5 Players who came out of retirement for clubs ft. Wojciech Szczesny

Sadly, regardless of how much a player loves the game, retirement is something that every one of them must deal with. Many football players pursue careers as coaches or other endeavours that they were unable to fit in during their playing careers. On the other hand, some people retire and return in style. Let's examine a few athletes who, after originally declaring retirement, made an incredible comeback.

Here are the 5 Players who came out of retirement for clubs

5. Jens Lehmann

Following the injuries to Vito Mannone, Szczęsny, and Szczesny in March 2011, Manuel Almunia was the only senior, fit goalkeeper for Arsenal until Jens Lehmann decided to sign a flexible deal.

Lehmann was only ever supposed to be a benchwarmer in north London while he completed his coaching badges. He had declared his intention to retire nine months prior, following two seasons at Stuttgart. However, a few weeks following Lehmann's arrival, Almunia sustained a knock during the warm-up before a Premier League match against Blackpool, which meant the German shotstopper had to step in.

4. Johan Cruyff

When Johan Cruyff decided to retire at the age of 31 in 1978, he had wanted to enjoy his comparatively early retirement as one of the best players from his or any generation before it. But after losing almost all of the money that he had earned over the preceding ten years in a pig-farming fraud, he resurfaced to the pitch a few months later.

In 1981, the renowned Dutchman went back to his childhood club Ajax and assisted them in winning consecutive league titles. Cruyff, however, was not given a new contract by the Amsterdam team, and in 1983 he signed with Feyenoord, Ajax's bitter rivals. In what turned out to be his final campaign as a professional, he would assist Rotterdam win the Eredivisie title for the first time in almost a decade; in that season, he was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year with the age of 37.

3. Henrik Larsson

Henrik Larsson, a Swedish striker, was highly renowned for his ability to score goals and his awareness of the game. Larsson competed for Sweden in three European Championships and three World Cups. He withdrew from international retirement twice during this course.

The strong striker decided to give up playing football for the Swedish national team after leading his country to the World Cup 2002 knockout stages. But he was drawn to the opportunity to represent Sweden at Euro 2004 and decided to come out of retirement and play for his nation.

2. Paul Scholes

When Paul Scholes arrived to play in the January 2012 Manchester Derby, nobody, not even his teammates at Manchester United, knew that he was going to make himself eligible again. After retiring from the game at the conclusion of the previous season, the England midfielder astonished everyone when he and Sir Alex Ferguson were selected on the substitution list at the Etihad Stadium a little over six months later. 

He continued to play, making 21 appearances for the remainder of the season. The following year, he and Ferguson subsequently announced their permanent retirements from football. He was also a member of the United team that won the English Premier League once again.

1. Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny had a turbulent summer after being parted with by Juventus towards the conclusion of his contract. However, in the months that followed, he was heavily connected to a move to Al-Nassr, where he would join Cristiano Ronaldo. But when that planned move to Saudi Arabia failed to happen, the 34-year-old declared the end of his playing career.

The deal was too good to refuse, and the Polish goalkeeper will start in goal for the balance of the season for FC Barcelona, who have been playing some exciting football under their new boss Hansi Flick.