Lauda, Jordan, Brady
Legendary comebacks: when the end is difficult
When athletes announce their retirement, a healthy dose of skepticism is in order. After all, many of the greatest of all time did not last long in retirement and returned. Others remained active without interruption until they reached biblical sporting age, thereby inflicting a few scratches on their image. Retiring at the peak is obviously difficult. This is also currently being demonstrated by top skier Marcel Hirscher, who wants to return five years after his retirement.
Eight-time overall World Cup winner Hirscher described his motivation as simply wanting to race "every now and then" because he enjoys it. "I retired five years ago and am now 35 years old - you have to classify my idea accordingly," he emphasized. However, anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the Salzburg native's ambition can guess that the desire for further success is probably behind it all.
Michael Jordan returned twice
Of course, there is no universally accepted optimum time to bid farewell to a successful sporting career. One of the most fickle athletes in this respect was Michael Jordan. The best basketball player in history for many said goodbye twice at the height of his career - but both times not permanently.
After winning his first three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, "His Airness" took his hat off in 1993 and tried his hand at baseball. He was spurred on by the recent murder of his father, who had wanted to see Michael become a professional baseball player. After his comeback in 1995, the "head bull" presented Chicago with a further three titles and retired again in 1998. From 2001 to 2003, when he celebrated his 40th birthday, he played once again for the Washington Wizards.
Michael Schumacher retired from Formula 1 in October 2006. On July 29, 2009, he announced his comeback for Ferrari, which initially only failed due to a doctor's veto. On December 22, 2009, however, a contract was finally signed with the then new Mercedes works team. The German drove for three more seasons, but only managed to finish third on the podium once more. Nevertheless, he is regarded as the midwife of the series champion from 2014 to 2021.
Legendary comeback from Lauda
The comeback of the late Niki Lauda is also legendary in Formula 1. In 1979, the Viennese driver retired during the Grand Prix weekend in Montreal. "Why should I drive in circles with the others like a fool?" he asked. Just three years later, he had found the desire again. McLaren brought him out of early retirement, and it paid off: in 1984, Lauda took the World Championship crown for a third time.
Annemarie Moser-Pröll retired from the Ski World Cup in 1975 at the age of 22, returning a year later and winning Olympic gold in 1980. Thomas Muster originally wanted to play his last match on the ATP Tour in 1999, but then returned to the tournament in the Wiener Stadthalle in 2010 and 2011. Other tennis stars such as Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Martina Hingis also returned several times and played well into their 40s. Martina Navratilova even won the mixed competition at the US Open in 2006 just a few weeks before her 50th birthday.
Brady only lasted a month and a half
Football superstar Tom Brady could only let go for a month and a half before announcing his comeback in 2022. By then, he had already celebrated seven Super Bowl victories. After another season, it was over again - but rumors are currently doing the rounds that Brady (46) could come back once more. His former teammate Rob Gronkowski retired from the hamster wheel of sport in 2019 at the age of 30 and returned a year later - alongside Brady. He won the title once again with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ski jumper Janne Ahonen seamlessly joins this ranks. After announcing the end of his active career in March 2008, the Finn made three comebacks between then and 2017. Comebacks are also omnipresent in boxing: Muhammad Ali ended his career in 1978 with a successful rematch against Leon Spinks, but came back a second time in 1980 and lost two fights outright. George Foreman returned to the ring at the age of 45 and became the oldest heavyweight world champion. Evander Holyfield has made no fewer than five comebacks.
Kasai still active at 51
But even without an interim retirement, some just can't get enough. Ice hockey legend Jaromir Jagr is still chasing the puck in the Czech Republic's top league at 52, while "flying dinosaur" Noriaki Kasai from Japan is still soaring over the jumps at 51. In soccer, England's Sir Stanley Matthews set a milestone in terms of stamina by playing until shortly after his 50th birthday.
A counter-example is double Olympic champion Petra Kronberger, who actually retired permanently from active skiing at the age of 23. Tennis icon Steffi Graf drew the line at the age of 30. At the age of 31, Nico Rosberg became Formula 1 World Champion for the first time and declared his career over five days later in Vienna.
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