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It’s always hard when a former player comes in and scores, just take your average Arsenal fan and point them to the general vicinity of Robin Van Persie or Emmanuel Adebayor and you will see the pain that moment illicits, but for the goal to enter ‘haunting’ territory it takes something special. A former legend who left the club in acrimonious circumstances, or a player deemed surplus for requirements returning to throw their former club out of a key competition.
While there are many instances, we’ve tried to glean out 5 of the mosting ‘haunting’ instances...
5. Denis Law: MANCHESTER CITY vs Manchester United
We start off with arguably the most emotional of them all. When Denis Law recommended the name of Tommy Docherty, little did he know he know that he was also signing away his career at United. The no-nonsense Scot saw that his compatriot was on the decline, and let the man who led that famed ‘Holy Trinity’ of Old Trafford to leave on a free.
Leave he did, but Law didn’t go far. Crossing town to don the blue of City, his return to Old Trafford was marked by one of his greatest goals – a cheeky backheel that encaspulated his goalsoring genius. No one, though, has ever looked more devastated at scoring a goal. Ever.
He didn’t – like popular myth suggests – relegate United, but he did put break hearts (including his own) with an insouciant flick of that famous right foot.
4. Michael Laudrup: REAL MADRID vs Barcelona
When Johann Cruyff assembled the Dream Team at Barcelona in the early 90s, and brought domestic and continental success careening down to Catalonia, there was one man who was at the heart of it all – the Danish magician Michael Laudrup. He weaved the magic around which Romario and Stoichkov did their thing and it was looking like la blaugrana were going to rule the footballing world for all eternity – their peak performance a 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu where Laudrup ran the show
And then Laudrup fell out with the legendary Dutchman. The low point of their relationship coming when Cruyff dropped Laudrup against AC Milan in that famous Champions League final in Athens. it is important to know a bit of background here – regulations restricted the no. of foreigners any team could field to just three (in Europe) and Cruyff had elected to drop Laudrup, a decision that didn’t sit well with the great Dane.
Three days after Barca lost the final 4-0 to Milan, he packed his bags and took a flight to Madrid. On his return to the Nou Camp, he put on a masterclass that inspired Madrid to a 5-0 win.
Want more proof as to how important he was?
Barcelona were champions of Spain 93/94 (and the three years preceding when he was there). Real Madrid were crowned champions of Spain in 94/95, the year he joined them.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo: REAL MADRID vs Manchester United
Having agitated for a move to Real Madrid for more than a year at United (in which he played at his peak for just about the last three months only) he got his dream move in 2009. Despite the soap opera drama of that last season, Ronaldo, Ferguson and United had shared a love story that started from the first time Old Trafford saw a glimpse of that world-beating talent. They fell in love as Ronaldo morphed his way to become one of the world’s two greatest players and it was always going to be emotional if and when United drew Real Madrid in the Champions League, and that finally happened in 2012/13.
United pulled off a commendable 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu; Ronaldo, of course, scoring the goal for Los Blancos – a trademark thumping header where he rose high above Patrice Evra … it’s a picture that speaks louder than any words ever could. United harboured a very real chance of going through, but trust the man they had sold three odd years ago to shatter that dream. He raced onto a Higuain cross and slid a cool finish in. Madrid would go on to win the match 2-1, and with it the tie 3-2.
Ronaldo had come ‘home’ and thrown United out of the Champions League.
2. Mo Johnstone RANGERS vs Celtic
Maurice John Giblin "Mo" Johnston is in the history books more for his religion than his football. Only the second player to have played for both Celtic and Rangers since World War II, his move to Rangers in 1989 also made him the highest profile Catholic to turn out in Glasgewian blue. Hated passionately by both sets of fans – the old nes for ‘kniving them in the back’ and the new onse for his denomination – he did however come back to Parkhead to rub their noses in.
Already trailing by a margin to Rangers in the Premiership, the first ‘Old Firm’ since Johnstone’s move was a matter of great prestige for the men clad in green and white. Except Johnstone chose this particular movement to endear himself to the Rangers faithful. Latching onto a hashed clearance just outside the box, he set himself with a lovely touch before hammering a shot low into the corner of the goal. Everyone clad in blue exploded, and they fell in love with him – almost as much for his wild celebration as for the lone goal in the game. He had just won them the bragging rights in one of the greatest grudge derbies on the planet.
1. Fernando Morientes MONACO vs Real Madrid
Starting from 1997, Fernando Morientes played 182 times for Real Madrid forming a brilliant, near-telepathic relationship with Raul as he became a striker who struck fear in the hearts of defences across Spain and Europe. By the end of 2002-03, though, Ronaldo had pitched his tent at Madrid, and Fernando was slowly being shown the door. After portracted negotiations failed, he was eventually loaned out to Monaco.
So when Madrid drew Monaco in the quarterfinals, it was always going to be tasty. Although Madrid won the first leg at the Bernabeu 4-2, Morientes scored... one of two crucial away goals. In the return leg, Real Madrid raced into a 1-0 lead thanks to Raul, but after Morientes set up Ludovic Giuly for the equaliser, it was all Monaco. Three minutes into the second half, Patrice Evra bombed down the left flank and flung in a ball at the far post. Showcasing his immense threat in the air had lost none of its sharpness, Morientes rose high above his marker and arced in a lovely header in to Iker Casillas’ far corner. Giuly then sealed the win with a third. This meant that, although, the match had ended 5-5 on aggregate, Monaco went through on away goals.
Fernando Morientes, scorer of 82 goals for Madrid and a recent outcast, the man who smashed in the proverbial nail in Madrid’s Champions League coffin.
Karma, you see...
