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One-club men are a rarity in the game, particularly in an era of football commercialisation.
However, some players end up playing their entire careers for a single club, and also have accolades (read 'trophies') to show for their efforts. Some of the greatest one-club men in the history of the game include Paolo Maldini (AC Milan), Francesco Totti (AS Roma), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta (both Barcelona).
Among active players, Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) is one of the last vestiges of the dying breed of successful one-club men. Until last season, Lionel Messi was also a part of this group before he ended his 17-year association with Barcelona last summer to join PSG.
On that note, here's a look at the five players with the most trophies for a single club:
#5 Gerard Pique (Barcelona) - 30
Gerard Pique is one of the most prolific goalscoring defenders in the history of the game.
Now 35, the Barcelona man is not the same player he was a few years ago. Nevertheless, he remains a key player in Xavi Hernandez's team. He is on the cusp of 600 appearances for the club, having joined them in the summer of 2008 from Manchester United. That includes 31 appearances across competitions this season.
Pique recently joined Roberto Carlos as the most prolific goalscoring defender in UEFA Champions League history by scoring his 16th goal in the competition.
Pique, who has won the FIFA World Cup and two European Championships with Spain, is a two-time continental treble winner with Barcelona.
He has won eight La Liga, three Champions League and seven Copa Del Rey titles, among various domestic and continental honors, with the Blaugrana. His most recent trophy with the club was the 2020-21 Copa Del Rey.
#4 Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) - 30
Andres Iniesta is often regarded as one of the best midfielders to have graced the beautiful game.
The 37-year-old, now at Vissel Kobe in Japan, enjoyed a hugely successful 16-season stint at Barcelona. Iniesta made nearly 700 appearances for the club across competitions, bagging 57 goals and 138 assists.
In his last season with the club in 2017-18, the two-time European Championship and FIFA World Cup winner equalled the record for most Champions League quarter-final appearances (21). He has won the competition four times, twice as part of continental trebles.
Iniesta also won nine La Liga and seven Copa Del Rey titles with the club. His last title with the club was a 2017-18 La Liga triumph.
#3 Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) - 33
Xavi Hernandez, like his former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the history of the game.
The current Blaugrana manager is a bonafide club legend, having made over 750 appearances across competitions and winning titles galore. Though he was never a prolific scorer, Xavi was renowned for his metronomic passing ability in the center of the park.
The four-time Champions League winner is the first player in recorded competition history to string together 100 consecutive successful passes in a game. Xavi scored 85 goals and provided 185 assists during a hugely successful near two-decade long career at the Camp Nou.
The 42-year-old has won nine La Liga, eight Spanish Super Cups and three Copa Del Rey titles at the club. Xavi is also a FIFA World Cup and two-time European Championship winner with Spain.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 35
One of the greatest players in the history of the game, Lionel Messi evolved into a world-class player during his 17-season stint with Barcelona.
Now at PSG, the 34-year-old attacker played 778 games across competitions for the Blaugrana, bagging almost 1000 goal contributions (672 goals, 303 assists). The all-time Barcelona top scorer has won four Champions League, ten La Liga and seven Copa Del Rey titles at the club.
The two-time continental treble winner won a record seven Pichichi awards and six of his seven Ballon d'Or awards while at Barcelona.
#1 Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) - 36
Ryan Giggs is one of the most successful one-club men in the history of the sport. He has won the most titles for a single club and is the only non-Barcelona player on this list .
The Manchester United legend made nearly 950 appearances across competitions for the club, bagging 164 goals and 255 assists. The versatile attacker is the only player to score in each of the first 21 seasons of the Premier League. Giggs won as many titles in the competition as Manchester City (5), Chelsea (5) and Arsenal (3) combined.
The legendary Welsh winger, who retired after the 2013-14 season, has also won nine English Super Cups, four FA Cups as many EFL Cups at Old Trafford.
