Offside Sound Off: Which Retired Player from the Last 10 Years Would You Like to See Make a Comeback?

By: Daryl | July 24th, 2009
   

Colombian striker Antony de Ávila (aka El Pitufo or The Smurf, as he’s 5′3″ small) is coming out of retirement. Nothing so unusual about that… except that de Ávila retired a full 10 years ago at the already advanced age (for a footballer) of 36.

A decade later, the 46 year old El Pitufo is making his Sinatra/Foreman style comeback with his first club (and current Colombian champions) America de Cali, where he’s already scored 201 goals in two previous spells.

Which brings us to the question: If you could bring any player who’s retired in the last 10 years back to professional football… who would it be?

There’s one very obvious answer. A certain monk-hairstyled someone who retired in 2006 (in dramatic circumstances) and is still only 37. You know who I’m talking about, but I’ll leave that answer for someone else (hi Laurie!).

For myself I’d love to see Mr. Matt Le Tissier back in action. Here’s a reminder for anyone too young to remember him:

The Southampton legend (they called him “Le God”, and he never played for anyone else) almost single handedly kept Southampton in the Premier League in the ’90s with goals like the above. He retired in 2002 and is now 40 years old, and – I think it’s fair to say – carrying a little extra weight.

But Le Tiss was never the most, shall we say, energetic of players. And with Southampton now down in League One (third tier of English football) for the 2009/10 season, it’s not impossible to imagine a 40 year old Le Tiss waddling off the bench, flicking the ball up with his first touch, and finding the top corner from 30 yards out.

So there’s mine. Who would you like to see come out of retirement?


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  • george
    kostas malekkos
  • burnzinho
    i would have to go with ferenc puskas, cant forget the man who tore england apart whilst at the same time being the first player to use the drag back in a 4 year spell of world domination from the mighty magyars
  • chelsea fc
    Gabriel Batistuta, best eva argentinian cept 4 messi, he shits all ova maradonna and his cheating 'hand of god'
  • HolyMann
    i would definitaly say Baggio, but (even though he retired more than 10 years ago), i would ask for Platini
  • Oli Davies
    Zidane, every day of the week!
  • Baz
    BERGKAMP
  • dp
    Zidane was my instinctive first answer, and if I were to sleep on it, he still might be...the goal against Leverkusen, and leaving Brazil falling over themselves (twice) are some of my favorite moments in my years watching soccer.

    But right now, I'd go with Roy Keane...the only United player whom I had total respect for, if even just for his performance against Juventus in '99 alone. He went way off the deep end sometimes, but he was a personification on the pitch of abstract concepts in capital letters like Willpower, Vengeance, and the Triumph of Man Over the Human Condition. Alf-Inge Haaland may have some words otherwise, but Keano's my pick.
  • zinedine zidane
  • vince cmarko
    roy keane one of the most responsible and efficient midfielders of all time. truly a warrior !!
  • eugen
    Zola and Baggio can't polish Hagi's boots. :)
  • Paolo Maldini.
  • elle
    Roy Keane. so fierce. or maybe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because he was the ultimate super sub.
  • Rob
    Gazza. And he looks fitter now than he did in the latter stages of his career.
  • star_bury
    Steve McManaman.

    Or for some MLS flavor, Marco Etcheverry.

    Last 15 years though, would have to be Vinnie Jones, no doubt. I'd give my left nut to see him play again. What's that? He might take someone else's?
  • Ditto to Zola.
  • jz
    Zidane. No doubt about it. He's the only player that can mix the star power with a chance to play at anything near a world-class level.
  • John
    Brian McBride, my all time favorite US player. What's that you say? Oh, he's still playing somewhere?

    I would absolutely love Alexi Lalas to grow back the fro and take the field. I think he'd still cause strikers to piss their pants.
  • 95% of the Italian's are going to say Baggio. (The other 5% will be comprised of Batistuta or Maldini lol)

    BUT RIGHTLY SO
  • phantompong
    Zidane. Absolutely.
  • lilrashio
    actually nevermind i wish mahdi Mahdavikia would not retire and lead Iran to another world cup berth in 2014. not happening with his age and that regime in Iran.
  • LorenzoRosanero
    Roberto "Il Divin Codino" Baggio
  • Utku
    Hakan Sukur
  • Gheorghe Hagi. One of the greatest left footed players ever.
  • James
    I have to agree with Golazo, Zidane or Batistuta.
  • Oh, ditto Melissa's reasoning for Alexi Lalas! Plus that way he can't "manage" any more MLS teams into the ground!
  • John Harkes. Because maybe then he will finally STOP TALKING.
  • lilrashio
    Alan Shearer
  • Cantona retired back in 1997.
    I'd want Denis Irwin back...
  • Easy peasy

    GIANFRANCO ZOLA

    Follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/souther...
  • Finnegan
    This is such a tough question. My first thought was Zidane for obvious reasons. But when I read the post above mine citing Carlos Valderrama - ooh, what a great choice. Not only was he an amazing player but he was so funny to watch. You're right, he rarely moved out of the center circle. Umm, who else? When did Eric Cantona retire?
  • Carlos Valderrama. Arguably the MLS's best ever midfielder,and he was 35 when he joined the league. Never saw him sprinting, didn't wander much out of the center circle, but no one could get near him, and his passing was out of this world. LEGEND.

    Not to mention the hair.
  • hommeyer
    dennis bergkamp
  • Golazo
    Zidane and Batistuta
  • I clicked add comment hoping I would be the first, but I am not.

    Roberto Baggio, please come back. :]
  • Everybody's going to expect me to say Zidane, but I'm actually thinking Fabien Barthez because I miss the drama. Suspension for recreational cannabis use! Suspension for spitting at the referee! Controversy over whether he or Coupet should have played WC 2006! Attacked by his own fans at Nantes! (And let's not forget that mind-boggling pairing with supermodel Linda Evangelista.)

    Fabulous Fab, I miss ya.
  • Jacek
    Zinedine Yazid Zidane! Saw him play in the charity matches in Toronto & Montreal...I have no doubt he could still lead France to the finals in SA
  • For it is 100% this man:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

    Roberto Baggio. My idol growing up. Unfortunately many non-Italian fans always remember him by the '94 penalty miss and he doesn't get the credit he deserves.
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