Among the most emblematic examples are Edmundo and Romário (Vasco), Robinho (Santos), Kaka (São Paulo), Vampeta (Vitória), Adriano (Flamengo), Zico (Flamengo) and Socrates (Botafogo-SP)
A study by Sports Intelligence Brazil Better analyzed 106 players who passed the Brazilian National Team and identified that 42 of them, such as, returned to the original club after a time with foreign teams. The star, who started his career at Santos and had stints for E, hit his return to the São Paulo club after 12 years in Europe and the Middle East. According to the survey, 30 of the 42 players returned after playing in European football – in teams such as Real Madrid, PSG and Milan – while the others returned from clubs from Asia, Middle East or North America. The survey includes cases where athletes returned, even without ending their career at the original club, as well as players widely identified with a team, even if they were not revealed by him.
Among the most iconic examples are Robinho (Santos), Kaka (São Paulo), (Vitória), Adriano (Flamengo), (Flamengo) and Socrates (Botafogo-SP). Nine athletes returned more than once to the club where they stood out. Edmundo, for example, returned four times to Vasco da Gama; Romário, three times; and Serginho Chulapa, three times to Santos. Fish is the club with the most returns (12), followed by São Paulo (11).
Not all, however, remained. At least 18 of the 42 players left the club again after a period. This is the case of Kaka, who returned to Sao Paulo in 2014, but went to play at Orlando City in the same year. Robinho returned to Santos twice, but ended his career abroad. Similar cases involve Vampeta, Bebeto and Carlos Alberto Torres. The survey also listed the performance in goals of some of these athletes before and after the return. Edmundo, for example, scored 24 goals before leaving Vasco and 141 after returning. Romário, 139 before and 188 in total in the laps. Neymar, in turn, has been adding two goals since returning to Santos after the 138 of the first pass.
Among the 106 players analyzed, 62 never returned to the club where they started. Pelé, for example, ended his career at New York Cosmos after decades in Santos. Ronaldo Phenomenon, which started at Cruzeiro, retired on Corinthians. Ronaldinho Gaúcho, revealed by Grêmio, ended his career in Fluminense. Even so, most athletes analyzed ended their career in South American clubs. Only 17 retired abroad.
