What with Michael Schumacher announcing his return to Formula One to stand in for the injured Felipe Massa, Sport.co.uk looks back at other sportsmen who went one better than Sam Malone in Cheers and successfully bounced back…
1. Michael Jordan
Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan retired from the game to take up minor league baseball before returning to the Chicago Bulls and leading them to 3 more NBA titles.
2. Lance Armstrong
The 7-times winner of the Tour de France announced his return to cycling last year, aged 37, and went on to finish third in this year’s event.
3. Lester Piggott
The jockey rode nine Derby winners before retiring in 1985. Two years later, during his new career as a trainer, he was jailed for tax irregularities. On his release, he decided to become a jockey once more and won the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Royal Academy within 10 days of his return in 1990.
4. Martina Navratilova
The Czech-American tennis queen quit the game in 1994, aged 38 and with 18 Grand Slam titles to her name. 6 years later, she returned as a doubles player and won 3 more.
5. George Foreman
The boxer became World Champion when he beat Joe Frazier in 1973 at the age of 24, before losing his belt to Muhammad Ali in the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ bout a year later. He spent 12 years out of the game before returning, aged 45, to defeat Michael Moorer in 1994 and made a second successful comeback some years later when he leant his name to a range of really rather splendid, fat-dispensing grills.
6. Zinedine Zidane
The mercurial/talismanic/temperamental/bald playmaker of the French midfield retired from international football in 2004 after France were knocked out of the European Championships semi-finals by Greece. Returned as captain to lead his country to the final of the 2006 World Cup, where they lost out to Italy only on penalties.
7. Niki Lauda
Became the world champion of Formula One in 1975 but an accident at the Nurburgring a year later left him badly burned. He retired in 1979, founded an airline, and then – in need of funds - returned to win the world title again in 1984.
8. Katrina Witt
The dazzling East German ice skater won 2 Olympic golds, 4 world titles and 6 European crowns, before quitting in 1988 aged just 23. 6 years later, she returned for the 1994 Games at Lillehammer. She only managed 7th place, but her nude photoshoot in Playboy 4 years later was the 2nd-highest selling issue of the magazine since Marilyn Monroe appeared in its flagship edition. A great comeback of sorts…
9. Alain Prost
The Frenchman was released by Ferrari in 1992 and returned one year later with Williams-Renault to win a 4th drivers championship before quitting Formula One for good.
10. Sir Bobby Robson
It’s only fitting to include the late, great Robson, who returned to English club football after many years away with his beloved Newcastle in 1999. He led the Magpies to successive 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishes before finding himself the subject of a baffling sacking decision from which the club has never really recovered. Rest in peace, Sir Bobby.