For supporters there’s no greater joy than seeing a homegrown player come through the ranks and establish themselves as a first-team regular.
However, not every academy graduate makes it (see Chelsea in the 2010s), but there are examples of those who flew the nest and then returned years later. James Trafford is an extremely recent example. The goalkeeper joined Manchester City in 2015, at the age of 12, but was sold to Burnley eight years later — without a senior appearance.
After two years at the Clarets, Trafford is back with Man City and looks set to be their first-choice goalkeeper. In light of that, here are several other players who returned to where it all began — but those reunions certainly proved costly…
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Cesc Fabregas
- From: Arsenal
- To: Barcelona
The 2000s saw La Masia enter a renaissance period. Barcelona’s famed academy churned out Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who teamed up with fellow graduates Xavi and Carles Puyol.
Before the decade was out, Gerard Pique would join them. Pique initially left Catalonia for Manchester United, but a lack of playing time saw him return. Barca paid £5million for the centre-back, which is nothing compared to what they spent to bring Cesc Fabregas back.
Fabregas left Barcelona around the same time as Pique and would re-join from Arsenal for £25.4m in 2011. His three-year stint at Barcelona split opinion. The Spaniard played 151 games for Barcelona across all competitions, scoring 42 goals and providing 50 assists. In that time, Fabregas helped Barcelona win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Uefa Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup (twice) and the Club World Cup.
But he failed to inspire them to Champions League glory. In fact, Barcelona won the Champions League in the season before Fabregas signed and the campaign after he left for Chelsea.
Mats Hummels
- From: Borussia Dortmund
- To: Bayern Munich
It’s somewhat fitting that Mats Hummels truly made his name in North Rhine-Westphalia, where he was born. That being said, the centre-back was a product of Bayern Munich’s academy. And before initially joining Borussia Dortmund on loan, Hummels made one Bundesliga appearance for Germany’s most-decorated club.
His one-season spell at Dortmund led to a permanent move and under Jurgen Klopp’s leadership Hummels cemented himself as one of Europe’s best central defenders. Bayern kept a close watch on Hummels and broke the bank to seal his return in 2016, paying a reported £33.8m. He stayed at Bayern for three years — winning the league title each season — before returning to Dortmund.
Dani Carvajal
- From: Bayer Leverkusen
- To: Real Madrid
Dani Carvajal’s time in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen is often forgotten about. But the Spaniard made a name for himself in Germany in 2012-13, catching the eye of Real Madrid. Carvajal had come through Real Madrid’s La Fabrica academy to become an ever-present for their Castilla team.
Leverkusen were searching for a right-back in the summer of 2012 and came across Carvajal. But Real Madrid added a buy-back clause if they wanted to re-sign Carvajal after one season. Which they did. The rest is history. Carvajal has racked up 428 appearances for Real Madrid, winning everything there is to be won. He’s also the club captain and will retire a Los Blancos legend whenever he calls time on his career.
Paul Pogba
- From: Juventus
- To: Man Utd
Paul Pogba was a mainstay in Man Utd’s youth setup before it became clear the path to first-team football under Sir Alex Ferguson was limited. He joined Juventus on a free transfer and developed into an elite midfielder in Turin.
This evolution saw a number of Juventus’ fellow super clubs show a desire to acquire Pogba’s signature. Of course, Man Utd were the team to win the race, signing Pogba for £89m. “Pogback” was the tagline of the move and Man Utd fans were excited to finally see Pogba make a mark in the Red Devils team. But, as we all know, Pogba failed to make a lasting impact at Old Trafford, as the club continued to struggle post Sir Alex. He spent six years with Man Utd before leaving on a free transfer. To Juventus.
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Alvaro Morata
- From: Chelsea
- To: Atletico Madrid
Madrid-born Alvaro Morata had quite the tour of capital clubs in Spain during his formative years. He started out with Atletico between 2005 and 2007, before briefly joining Getafe and then ultimately moving the Real’s famed La Fabrica.
Morata burst onto the scene at the Bernabeu, making his first-team debut in 2010 as a late substitute for Angel Di Maria. He went on to play 52 times for Los Blancos before joining Juventus. The Spaniard spent two seasons at the Old Lady, prompting a return to Real Madrid.
He then joined Chelsea for £60m, before returning to Atletico Madrid. Morata initially joined on loan from Chelsea but Atleti eventually paid £58m for his permanent move.
Rodri
- From: Villarreal
- To: Atletico Madrid
Similar to Morata, Rodri spent a few years in Atleti’s academy, signing as an 11-year-old from Rayo Majadahonda in 2007. But Rodri was released in 2013 due to a “lack of physical strength”, eventually joining Villarreal.
Rodri rose to meteoric prominence with the Yellow Submarine, with Atletico Madrid realising the errors of theirs. They brought back back to Madrid in 2018 for around £20m, and he grew into the player we know today — now marshalling the midfield for Man City as a Ballon d’Or winner.
Marco Reus
- From: Borussia Monchengladbach
- To: Borussia Dortmund
The Dortmund-born, Dortmund legend naturally progressed through the youth ranks at, you guessed it, Dortmund. Marco Reus stayed in the Ruhr Valley for 10 years before his release in the summer of 2006, later joining fifth-tier Rot Weiss Ahlen.
Following Rot Weiss Ahlen’s rapid rise up the German latter, a 19-year-old Reus tore up the 2. Bundesliga in 2008-09. Borussia Monchengladbach pounced for his signature and Reus continued to sign there before Dortmund brought him home. The £17m spent in 2012 seems like a bargain now, with Reus leaving Dortmund last summer as a club legend.
Aaron Ramsdale
- From: Bournemouth
- To: Sheffield United
Aaron Ramsdale looks to be on the move again, trying to find his spot as a Premier League No.1. The Englishman graduated from Sheffield United’s youth academy after signing from Bolton Wanderers in 2013 — he signed a scholarship a year later.
In 2016, Ramsdale signed a professional deal with the Blades and made two FA Cu appearances in 2016-17. But that would be the extent of his involvement during his first stay at Bramall Lane. Bournemouth brought Ramsdale to the south coast in 2017 for around £1m, and he went on to star for the club in the Premier League. Ramsdale’s performances persuaded Sheffield United to sign the goalkeeper back after just three years, paying the Cherries £18.5m.
Danny Ings
- From: Liverpool
- To: Southampton
Southampton don’t often let talent slip through the net. They’ve cultivated a reputation as one of the finest producers of young stars in recent years. But Danny Ings came and went during his schoolboy years without leaving a trace.
It proved to be a costly academy departure too, as Southampton forked out £18m to sign Ings from Liverpool in 2019. This was after he had broke through at Bournemouth and spent four years with Burnley. Southampton did make a profit on Ings, though, selling him to Aston Villa for £25m in 2021.
Jordi Alba
- From: Valencia
- To: Barcelona
Given La Masia’s reputation as football’s pre-eminent talent factory, it’s only natural that one or two don’t make the grade. But that doesn’t mean they’re not gifted enough to progress in the sport.
Jordi Alba was released by Barca in 2005 reportedly for being too small. While that would make sense for a defender, Alba was playing as a left-winger at the time. His size certainly didn’t matter in 2012 when Barcelona spent around £14m to sign Alba back from Valencia. Another player to leave a club legend, having won everything.
Peter Crouch
- From: Portsmouth
- To: Tottenham Hotspur
Peter Crouch moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Queens Park Rangers in 1995. It was part of a wider move across London, following the club’s coaching staff including QPR’s youth team manager Des Bulpin — who poached Crouch in the process.
But the eventual England international failed to make the grade at White Hart Lane and had to leave to build up his career. Crouch returned to QPR, before moving on to Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Norwich City, Southampton, Liverpool and Portsmouth again.
Harry Redknapp worked with Crouch at Portsmouth and signed the Englishman for Tottenham in 2009. It was a blossoming partnership with Tottenham breaking the glass ceiling to qualify for the Champions League in 2010. And Crouch scored the all-important goal to seal qualification.
Nicolas Anelka
- From: Real Madrid
- To: PSG
Arsene Wenger signed a teenage Nicolas Anelka in February 1997 for a paltry £500,000. At that point, the 17-year-old had only made a few appearances off the bench for PSG. But a year later he would be winning a Premier League and FA Cup double for Arsenal, scoring in the final of the latter against Newcastle United.
Anelka’s rise at Highbury was of a world-class standing, which naturally provoked talent-hoarders Real Madrid to sign him for £22.3m in 1999. His stint at the Bernabeu lasted just one season, with PSG paying £22m to re-sign Anelka the following year.
Ederson
- From: Rio Ave
- To: Benfica
We’re being a bit cheeky here. Ederson didn’t sign for millions, but we thought his story was interesting enough to warrant a place on this list.
The Brazilian goalkeeper enjoyed to years in Benfica’s youth academy but moved to Portuguese second-tier side Ribeirao in 2011 in search of more consistent playing time. That’s exactly what he got, earning himself a move to Rio Ave.
Ederson then became a mainstay in the Primeira Liga, eventually encouraging Rui Vitoria to being him back to Benfica in 2015.
Steven Bergwijn
- From: Tottenham
- To: Ajax
Steven Bergwijn started his career in Ajax’s academy, but left for PSV at the age of 14. He game through the ranks at the Eindhoven club to become one of the Netherlands’ stars, winning three league trophies.
Bergwijn’s performances earned him a £28m move to Tottenham, and he had some moments there. But he eventually fell out of favour with Antonio Conte and had to look for a new club. Enter Ajax, who spent £26.4m for Bergwijn to return after 11 years away. Bergwijn played 80 times for Ajax across two seasons, scoring 29 goals, but left for Al-Ittihad last summer.