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Glorious homecomings

Thierry Henry scored on his return to Arsenal © PA Photos

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• Profile: Novak Djokovic | Cesc Fabregas

Call it a fairytale, call it destiny, but it was almost inevitable that Thierry Henry would score the winner for Arsenal on his return to Emirates Stadium. Arsenal's record goalscorer sent Gunners fans into raptures with his late winner against Leeds to send Arsenal through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. We take a look at some other sports stars who enjoyed glorious homecomings.

Cesc Fabregas
After six trophyless years at Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas returned to boyhood club Barcelona. Joining a team widely regarded to be one of the best sides of all time, featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Fabregas won silverware twice in his first two games for Barcelona, winning the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid on his debut, before scoring his first goal in a 2-0 win against Porto as Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup.

Novak Djokovic
After a barnstorming start to 2011, winning the Australian Open before powering to titles in Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami, Djokovic returned to Belgrade to compete in his home event, the Serbia Open. Unbeaten in his last 26 matches, Djokovic thrilled his home fans as he powered past Adrian Ungur and Blaz Kavcic in the opening rounds. Spectators were denied an all-Serbian semi-final clash when Janko Tipsarevic pulled out with a muscle strain, but Djokovic claimed his fifth title of the year in style, beating Feliciano Lopez in the final.

Seve Ballesteros
In a career spanning more than three decades, Seve Ballesteros picked up 50 victories on the European Tour, but also triumphed on American soil. Nine months after picking up his first major at The Open, Ballesteros became the first European to win The Masters at Augusta. After becoming the youngest man to don the green jacket, Ballesteros returned home to Spain to compete in the Madrid Open, where he enjoyed a glorious homecoming, winning in front of his home fans.

Kevin Pietersen scored his first century in England colours in his native South Africa © Getty Images

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Kevin Pietersen
Returning to his native South Africa Kevin Pietersen enjoyed an ideal homecoming - although much to the annoyance of the home crowd. In front of a vociferous crowd, Pietersen scored his first century for England to salvage a tie for the tourists at Bloemfontein. After a slow start, Pietersen soon settled into his stride, hitting eight boundaries (including two sixes) as he scored an unbeaten 108 in 96 balls. On reaching three figures, Pietersen kissed his helmet in what was described as "the most passionate-looking ever witnessed on a cricket field".

Radike Samo
Seven years after he last played for Australia, Radike Samo earned a call up to the Wallabies squad after helping Queensland Reds win the 2011 Super Rugby competition, beating Crusaders 18-13 in the final on his 35th birthday. Starting in his first Test since 2004 against New Zealand in Brisbane, Samo showed astonishing pace to outrun Adam Thomson from his own half, running 60 metres to cross for Australia's second try - the Wallabies went on to win 25-20 to seal their first Tri-Nations title since 2001, while Samo's try was awarded International Rugby Players' Association try of the year.

Ian Rush
After seven successful years at Anfield, Ian Rush accepted a new challenge, signing for Italian giants Juventus. However, Rush failed to settle in Turin, and struggled to adapt to the Italian style of play, scoring just eight goals. After just one season at the Stadio Communale, Rush returned to Liverpool for a record £2.7 million. Forced to be content with a subs' role behind Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge, Rush cemented his place in Anfield folklore, coming off the bench to score twice as Liverpool beat rivals Everton 3-2 in a thrilling FA Cup final victory. He stayed with the club for another seven seasons, helping the Reds win their last league title in 1990 and becoming the Reds' record goalscorer with 346 goals.

Pete Sampras won his final professional tournament at the US Open © Getty Images

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Pete Sampras
Having failed to win a title all season, by 2002 Pete Sampras appeared to be coming to the end of his career. After disappointing results at Wimbledon and in the US Open warm-up tournaments, Sampras struggled past Greg Rusedski in the third round at Flushing Meadows - prompting the Brit to claim Sampras was "a step and a half slower" and predicted the American would lose in the fourth round. However, after seeing off Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick, Sampras beat Sjeng Schalken to reach his eighth US Open final, where he faced long-time rival Andre Agassi. After a four-set struggle, Sampras claimed his 14th grand slam title. Although he did not announce his retirement for another 12 months, it was the last professional match Sampras ever played.

Tom Brady
In 2010, New England quarterback Tom Brady returned to his native San Francisco to take on the Oakland Raiders. Playing in the Bay Area for the first time in nine years, Brady led the Patriots to a 31-19 victory in front of 62,572 fans. Early in the fourth quarter, Brady threw the 274th touchdown pass of his career, moving him to ninth on the NFL all-time list, one ahead of his childhood hero Joe Montana.

Michael Jordan
Widely regarded to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan stunned sports fans around the globe when he retired from the sport to pursue a career in baseball. However, in March 1995, 'His Airness' announced his comeback via a two-word press release: "I'm back". Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls reached the play-offs. In his first full season back, Jordan led Bulls to a dominant victory - leading the league with an average of more than 30 points per game, winning a clean sweep of the MVP awards in the regular season, All-Star Game and NBA finals.

South Africa
Hosting the Rugby World Cup for the first time post-apartheid South Africa united a nation as the Springboks denied New Zealand in Johannesburg' Ellis Park. As the Springboks devised a game plan to keep Jonah Lomu quiet, Joel Stransky's nerveless drop goal sealed the victory in extra-time. The image of South African president Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok jersey, presenting the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar is one of the most enduring images in sport.

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