5 players who returned to their boyhood clubs

2. Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez belied his mercenary image with his move back to Boca Juniors

Once considered one of the ultimate mercenary footballers thanks to his jump from Manchester United to Manchester City – and his subsequent questionable conduct while playing for the Citizens – Argentine striker Carlos Tevez showed his romantic side when he made a surprise move back to his boyhood club – Boca Juniors – in the summer of 2015.

It was hardly like Tevez was past his prime, either; ‘El Apache’ had scored 29 goals in 2014/15 and won the Scudetto and reached the Champions League final with Juventus. But rather than make a bigger move to somewhere like PSG, the Argentine chose to return home, where he scored 9 goals in 15 appearances as Boca won the Argentine Primera Division and the Copa Argentina, too.

Sure, his mercenary side reared its head again in December 2016 when he moved to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua – reportedly becoming the world’s highest paid player in the process – but after a single season there, he was back at Boca, where he’s remained since. And at 35 it looks likely that he’ll end his career there, too.