sport news When players go back, like Lukaku to Inter, it doesn't always work: Drogba, ... trends now
Romelu Lukaku's loan move to Inter Milan has not only seen him end his Chelsea nightmare but also heralds the 29-year-old Belgian striker returning to one of his former clubs.
It comes just one year after Chelsea signed him for £97.5m, marking a return to Stamford Bridge for Lukaku after an initial spell between 2011 and 2014.
However, a frustrating year for the Belgian at Thomas Tuchel's Blues has left him seeking his return to Inter, who he initially played for with much greater success between 2019 and 2021.
As Lukaku himself comes off his own poor return to a former club, here are some examples of players unsuccessfully heading back to their former grounds - and those who matched their former glories.
Romelu Lukaku has confirmed a season loan from Chelsea back to his former club Inter Milan
Sportsmail looks back at those who have returned to former club after Lukaku's loan move
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Ronaldo's second stint at Manchester United, confirmed last summer, came 12 years after he first left the Red Devils in an £80m switch.
However, the Portuguese forward's return on a two-year deal has not been straightforward, and the club's poor form, finishing sixth last season, means the team needs a major rebuild.
He still managed to score 18 goals in 30 appearances during the 2021-22 season, but Ronaldo's high standards and previous achievements with Real Madrid and Juventus mean it has been a below-par experience.
Whilst he could still transform the red side of Manchester in the remaining 12 months of his deal, so far, it has been nowhere near his initial six years at United from 2003 to 2009, a period which saw the club win three Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League final among other honours.
Moreover, he may not see out the remaining year after informing the club he wants to leave the club to play in the Champions League next season.
RETURN: 5/10... so far
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 18 goals last season for an underachieving Manchester United
WAYNE ROONEY
Rooney became an Everton legend when he scored his screamer against Arsenal in 2002 five days before his 17th birthday, marking him as a name Clive Tyldesley wouldn't let us forget.
The England striker left in 2004 for thirteen successful years at Manchester United, before honouring wide speculation and returning to his boyhood club on a two-year deal.
He was top scorer at Goodison Park in the 2017-18 season, scoring 10 goals across 31 games for the Toffees, before choosing to leave the club to play in the MLS with DC United.
It perhaps wasn't the finest of returns for England's all-time leading male goalscorer, but he still managed to nab his 200th Premier League goal back in the team that started it all off many years previously.
RETURN: 6/10
Wayne Rooney's spell at Everton was not the same after returning to Everton in 2017-18
DIDIER DROGBA
Drogba rose through the Chelsea team from his debut in 2004 to securing his place as a Blues legend, scoring the crucial penalty to secure their debut Champions League trophy win in 2012.
He left that summer to Shanghai Shenhua, and then Galatasary, before coming back to Stamford Bridge in 2014 on a free transfer.
With Chelsea back under Jose Mourinho by this point, they forged allegiances again to help Chelsea to win the league and FA Cup double in 2015, as Drogba also rose to more than 350 appearances for the west London side.
Drogba moved to North America in the summer of 2015, after proving that sometimes a return to a former club can be just as successful as your initial stay.
RETURN: 9/10
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba won the league and cup double on his return to Stamford Bridge
PAUL POGBA
Pogba made seven first-team appearances for Manchester United in his first spell for the club between 2009 and 2012, before leaving aged just 19.
While at Juventus, the French ace became one of the world's best midfielders, which encouraged United to buy him back for a then-world record fee of £89m.
However, on his return, he had a patchy run of form, and was continually linked with moves away from Old Trafford after failing to win over the critics.
In the 2021-22 season, he scored just one goal, in a 1-1 draw with Burnley in February, and in June, the club announced he was
