Lionel Messi‘s boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, hit the headlines this week when their vice president went public with his plans to lure the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner back to his old stomping ground in 2027.
After first signing for the club in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, aged six, Messi spent his formative years in their youth ranks before being scouted by Barcelona and swiftly transforming into one of the game’s greatest-ever players.
Messi is 38 now and starring for MLS side Inter Miami. Still, it hasn’t stopped Newell’s dreaming of a fairytale return.
To be fair to Newell’s, there is precedent. Several players in recent years have headed home to their former clubs for one last hurrah: Sergio Ramos re-signed for Sevilla; Carlos Tevez rejoined to Boca Juniors; Luis Suárez returned to boyhood club Nacional in 2022 before reuniting with Messi in Miami.
Where could the next romantic football returns come? With Valentine’s Day looming, there is no better time to look at some potential homecomings in the years to come.
Lionel Messi, Newell’s Old Boys
Messi left Newell’s Old Boys to join Barça as a teenager in 2000, but the Argentina star has spoken fondly of his childhood club on many occasions, most notably in 2017 when he admitted he still harboured a long-standing desire to one day play again for the club.
“I’ve said many times that my dream is to play at Newell’s, but I don’t know what will happen,” he told TyC Sports.
With reports now circulating that Newell’s have discussed a proposed deal that would see Messi join his old club on a six-month loan in January 2027 before returning to Inter Miami in June, perhaps he will finally get his wish.
Ronaldo’s future in the Saudi Pro League is reportedly uncertain after he choose to sit out out of Al Nassr‘s clash against Al Riyadh. The Portugal captain is said to be unhappy over his club’s transfer activity, and multiple reports suggest he has a €44 million release clause in his contract this summer.
With his target of 1,000 career goals still in sight, if he did leave Saudi Arabia, then where would he go? An emotional return to Sporting CP would be a romantic answer.
Ronaldo has previously said his time in European football is over — he has won all there is to win — but could he be tempted to reunite with Sporting, where he began his senior career almost 25 years ago?
His mother, Dolores Aveiro, is certainly in favour of it. In 2021, she told a podcast that her dream was to see her son return to Sporting.
“Ronaldo has to come back here,” Aveiro, a huge Sporting fan, said. “If it were my choice, he would already be here. He likes to watch Sporting games. I’ve already told him: ‘Son, before I die, I want to see you return to Sporting’. He says: ‘Let’s see’: But if it can’t be him, then Cristiano Ronaldo Jr.!”
For what it’s worth, Sporting made a point of sending effusive birthday wishes to him on social media to acknowledge his 41st birthday.
Flamengo are no strangers to reunions. The club sealed a marquee return for Lucas Paquetá from West Ham last month, and sporting director Jose Boto raised eyebrows when he joked — during Paqueta’s unveiling — that a certain fellow academy graduate was next on their list.
“Next, we will talk to Vini Jr’s staff,” Boto quipped before adding that Flamengo might not need to pay a transfer fee should the Brazil star be willing to allow his contract to run out at Real Madrid.
Vinícius joined Flamengo at the age of six, going on to make 50 appearances for the club before moving to Madrid in 2018. With questions percolating over the 25-year-old’s immediate future at the Bernabeu, maybe now is the time to strike for Flamengo.
Griezmann never got to play for his boyhood club, Lyon. The closest he ever got was an unsuccessful academy trial as a youngster. Instead, he moved to Spain and was picked up by Real Sociedad. He went on to sign for Atlético Madrid, becoming the fifth-most expensive transfer of all time at Barcelona and then back to Atleti, where the 34-year-old is once again plying his trade.
However, what a move it would be for Griezmann to don a Lyon jersey before he retires. He has played precisely one game at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium in his career, coming on his Champions League debut with Sociedad in 2013.
“For me, Lyon has been my club since I was a kid,” he said prior to kick-off. “I used to come to see all the Champions League matches here with my father.”
“The moment I stepped on the Stade de Gerland pitch, I felt a lot of emotions. I even pointed out the spots in the stands where I used to sit. I can’t wait until I put my boots on tomorrow, but there’s no feeling of revenge: I just want to play.”
Casemiro recently announced his decision to call time on his stint at Manchester United when his contract expires this summer.
While his next destination remains to be seen, Casemiro could feasibly have an option to return home with São Paulo, the Brazilian club he represented from the age of 10 to the age of 20, when Real Madrid‘s Castilla academy came calling.
Admittedly, the 33-year-old has never spoken publicly about a desire to re-sign for São Paulo, but it is worth noting that he does owe an awful lot to the Tricolour Paulista — not least the nickname he has been wearing on the back of his shirt for over two decades.
The midfielder’s full name is Carlos Henrique Jose Francisco Venancio Casimiro, but he has worn “Casemiro” on his shirt ever since São Paulo misspelt his moniker during one of his very first appearances for the club.
Casimiro supposedly played brilliantly in the game in question and thus decided to not to correct the name on his jersey out of superstition, meaning that he has been playing in misprinted shirts ever since!
Romelu Lukaku‘s youth career didn’t begin at Anderlecht, but his senior career certainly did. He was on the books of Lierse SK before the club were relegated in 2006, meaning Lukaky was one of 13 youth players sent to Anderlecht.
What a move it came to be. Lukaku made his senior debut for the club in 2006 and spent four years there before joining Chelsea in 2011. Now, aged 32, the seasoned Belgium international is playing for Napoli in Italy but has stated on multiple occasions that he would like to one again don Anderlecht’s purple jersey before he retires.
Lukaku’s contract at Napoli still has 18 months to run, but Belgian news outlet Het Nieuwsblad have reported that he could well be set for a grand homecoming after the 2026 World Cup.
