10 Footballers Who Returned To Their Former Clubs For Inflated Prices

6. Gerard Pique - Barcelona

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Gerard Pique naturally began his career at Barcelona's youth academy in 1997 and started out as a defensive midfielder. However, before he signed his first contract at the club, he decided to join Manchester United in 2004, while the Premier League giants did not have to pay a fee as Pique was too young to have a professional contract. The Spain international spent four years at United, but struggled to break into the senior set-up and made just three league appearances before being loaned out to Real Zaragoza. He returned to Old Trafford in 2007 but left a year later to re-sign for Barcelona, who paid £5 million to bring their former stat 'back home' four years after seeing him leave for nothing. Pique has gone on to be a mainstay at Barcelona, winning La Liga four times and the Champions League twice, being named in the UEFA Team of the Year three times. Barcelona may resent they had to go £5 million out of pocket to bring him back, but selling Pique back to Spain is considered one of Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest mistakes.