7 players who came out of retirement as Reynolds tries to tempt Bale to Wrexham
Wrexham's promotion to the EFL has seen them linked with a number of big names, and none have been bigger than that of Gareth Bale.
The Welsh international confirmed his retirement from football in January, having led his country to the World Cup. Now, though, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have tried to talk the 33-year-old into one final season.
After Bale responded to McElhenney's cheeky plea, Reynolds made a pledge to the former Real Madrid star. "I will shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back if you’ll give Wrexham a season," the Canadian-American actor tweeted, later adding "Update: after an online image search, it appears Rob does not have the requisite body hair to support this plan."
If Bale is tempted to come out of retirement, he wouldn't be the first big name to do so - or even the first to do so for Wrexham. Here, Mirror Football looks at a few other examples.
Paul Scholes
After winning countless trophies with Manchester United, England midfielder Scholes called it a day in 2011. "This was not a decision I have taken lightly but I feel now is the right time for me to stop playing," he said at the time.
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The following season, though, he spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson - a man who he personally thanked in his retirement announcement - and rejoined United's squad. He wasn't quite able to help them pip Manchester City to the 2011-12 title, but he played a part the following season, also Ferguson's last at the helm.
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(PA)"I was nervous about doing it thinking what if they said no? But Sir Alex said yes straight away," Scholes would later say of his return.
"We were playing City away and Sir Alex said to not tell the lads. I think I trained once with the first team before that."
Ben Foster
A former team-mate of Scholes at Old Trafford, Foster retired in 2022 after suffering relegation from the Premier League with Watford. He made the announcement on YouTube, mentioning he had received an offer from Newcastle before opting to hang up his gloves.
Ben Foster has made an immediate impact at Wrexham (Getty Images)As he approached his 40th birthday, though, the former England international decided he wasn't quite done. He joined Wrexham on a short-term deal and played a big role in their promotion push, saving a stoppage-time penalty in a victory over Notts County.
"As a goalkeeper, it was always about the adrenalin buzz when the kick off comes, and the reason I retired was because I wasn’t getting that any more," Foster explained in April. "Towards the end of my final season at Watford I realised ‘this doesn’t feel like it used to feel’. I wasn’t really enjoying it so much.
"And honestly, the buzz at Wrexham is incredible. That penalty save, I’ve played over 500 games and I probably had two of those moments in my career - never done that before, never saved a penalty last minute to win the game. So that just vindicated my decision to carry on playing!"
Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann played just once in his second Arsenal spell (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)A number of Arsenal favourites returned for second stints during Arsene Wenger's tenure, including Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell. No story was quite like that of Jens Lehmann, though.
"That is what the family council has decided," the veteran goalkeeper said upon retiring in 2010. Less than a year later, though, he made a brief return.
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With Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone all injured at the same time, Arsenal needed cover in goal. Enter Lehmann, the Invincibles keeper, who had one last hurrah aged 41.
"We have no cover in the Premier League, so that is why I decided to bring Jens back," Wenger admitted. The German played just once in his second stint, completing the full 90 minutes in a 5-1 win at Blackpool in the Premier League.
Arjen Robben
The documentary series 'The Last Dance' had a big impact on a lot of people in 2020. However, no one got more from it than Arjen Robben.
Arjen Robben started and ended his career with Groningen (OLAF KRAAK/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Champions League winner Robben hung up his boots in 2019 after a decade with Bayern Munich. The following year, after reportedly being shown clips of the Michael Jordan documentary, the winger prepared for a last dance of his own with boyhood club Groningen.
"I'm here to help the club," the Dutch international said upon his return. You do that by showing the right attitude. I don't have anything to lose and I'm going into the challenge with a positive attitude and to try and make the best of it.
"I haven't set any goals, it could be over in a month or it could last two years."
Landon Donovan
Another former Bayern player, Donovan called an early end to his career in 2014 at the age of just 32. He would then come out of retirement not once but twice - first for a further LA Galaxy spell and then for a brief stint with Mexican side Leon.
Landon Donovan made multiple comebacks from retirement (Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)"I don’t write these words lightly and this day carries mixed emotions for me," the US international said after his 2014 exit. "I am sad to leave a profession that has brought me so much joy."
Upon joining Leon, though, the former Everton man made his stance clear. "I don't believe in walls," he said, having moved to Mexico at a time when then-president Donald Trump had spoken of a border wall.
There was still time for a third rebirth for Donovan, albeit a slightly different one. In 2019, aged 37, he embarked on a brief career in indoor soccer and represented the United States' arena team in a friendly.
Robbie Rogers
Robbie Rogers cut short his retirement to join LA Galaxy (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)Rogers, like Donovan, spent time in MLS with the Galaxy. However, the utility man's retirement came in different circumstances to that of his former team-mate.
Still in his twenties at the time, Rogers' retirement announcement came as part of his coming out announcement in 2013. "Now is my time to step away. It's time to discover myself away from football," the former Leeds player said.
Rogers' exodus was a brief one, with the US international only out of the game for a few months before moving to Los Angeles following a conversation with former international team-mate Donovan. He ended his career for good in 2017 after an injury-hit spell with the club.
"I sat down with Landon and just wanted to get an idea of what he thought of me coming back and what the atmosphere might be like," Rogers told USA Today. "Regardless of the perception, we both agreed that we are at our happiest when we are helping people. I believe I'm happy now because I know that I'm helping people."
Marcio Amoroso
Former Dortmund star Amoroso made a brief return to playing after turning 40 (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)While others took a few months or a year out of the game, it was a different story for Amoroso. The Brazilian international forward retired at 34, with injuries impacting him towards the end of that period, but made a brief return in his forties.
Some 13 years had passed between the former Dortmund man's final game for the Selecao and his move to Boca Raton FC. The lower reaches of the US pyramid didn't feel like the obvious move for a man who was once among the most in-demand players in European club football.
“I met Amoroso when he was on vacation in Florida, and when I asked him if he wanted to play for us he just laughed at first,” club president Douglas Heizer told Planet Football in 2017. "“He had been retired for many years, but I told him he could think about it and let me know.
The star also acted as an ambassador for the Florida club, though he only played a handful of games. His son Giovanni spent time on their books, playing in the 2018 season.
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