the past, of course Zlatan Ibrahimovic was always going to feature on this list. He wouldn't have allowed it to be any other way.
In his first Milan derby after returning to the city from Barcelona, the former Inter icon settled the clash in Milan's favour when he both earned and converted a penalty, which went a long way toward winning his new side the Serie A title that season.
Danny Welbeck, Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 2015
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When he left Manchester United last summer, Danny Welbeck would always have wanted to make his point to former manager Louis van Gaal. He ended up finishing the Dutchman's chances of winning a trophy in his first season at Old Trafford.
In an FA Cup quarter-final tie in March, Welbeck pounced on defensive errors from his former team-mates to round goalkeeper David De Gea and shoot his current employers, Arsenal, into the last four at the expense of his previous ones.
There was no respectful celebration, either, with the England forward wheeling away in delight and quite rightly revelling in the moment.
Van Gaal remained unmoved.
Gareth Bale, Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 2012
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On his first return to former club Southampton in 2012, Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale underlined the quality that made him such a hot property when he was coming through the ranks at St. Mary's.
The current Real Madrid star left the Saints as a 17-year-old back in 2007, but respect was the only thing on his mind when he headed home a Tom Huddlestone cross just 15 minutes into his return, which ended with a 2-1 victory thanks to a goal from Clint Dempsey.
Ronaldo, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2005
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English talent was at the fore in one of the most classic Clasicos of recent times, when Michael Owen was among the goalscorers and David Beckham provided two assists in Real Madrid's 4-2 victory over Barcelona at the Bernabeu in 2005.
In the era of the Galacticos, goals were all over this Madrid side, including from their former Barcelona forward Ronaldo, who set up Zinedine Zidane for the opening goal before heading home a Beckham free-kick from close range to double the advantage. It reminded Barca of the talent they had on their hands back in the 1996/97 season, during which he scored 47 goals in 49 appearances for them.
David Luiz, Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 2015
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In the same week Welbeck got one over on Manchester United in the FA Cup earlier this season, a familiar face returned to haunt Chelsea and end Jose Mourinho's Champions League dreams for another campaign.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off for Paris Saint-Germain, a late Gary Cahill goal looked to have put the Blues into the quarter-finals. However, former defensive partner David Luiz popped up to head home a cross to send the clash into extra time.
From there, Eden Hazard's penalty put the Blues back in front, only for a stunning Thiago Silva header to give the 10-men the edge on away goals. It was to be an advantage they would never let go of.
Robin van Persie, Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 2012
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The amount of acrimony surrounding Robin van Persie's move from Arsenal to Manchester United in 2012 meant that it was always going to be obvious what would happen next. Sure enough, the Dutchman scored with a composed finish just three minutes into his first appearance against his former side.
United's 2-1 win in the November of that season was one of the key results of what would be another title-winning campaign, which also featured Van Persie scoring a penalty against Arsenal in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Ramsey, Cardiff vs. Arsenal, 2013
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A happier memory for Arsenal fans now: Aaron Ramsey's brace of goals against former club Cardiff City in a league match in November 2013.
The Gunners went a huge seven points clear at the top of the table thanks to this 3-0 win, which was kicked off by a fine header from the Wales international from a Mesut Ozil cross in the 29th minute.
Ramsey—who left Cardiff for Arsenal aged just 17 in 2008—refused to celebrate the goal and followed suit when he added the Gunners' third strike in stoppage time.
Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2012
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It took a special amount of willpower for Marco Reus not to celebrate his strike against former club Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012, simply because the goal was so wonderful.
Reus—who had rejoined Dortmund from Gladbach earlier that year—produced a stunning, curling effort that flew into the top corner from almost an impossible angle, with the strike serving as a highlight of a 5-0 win that took BVB to the top of the Bundesliga table.
Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich, 2013
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Mario Gotze was Reus' team-mate at Dortmund back then, but after the creative Germany international moved to Bayern in the summer of 2013, he wasn't slow to get one over on his old club.
In his first Bundesliga Klassiker in the colours of Bayern, Gotze opened the scoring for his new employers in a 3-0 victory, which was rounded off by Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller.
Dortmund were to get their revenge with a 3-0 win at Bayern later that season, but the "curse of the ex" has struck them twice more in this campaign, with Robert Lewandowski scoring for Bayern in home and away victories over his old club.
Carlos Tevez, Manchester City vs. Manchester United, 2010
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Carlos Tevez's switch from Manchester United to Manchester City made waves in the summer of 2009, and the talented Argentinian was at the centre of a fiery League Cup semi-final between the pair in early 2010.
After Ryan Giggs opened the scoring in the first leg at Eastlands, Tevez equalised with a controversial penalty before bagging the winner and deciding to celebrate it right in front of Sir Alex Ferguson—something which obviously went down well with the home supporters.
Ferguson and United were to have the last laugh, though, as it was they who won the second leg and went on to beat Aston Villa in the final to claim the trophy.
David Villa, Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2013
16 of 20Surplus to requirements at Barcelona following the arrival of Neymar, David Villa wasted no time in showing the Catalan giants what they were missing by producing a stunning volley on his Atletico Madrid debut in the Spanish Super Cup first-leg clash at the Vicente Calderon.
In a video that is also notable for a wonderful commitment to arguing with the assistant referee from Diego Costa, watch as Villa's pinpoint volley flies into the corner of the net to give goalkeeper Victor Valdes absolutely no chance.
It ultimately counted for little, though, with Barca new boy Neymar's equaliser eventually securing the trophy for the Catalans on away goals.
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Chelsea vs. Queens Park Rangers, 2013
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Plenty of Queens Park Rangers fans will tell you that Shaun Wright-Phillips has done little more than just collect his wages at the club, but he enjoyed a moment to remember against former employers Chelsea in a Premier League match in January 2013.
Rangers arrived at Stamford Bridge bottom of the Premier League table, but that didn't stop them from shocking Rafael Benitez's hosts and pinching victory with Wright-Philllips' fine low drive from the edge of the penalty area with 12 minutes remaining.
The victory marked QPR's first in a Premier League London derby since a win at Wimbledon in 1995, and it was their first top-flight victory at Chelsea for 34 years.
Wayne Rooney, Everton vs. Manchester United, 2007
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Although their recent trips to Goodison Park haven't quite gone to plan, Manchester United all but secured the Premier League title there thanks to a 4-2 win in 2007, in which Wayne Rooney played a leading role.
United came from two goals down to secure a terrific victory, with their ex-defender Phil Neville making a curious attempt to make this list by scoring an own goal before Rooney bit the hand that used to feed him to make it 3-2 with 11 minutes remaining.
A strike from Chris Eagles completed the scoring for United, who were crowned champions a week later.
Paul Ince, Liverpool vs. Manchester United, 1999
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Back in their all-conquering 1998/99 season, however, there was a moment when it looked as though United had blown their chances of league success.
After conceding to a Dwight Yorke header and a Denis Irwin penalty, Liverpool battled back to draw 2-2 with United at Anfield thanks to a Jamie Redknapp penalty and Paul Ince's scrambled equaliser in front of an ecstatic Kop end in the dying moments.
At the time, it looked as though title supremacy had switched to Arsenal, but United battled back and ultimately claimed glory—not once but three times.
Denis Law, Manchester United vs. Manchester City, 1974
20 of 20We'll finish how we started, with one of the most memorable moments in Manchester derby history.
It was later proven that Manchester United would have been relegated even without Denis Law's backheeled flick into the net nine minutes from the end of a clash at Old Trafford in 1974, but the United legend wasn't to know that at the time.
Law trudged away distraught and demanded to be substituted; he couldn't quite believe what he'd done.
That we are still talking about it 41 years later only serves to sum up the powerful nature of the images. As we've proved here, though, Law wasn't the last player to get one over on a former club.
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