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Five players who returned to Borussia Dortmund after leaving

By Tushar Bahl

Dortmund's midfielder Mario Goetze (R) celebrates scoring with Dortmund's Japanese forward Shinji Kagawa during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Wolfsburg in the western German city of Dortmund on November 5, 2011. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ +++ RESTRICTIONS / EMBARGO - DFL LIMITS THE USE OF IMAGES ON THE INTERNET TO 15 PICTURES (NO VIDEO-LIKE SEQUENCES) DURING THE MATCH AND PROHIBITS MOBILE (MMS) USE DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFL. (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Dortmund's midfielder Mario Goetze (R) celebrates scoring with Dortmund's Japanese forward Shinji Kagawa during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Wolfsburg in the western German city of Dortmund on November 5, 2011. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ +++ RESTRICTIONS / EMBARGO - DFL LIMITS THE USE OF IMAGES ON THE INTERNET TO 15 PICTURES (NO VIDEO-LIKE SEQUENCES) DURING THE MATCH AND PROHIBITS MOBILE (MMS) USE DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFL. (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images) /
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As Borussia Dortmund prepare for the stunning return of Mats Hummels, we take a look at five other players who left the Black and Yellows before returning a few years later.

MUNICH, GERMANY – DECEMBER 01: Mario Goetze of Dortmund in action during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on December 1, 2012 in Munich, Germany (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – DECEMBER 01: Mario Goetze of Dortmund in action during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on December 1, 2012 in Munich, Germany (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Mario Götze

When you think of players who left Borussia Dortmund before returning, Mario Götze’s name immediately comes to mind. The Borussia Dortmund youth academy product left the club to join Bayern Munich amid a lot of controversy after the Bavarians activated his release clause of 37 million euros, just 36 hours before the Champions League semi-finals.

Götze claimed that his desire to play under Pep Guardiola was behind the move. But unfortunately, the playmaker was badly affected by his manager’s constant experimenting and shifting players around. He then suffered an injury, and by the time he returned, Bayern had already bought a number of new midfielders. So Götze spent more and more time on the bench, and things got even worse when Carlo Ancelloti took charge and had no intention of playing him.

So Götze decided to return to Borussia Dortmund and stated that he regretted his decision to join Bayern in the first place. While illness and injuries prevented him from making much of an impact in his first two campaigns, Götze showed his quality and won fans over with his performances this season. Now he is once again a fan favorite and an important part of the squad. And fans will be hoping that his second stint with the club is much longer than his first.

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