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In the sports world, the term "retirement" should be taken with a grain of salt. Brett Favre retired twice before he made good on his word in 2010. Michael Phelps said in 2012 that he was done with competitive swimming. And, just this summer, demi-god Lionel Messi said he was retiring from Argentina's national team after a heartbreaking loss at Copa America (he's back with the team, duh).
So it's only mildly surprising to hear that Landon Donovan, regarded as the U.S.'s greatest soccer player, is coming out of retirement to play for the L.A. Galaxy, where he'd spent 10 seasons. He'd officially announced his retirement just two years ago.
According to the L.A. Times, sources say that he could formally rejoin the team as early as this Thursday. The deal is expected to go through before Major League Soccer's roster deadlines go into effect on September 15 (the deadline is meant to finalize rosters before the playoffs begin).
Donovan, now 34, is no stranger to walking away from the game (and making a subsequent return). In 2012, he took a four-month sabbatical from soccer. It's rumored that this decision annoyed Jurgen Klinsmann, who coaches the U.S. men's national team, and that it may have influenced Klinsmann's decision to leave Donovan off the roster for the 2014 World Cup. Donovan later revealed that he was battling depression during his leave from soccer.
Donovan is the all-time record holder for both goals and assists for the men's national team (he holds the same records in the MLS). He even has a MVP award in the MLS that's named after him.
As a player, he's noted for his speed, playmaking abilities, and his short-term memory:
