The Revenants: A History Of Ligue 1's returnees

With the likes of Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud returning to French football after lengthy spells away, we look back at some of the other players to have made this journey.

While dozens of players have made leaps abroad and returned to Ligue 1 McDonald's to varying degrees of success, our focus here is on French players in particular -- keeping with the nationalities of the two new arrivals.

Jean-Pierre Papin

A prolific goalscorer for Olympique de Marseille in a spell that saw l'OM come runners-up in the Champions League and win an armful of domestic titles, Papin would depart for AC Milan in the summer of 1992, but it was actually his second departure from the French top flight, having been bought by Belgian side Club Brugge from Valenciennes for the 1985-6 season. Back in France, Papin became a sensation at Marseille, but was less successful on an individual level abroad. After a decent first season in Milan, he struggled in his second, and after an uneven two years with Bayern Munich, he returned to France with Bordeaux, scoring thirty goals across two seasons as Les Girondins reached two Coupe de la Ligue finals.

Bixente Lizarazu

While Papin had a modicum of success with Bordeaux on his retutn, that was scarcely the case for Lizarazu when returning to France. Upon his departure from the southwestern giants, where he had made his name, he played a middling campaign in Spain with Athletic Bilbao before joining Bayern Munich. In seven seasons in Bavaria, he won six Bundesliga titles and the Champions League, but a half-season in Marseille in 2004 proved disappointing and he returned to Bayern, retiring just 18 months later.

Ludovic Giuly

A player whose love of the game was internationally renowned, Giuly was never a true superstar, having had to battle with the likes of Franck Ribery and Sidney Govou for playing time internationally, but he was emblematic of playing with his whole heart. After debuting at Lyon, he was a fixture at Monaco for half a decade, helping the Principality side reach the Champions League final and win a league title. The bright lights of Barcelona beckoned in 2004, and Giuly played three seasons in Spain, as well as one with Roma before a further five seasons in French football with PSG, Monaco and Lorient. Playing until the age of 40, Giuly's second spell in France was limited by his age, but he was still capable of moments of magic.

Claude Makelélé

After an impressive spell with FC Nantes, Makelélé spent a single season with Marseille before becoming one of the world's best midfielders. Initially in Spain with Celta Vigo, the hard-running Makelélé made his name with Real Madrid before eventually enjoying a fruitful spell with Chelsea in England. Back in France for three seasons with PSG to end his career, he added a calming voice to the locker room and helped Les Parisiens to the 2010 Coupe de France.

Patrice Evra

Known as "Ton-ton Pat." the veteran Evra, having emerged with AS Monaco as well, was brought to Marseille as stabilizing influence for a young team, having reached the heights of the game with Manchester United and Juventus. However, after kicking a fan, his contract was terminated, his career all but over.

Ousmane Dembélé

Last but not least is Ousmane Dembélé. Currently enjoying a record-breaking season with Paris Saint-Germain, he came through the academy at Stade Rennais, and a strong season there saw him up sticks to Borussia Dortmund, where after a single season he made the leap to Barcelona. Having endured an up-and-down spell there, he has been a revelation since returning to France, thriving as the focal point of Luis Enrique's attack, showing that yes, you can go home again.

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