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#3 Paolo Maldini
The Italian centre-half is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the game's history and a footballing legend in every sense of the word.
At the tender age of 17, Paolo Maldini signed up for AC Milan's youth side and rapidly worked his way up the ranks to register an incredible tally of 902 appearances for the Rossoneri. Maldini was like an immovable force in Milan's backline and formed one of world football's most lethal defensive partnerships along with another long-time servant of the club, Franco Baresi.
In an illustrious 25-year spell with his boyhood club, Maldini won twenty-six trophies, including three Champions League trophies, two European Champion Clubs' Cup titles, seven Serie A titles, four UEFA SuperCup's, five Italian Super Cup's and a FIFA Club World Cup title, to name just a few.
Nicknamed "Il Capitano" by the fans, it was almost impossible to get past Paolo Maldini, as his positioning and defensive acumen were second to none. The Italian was also effective on the other side of the pitch, with 33 career goals for the Rossoneri.
#2 Francesco Totti
Next up, we have one of football's most legendary one-club men, Francesco Totti, who spent the length of his 25-year-long professional career at AS Roma.
The Italian is the club's most capped player with 786 appearances under his belt, resulting in a stellar tally of 307 goals. Totti is also AS Roma's leading goalscorer to date and has played in the joint-most Serie A seasons (25), along with Paolo Maldini. The former AS Roma manager proved to be one of the most loyal footballers in the history of the game, having rejected offers from some of world football's biggest clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United. Totti was at the peak of his powers in the 2006/07 season, where he notched up 32 goals and 15 assists for the season. After winning the Serie A Golden Boot and European Golden Boot that season, Totti had the option of leaving for the traditionally "bigger" European clubs. Still, he remained loyal to his boyhood love.
As Totti explained, "I had everything I wanted: love and passion were more important to me than winning trophies elsewhere. I put Roma ahead of myself, personal issues and a private life. Roma was everything."
"Il Gladiatore" fulfilled his dream of lifting a Scudetto in the 2000-01 season and would also go on to lift two Coppa Italia's and two Italian SuperCup's.
#1 Lionel Messi
Barcelona's greatest player of the 21st century has also been one of their most loyal servants over the years and is rumored to be keen to sign a new contract to extend his 21-year stay at Camp Nou.
Reports suggest that Lionel Messi is willing to take a 50% pay cut to ease some of the pressure on the financially-strapped Barcelona administration. Another spell at the club will only consolidate Leo Messi's stature amongst the Blaugrana faithful and the general footballing populace as a whole. Like most relationships, this one experienced several periods of the highest of highs and some severe lows.
Messi became just the second player to register 700 appearances for Barcelona and is currently the record holder for most appearances (778) in the famous blue and garnet of the Blaugrana. In his time at Camp Nou, Lionel Messi has won every major trophy he has competed for at club level, including ten La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies, seven Copa del Rey's, three Club World Cup's and eight Spanish Super Cup's, to name just a few. The Argentine maestro also played an indispensable role in European football's first-ever sextuple-winning side under Pep Guardiola.
"La Pulga" also holds the distinction of being the highest goalscorer in Barcelona's history, with an incredible tally of 672 goals and 288 assists. Messi has also won six Ballon d'Or accolades, along with an Olympic gold medal and the 2020-21 Copa America during his time at Camp Nou.
