5 loyal footballers who almost joined another club

#3 Steven Gerrard to Chelsea

Mr, Red- Steven Gerrard, midfield maestro and inspirational footballer.

Now this near transfer almost began a riot in a city. Born in merseyside and often voted as Liverpool's greatest ever footballer, Steven Gerrard actually handed in a transfer request to the club months after leading them to a dramatic Uefa Champions League win in 2005.

Gerrard's autobiography on the subject is both fascinating and revealing. While at one point he suggested he wanted to swap Red for Blue in pursuit of his ambition to win the Premier League title with Chelsea, at another, he says he didn't want to do the swap but wanted Liverpool to appreciate him as a player.

Complicated contract negotiations also played their part in the midfield maestro doing the unthinkable on that day as protests from fans erupted outside the Liverpool training complex.

Ultimately, he took a U-turn and stayed on to play a leading role for Liverpool till 2015. Next year, the footballer would play a stellar role in what is dubbed 'the Steven Gerrard FA Cup final' in 2006 as the club triumphed. He, however, never won the Premier League, coming agonisingly close in his penultimate season before the infamous slip happened. So, should he have made the switch in hindsight? One can only specualte about it

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#2 Francesco Totti to Real Madrid

Francesco Totti- The Italian footballer is noted for his undying love for Roma.

Here is another shocking transfer that was almost finalised. Like Gerrard, Franesco Totti is Italian club Roma's biggest legend, a footballer, nicknamed L'Ottavo Re di Roma (The Eighth King of Rome), Totti was well and truly Roma's most inspirational figure and their captain through and through. However, even this one-club legend was almost 80% sure of making a shock move to Real Madrid.

Even his wife had decided to stop all her ventures in Rome and move with him to Madrid. However, like he had often done in the past and will do so in years to come, the attacking midfielder chose to stay back to serve his first love, Roma.

Totti Spent more than 24 years in Rome, helping the club to one Serie A and two Italian Cups. A footballer of his talent might have won more had he moved to a bigger club, but he would not have won the eternal tag of a one-club legend if he had done so.

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#1 Lionel Messi to Manchester City

Lionel Messi- Often touted as the greatest contemporary footballer.

We begin and end with Lionel Messi after La Pulga almost did the unimaginable by putting in a transfer request through a bureau fax to his childhood love, the club that made him the player he is today. It was a symbiotic relationship in many ways with Messi winning a record six Ballon'D'Ors and as many European Golden Shoe awards on a personal level while giving Barca four Champions League trophies and 10 La Ligas.

He has been part of the best club team during the tikitaka heyday and has been touted as the best player in the world through different Barca eras. But the current decline was too much for even him to bear.

However, with La Liga standing by Barcelona, and their beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu, saying the €700 million release clause was still valid and Messi was not a free agent, he had no option but to stay back for at least one season despite reportedly being on the verge of rejoining his favourite manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The amount the rmagician footballer had agreed on with City was stated to be as big as the one earmarked as his release clause.

For now, the footballer stays back at Barcelona as the club begins their rebuilding phase. His contract expires next year, will he leave then or stay back to continue his two-decade long relationship with Barca and become the greatest one-team footballer that has ever played the game? Your guess is as good as mine.