5 legends who defined the clubs that they played for

As an ever-evolving sport, the major clubs always look up to a certain player to bring them out of their troubled times. Some players represent the club not just by wearing the jersey but by also representing the values and the legacy of these clubs.

Some clubs have been gifted with players that have played most of their career for the crest on the front of the jersey rather than the name at the back. Players with morals like the ones on this list are hard to come by for how they embody their respective clubs and are certainly synonymous with the club inside-out.

What these players did for their clubs, is hard to showcase by numbers. What they did on as-well-as off the field showed everyone why they are called legends.

We look at 5 such players who are living embodiments to their respective clubs.

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#5 Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona, 1998 to 2015)

Eagle-eyed vision, command, and precision at a level that he could thread a needle from 30 yards, Xavi Hernandez had it all.

At the peak of his powers, the Catalonia born midfield magician possessed so much elegance, vigour and grace, one felt he was always on the edge of producing something incredible, so there is no doubt his admirers are still, hopelessly looking out for more.

A reflection on his stay at the Camp Nou, though yearning in some regards, feels absolutely complete. At the end of the day, the mini master left the club of his life with so much more to showcase than just trophies, fame and money.

He has the never-ending love for a club that is rich in history and overflowing with pride. It is easy to understand just why.

Personifying their urge to play beautiful football with validity. He was not the flashiest of players at first sight, but it was his disposition to do the necessary job extremely well which held the team together.

He was a pillar for the team. It was always essential that the many great managers with illustrious careers which came and went had someone of his class to utilize. However, it was only Xavi, who could have done everything with the same level of success.

He was the glove that fit the team in the club's most successful era, but it’s not by chance that he did everything with such proficiency and it is not hard to believe he would have dazzled in any Barcelona team, past or future.

#4 Thierry Henry (Arsenal, 1999 to 2007, 2012)

Thierry Henry evolved into a deadly striker at the North-London club. He became a nightmare for the opposition defence as he tormented them and went on to score goals at will.

He rapidly went up the 'greatest at Arsenal' list, but he consolidated his stand right on top when he helped the then Highbury outfit to go through an undefeated season to deserve the name of “The Invincibles”, winning both the Premier League and the reputed Golden Boot award.

However, the legend of the Frenchman from Monaco isn’t about the cups and the championships that he won at Arsenal. He went beyond his boundaries to secure his status of a legend.

He is neither the best forward to don a pair of boots, nor is he the most skilful passer ever. Although he played as a No. 9, he was not even the best when it came to heading the ball, and a striker who cannot head the ball is not contemplated as a pure goal scorer. He was never compared to the great Brazillian, Pele or Diego Maradona or even his national teammate Zidane, yet Thierry Henry created his own cult.

He has always been about revamping and his transformation from a starlet in Monaco to Arsenal FC's greatest player ever is nothing short of fabled. His primary strength has been his jaw-dropping pace and he has used that to plunder oppositions. He has always been too fast with the ball at his feet and even in the dusk of his career, he did things which most football players couldn’t even dream about.

#3 Eric Cantona (Manchester United, 1992 to 1997)

While he only starred for Manchester United for a brief period, five seasons before his shock retirement in the year 1997, no United player had quite as much impact on the club and the English Premier League in general as ‘King Cantona’.

His arrival signalled the beginning of United’s dominance in the 1990s, as he guided them to win the inaugural Premier League title and then three more leagues wins, as well as two FA Cups, but his influence at Old Trafford went beyond trophies.

Prior to Cantona’s rise to superstardom at United, foreign players, particularly flair players, were widely mistrusted in the English game. But it was the French star who opened the floodgates and helped the likes of Bergkamp, Zola and Klinsmann to succeed in the Premier League era.

He was involved in some unpalatable incidents during his time at the Manchester club, most notably the infamous kung-fu kick that saw him sidelined for most of 1994/95. However, off the pitch, he was a stupendous role model for the younger players like Beckham and Scholes, who have stated that they understood about true discipline by observing Cantona practising alone on the training ground for hours after all his teammates had left.

One cant forget his performance in the 1995/96 season when he virtually single-handedly wrestled the Premier League title away from Newcastle United's grasp to return it to the Old Trafford outfit. It remains probably the greatest achievement from an individual player in the Premier League era.

Nobody had the kind of impact that Eric Cantona did on a club and most likely nobody ever will again.

#2 Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus, 1993 to 2012)

Alessandro Del Piero was one of the most comprehensive players in European history. You’d have to wait a few decades before you saw a player as versatile in his style, as skilled with the ball and as dedicated as the World Cup winner.

He would provide the creativity making the eye-opening assists, score the flashiest goals, just drawing your amazement and respect for the way he virtually played his heart and soul out on the field for the Bianconeri.

Devotion is a scarce tendency to come across in the modern world. I personally doubt there will ever be another man who unconditionally loved the Old Lady of Turin as much, a man who rejoiced every time he put on the black and white shirt of Juventus.

Such is his dedication towards the side from Italy that he didn't leave the club's side when they were relegated in the 2005-06 on charges of match-fixing during the infamous 'Calciopoli' scandal. He fought with the team in the Serie B in the 2006-07 season returning the team to the top flight almost instantly.

Superlatives are no longer valid for him. Alessandro Del Piero is a hero.

#1 Paolo Maldini (AC Milan, 1985 to 2009)

The great AC Milan legend and Italian national, Franco Baresi mentored Maldini from a very young age, and it’s debatable that he surpassed Baresi in his illustrious career. 904 games for the San Siro side, 128 appearances for the Italian national team and 26 titles in his career, Maldini is a warranted legend of world football.

The titles the Capitano won only tell half the story, because to genuinely believe how good he was, you will have to watch him and understand how he works. How he timed his tackles to flawless perfection, he knew when to support the attack as a left-back and knew how to hold a defensive line when playing in the heart of the Milan defence.

Watching Paolo Maldini in action even in videos is a lesson for footballers aspiring for greatness, something that everyone who wants to be a defender should look at.

To put it in simple words, Maldini is the greatest defender of all time without an iota of doubt. Very few can compare to what he has accomplished, and even fewer are able to even comprehend that they can match his quality as a defender.