Ex-Newcastle and France star returns to football seven years after his last game
He's done the seemingly impossible.
A former Newcastle United flop has returned to football seven years after his last game.
Everyone loves a good comeback story in football, whether it be a star scoring a key goal after a lengthy injury lay-off or a player returning to their childhood club after years away.
There are few examples of players taking prolonged breaks from the game though - until now.
Former Newcastle man Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has signed for a new club a whopping seven years after he played his last game.
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The French defender arrived on Tyneside in a £7 million move in 2013, joining Alan Pardew's side after rising through the ranks at Montpellier.
His spell at St James' Park wasn't particularly successful though, and 18 months later he joined Roma on loan before joining the Serie A side on a permanent basis.
Yanga-Mbiwa made 37 Premier League appearances for for the Magpies and 22 Serie A starts for Roma before he returned to France when he joined Lyon in 2015.
Over 5 years at Lyon the France international featured in 72 games, before his contract was terminated in 2020 after three years without making an appearance.
Seven years on from his last game - a 4-1 French cup defeat to his first club Montpellier in December 2017 - Yanga-Mbiwa is making an unexpected return to the pitch.
The now 34-year-old has signed for FC Istres who play in the Championnat National 3, Groupe A, the regionalised fifth tier of French football.
The team - based near Marseille in Southern France - are currently top of their division after collecting 29 points from their opening 13 games of the season.
Yanga-Mbiwa made his debut for Istres in a 2-0 win over Lucciana, giving his new side a four point lead over Montpellier B at the top of the table.
Topics: Newcastle United, Premier League, Lyon, AS Roma, Ligue 1
Alex Brotherton