Thought they’d disappeared N’Golo Kanté, Vida and Perišić return to the spotlight

10 forgotten footballers who will be back in the Champions League spotlight

The Champions League is the stage on which the biggest stars in world football shine. Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are among the players hoping to lift the trophy in 2027.

However, the competition also throws up some far more surprising names. During the opening rounds, players who many supporters believed had retired or had no chance of returning to the highest level of European football will once again take to the pitch.

Former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton and West Ham United players will have another opportunity to hear the Champions League anthem. Some have returned to Europe following spells further afield, others have unexpectedly extended their careers, while several have been revitalised at clubs where few expected them to end up.

Domagoj Vida is still going strong at 37

Domagoj Vida was one of the most distinctive characters of Croatia’s golden generation. With his unmistakable style and a look reminiscent of a character from “Game of Thrones”, the centre-back became instantly recognisable to European football fans.

His absence from Croatia’s squad for the 2026 World Cup led many to assume that he had quietly ended his career. In reality, Vida is still playing at the age of 37 and has surpassed 100 appearances for AEK Athens, having joined the club in the summer of 2022.

His career took him to Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv and Beşiktaş before he moved to Greece. All four clubs have competed in the Champions League, meaning the Croatian defender is accustomed to European nights in which his team enter as underdogs.

AEK Athens have another unexpected name in their squad. Luka Jović, the striker who failed to fulfil expectations at Real Madrid, will be tasked with leading the Greek side’s attack.

N’Golo Kanté has returned from Saudi Arabia

A move to the Saudi Pro League no longer represents a one-way ticket for European footballers. Jordan Henderson, Gabri Veiga and Aymeric Laporte have shown that a spell in the Gulf can be followed by a career revival back in Europe.

N’Golo Kanté’s situation seemed different. The World Cup winner left Chelsea for Al-Ittihad in 2023, when he was already entering the later stages of his career. The Frenchman had won almost every major trophy and seemingly had few significant objectives left to pursue in European club football.

Kanté proved those expectations wrong. The midfielder returned to Europe in January, joined Fenerbahçe and even forced his way back into Didier Deschamps’ plans for the 2026 World Cup.

The Istanbul club’s squad is packed with famous names. Ederson, Nathan Aké, Milan Škriniar, Nélson Semedo, Marco Asensio and Romelu Lukaku are among the stars assembled by Fenerbahçe. The Turkish side now boasts an extraordinary collection of established players from Europe’s major leagues.

Mario Lemina returns to the Champions League with Galatasaray

Galatasaray are not allowing their great Istanbul rivals to have things all their own way when it comes to signing players with extensive international experience.

İlkay Gündoğan, Leroy Sané, Rafael Leão, Lucas Torreira and Victor Osimhen are the Turkish champions’ leading stars. Mario Lemina, well known to Premier League followers from his spells with Southampton and Wolverhampton, shares the same dressing room.

The Gabonese midfielder is renowned for his aggression, combative style and the large number of yellow cards he has accumulated throughout his career. This is not Lemina’s first experience with Galatasaray. He also played at Rams Park during the 2019-20 season, when he was on loan from Southampton.

Saša Kalajdžić is rebuilding his career at LASK

Standing at 2.01 metres, Saša Kalajdžić is impossible to miss on a football pitch. His performances in the Premier League, however, were considerably less impressive than his imposing stature.

The Austrian striker scored only two goals in 13 appearances for Wolverhampton and spent four years on the English club’s books. Injuries and a lack of regular playing time prevented him from establishing himself at Wolves.

His permanent departure came this summer, when Kalajdžić signed for LASK. He had already represented the Austrian side on loan and played his part in their domestic double-winning campaign.

LASK faced AEK Athens in the opening round of the competition. The battle between the towering Kalajdžić and Domagoj Vida looked as though it had been transported directly from Westeros.

Florian Thauvin has been revitalised in France

Florian Thauvin has followed one of the most unusual career paths of any player appearing in this season’s Champions League.

The Frenchman impressed during two separate spells with Marseille, either side of an underwhelming period at Newcastle United. He then moved to Mexico, where he spent two years with Tigres UANL, before returning to Europe and becoming a fan favourite at Udinese.

His transfer to Lens last summer gave him an opportunity to revive his career in his homeland. Thauvin played an important role for a team that challenged Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title.

His performances made a strong case for his inclusion in France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, but Didier Deschamps ultimately decided not to select him.

Now 33, the winger has made an excellent start to the new campaign, scoring three goals in his first three appearances for Lens. The French club will face Slavia Prague, Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge, Como and RB Leipzig in their opening European fixtures. Much more difficult tests against Liverpool and Manchester City will follow after Christmas.

Nabil Bentaleb returned to football after a heart attack

Tottenham’s attempts to replace Gareth Bale following his move to Real Madrid are often summed up by the claim that the London club “sold Elvis and bought the Beatles”.

Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli, Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Étienne Capoue and Vlad Chiricheș have since retired. Christian Eriksen, the last of that group still playing, is approaching the end of his career and currently represents Wolfsburg in the German second tier.

Nabil Bentaleb is sometimes mistakenly associated with those signings, although he was not one of the players bought following Bale’s departure. The Algerian midfielder came through Tottenham’s academy and broke into the first team during the same period.

Bentaleb is still only 31 and has overcome a life-threatening ordeal. Like Eriksen, he managed to return to the pitch after suffering a heart attack.

The Algerian is now in his fourth season with Lille and will compete in the Champions League for a second successive season. His team-mates include Ethan Mbappé, Kylian Mbappé’s younger brother, former Southampton left-back Romain Perraud and veteran striker Olivier Giroud, who is now 39.

Kevin Wimmer has found stability in Slovakia

Kevin Wimmer’s presence in the Champions League brings back memories of Tottenham’s mid-2010s team.

The Austrian centre-back spent much of his career moving between clubs without ever becoming an undisputed starter in one of Europe’s major leagues.

Wimmer remained on Stoke City’s books for four years, during which he had loan spells with Hannover, Mouscron and Karlsruher SC. None of those loan spells proved particularly memorable, and the defender eventually returned to Austria to play for Rapid Vienna.

Stability finally arrived following his transfer to Slovan Bratislava. In his three years with the Slovakian capital club, Wimmer has won three domestic league titles and earned the opportunity to return to the Champions League stage.

Ivan Perišić continues to win trophies with PSV Eindhoven

Ivan Perišić appeared to be approaching retirement when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian international was already regarded as a seasoned veteran, but four years have passed since then and he continues to perform at a high level.

His time in England was disrupted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. A return to Hajduk Split, the club where he developed as a youngster, looked set to provide the final chapter of an impressive career.

However, his spell in Croatia ended much sooner than expected. His contract was terminated by mutual consent before Perišić was handed an unexpected opportunity at PSV Eindhoven.

The move to the Netherlands revitalised his career. Playing in Peter Bosz’s attacking side, the Croatian won two consecutive Eredivisie titles. Perišić is now preparing for another Champions League campaign and continues to impress with his longevity and consistency.

André Silva has returned to his boyhood club

Last season, Jan Bednarek was one of the biggest “what are you doing here?” surprises in European competition. The former Southampton defender represented Porto in the Europa League and became an important member of the team.

The Polish centre-back put his difficult spell in the Premier League behind him and produced some excellent performances during Porto’s Primeira Liga title-winning campaign. His presence in the Portuguese club’s squad is therefore no longer particularly surprising.

André Silva’s situation is different. The Portuguese striker has represented numerous clubs across Europe and has now returned to the team where his career began.

His final stop before returning to the Estádio do Dragão was Elche, a side involved in a battle against relegation from La Liga. Following an unremarkable spell in Spain, André Silva will once again have the opportunity to compete in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

Wout Faes is another unexpected presence on the European stage. The Belgian defender spent time on loan at Monaco, adding another surprising name to the cast of players appearing in European competition.

Pablo Fornals is part of an extraordinary Real Betis squad

Manuel Pellegrini has assembled one of the most interesting and unusual squads in European football at Real Betis.

Republic of Ireland hero Troy Parrott has joined a group featuring Antony, the player dubbed the roulette king because of his famous skill move. Marc Roca, Diego Llorente and Junior Firpo, three of Leeds United’s questionable signings from the Marcelo Bielsa era, are also at the Chilean coach’s disposal.

The squad also includes Héctor Bellerín, known both for his social activism and his commitment to environmental causes.

Among all these characters is Pablo Fornals, the former West Ham United fan favourite. The Spanish midfielder, known for his cheerful personality, will have the opportunity to return to the Champions League stage as part of one of the season’s most colourful teams.