Source: Daily_Mail
THE LIST: Sportsmail's 50 most memorable sporting comebacks - Nos 50-41
HAVE YOUR SAY... Which star made the best comeback - and who shouldn't have bothered? Always leave them wanting more, so they say. To coincide with Michael Schumacher's return to F1, The List presents our 50 favourite comebacks, be they good or bad. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Always leave them wanting more was Walt Disney's old adage. But in sport as in showbusiness, some performers just can't help themselves.[LNB]Michael Schumacher hung up his racesuit at the end of the 2006 season, bowing out of Formula One as a seven-time motorsport legend.[LNB]But it wasn't enough of a legacy to keep him off the track for good. The 41-year-old is relishing a return for Mercedes and it remains to be seen whether it will be a heroic return, or one to sully his great reputation.[LNB]To mark the occasion, Sportsmail celebrates our favourite comebacks, be they good or bad.[LNB]As always, we reveal 10 each day through the week till our No 1 is revealed on Friday.[LNB]And we want you to get involved and have your say.[LNB] 50 Chris Lewis The perfect example of an ill-judged comeback. Last season, before he was banged up for drugs possession, cricketerChris Lewis came out of retirement to play for Surrey in their Twenty20Cup campaign. [LNB]The ex-England and Surrey player had originally bowed out of thegame in 2000 but was lured back following some decent displays in amasters tournament. [LNB]His comeback was short and unsuccessful as hemanaged only one Twenty20 match in which he took no wickets.[LNB] Hairy return: Chris Lewis (left) and Mark Spitz[LNB]49 Mark SpitzAfter winning seven gold medals and breaking the same number of world records at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Spitz shocked the world by announcing his retirement from swimming at the age of 22. [LNB]In 1992 Spitz briefly and unsuccessfully came out of retirement. At the age of 41he competed for a place on the US swimming team for the Barcelona Olympics but was two seconds slower than the requisite qualifying time at the Olympic trails.[LNB]Legend: Jonah Lomu[LNB]48 Jonah LomuAt the end of 1995, Lomu was diagnosed with a serious kidneydisorder. After a kidney transplant in 2004 Lomu started workingtowards a comeback for 2005. He made a promising return to rugby whenhe played in Martin Johnson's testimonial match. [LNB]In this match,however, he badly injured his shoulder. The injury was so that he wasunable really to get his career going again and suffered several falsestarts before retiring in 2007.[LNB]47 Jim PalmerAfter being released by Baltimore in 1984 Palmer retired frombaseball. In 1991, Palmer attempted a comeback with the Orioles. Aftergiving up five hits and two runs in two innings of a spring traininggame, he retired permanently. [LNB] [LNB]46 Bjorn BorgIn January 1983, Bjorn Borg (left), one of the greats of tennis having won 11 grand slam titles, retired at age of 26. [LNB]In 1991 he began his embarrassing comeback. Still using a horribly outdated wooden racquet, he failed to win a single match in 12 attempts before finally giving up in 1993.[LNB] [LNB]45 Colin CowdreyAn English cricketing legend, Cowdrey hadn't played a test for over three years when he was called up for the Ashes series of 1974-5 at the age of 41. However he had a dismal series only averaging 18.33.[LNB]44 PeleArguably the greatest ever footballer retired after the 1972 season.Two years later, he returned to sign with the NewYork Cosmos of the North American Soccer League for the 1975 season. [LNB]Hemay have not been the player he once was but he should be credited withsignificantly increasing public awareness and interest in soccer in theUnited States.[LNB] Mixed fortunes: Pele (left) and tennis great John McEnroe[LNB]43 John McEnroeIn 1986 McEnroe took six months off the tour, saying that the pressure of the top of the game had taken their toll on him. When he returned to the tour later in 1986, despite winning three titles McEnroe never seemed to be able to recapture his very best form.[LNB]In 1987, McEnroe failed to win a title for the first time since turning pro and his career looked to be petering out before he beat champion Boris Becker en route to the last eight of the 1992 Australian Open and then reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in the same year before losing to eventual winner Andre Agassi and retiring a few months later. [LNB]42 Martina HingisIn 2003, at the age of 22, having won five Grand Slam titles, Hingis announced her retirement from tennis. [LNB]She made her return to the WTA tour in 2006 and rose up to No 6 in the rankings before retiring in November of the next year after being banned for two years after testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon.[LNB] Will we see you again? Martina Hingis (left) and Kevin Keegan[LNB]41 Kevin KeeganAfter mixed success at Newcastle, England and Manchester City, Keegan announced his retirement from football in 2005. He then returned unexpectedly in 2008 to manage the Magpies again to a hero's welcome. His reign started terribly as he failed to win any of his first eight matches. [LNB]A decent run at the end of the season brought Newcastle to a 12th place finish. Early in the next season Keegan resigned from his post, mainly because of differences with club owner Mike Ashley. He has not been seen in management since.[LNB]Keegan's first memorable comeback had seen him save Newcastle from relegation to the third tier, returning as manager in 1992 eight years after retiring as a player with the club. His first St James' Park exit was in 1997 and was an unexpected as his arrival in the first place.[LNB]The best of the rest of The ListSportsmail's top 50 Premier League players of the decadeSportsmail's top 50 last-gasp goals in British footballSportsmail's top 50 footballers never to play at the World CupSportsmail's top 50 sporting feuds of all timeSportsmail's 50 great sports photographsSportsmail's top 50 commentators of all timeSportsmail's top 50 sporting venuesSportsmail's top 50 performers of the season so farSportsmail's top 50 all-time managers in BritainSportsmail's top 50 goal poachersSportsmail's top 50 footballing traitorsSportsmail's top 50 FA Cup heroesSportsmail's greatest Wembley finals in historySportsmail's top 50 biggest hitters in cricketSportsmail's top 50 British & Irish LionsSportsmail's top 50 Ashes heroes[LNB] [LNB]
