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There is a saying that no player is bigger than the club. While the saying is true, some players are the images of their respective club and are the first name to ring within the eardrums of the mind when their respective club is mentioned.To imagine these players wearing any other shirt other than their own beloved clubs is an exercise in futility. They were born to play and retire at that very club. But with Iker Casillas move to Porto, it can be concluded that anything can happen in this field and no player is completely indispensable.Iker Casillas is not the only one. Past is the witness of many clubs letting go of their legends figures who were, according to many, destined to retire at that very club. But all is not roses and sunshine in this as we look at the legendary players who were let go by their clubs where they were supposed to retire
#1 Iker Casillas
After 25 years at Real Madrid, Iker Casillas has been shown the door out of the club. After two below-average seasons with the club, the Spaniard lost his indispensable tag and has been let go.
The World Cup and Euro winner has never played for any other club since joining the Whites as a 9-year-old child. He was destined to retire at the club where he won every trophy a player could possibly win at club level and was given a lifetime contract to make sure that it did happen.
However, it just wasn’t meant to be. As has been the case with so many Real Madrid legends, and partly due to Florentino Perez, Madridistas will have to endure the pain of seeing their captain play in a jersey that is not Real Madrid’s.
#2 Steven Gerrard
Sticking to the trend of keeping up with recent departures, Steven Gerrard was the other high-profile club legend transfer out of the club. In a 28-year career, Steven Gerrard had spent almost every day of it as a Liverpool player.
e’d won every trophy except for the Premier League title, the only dark spot in his glittering career. At his peak, he was the one of the greatest midfielders in the world, someone who could make perfect tackles as well play the pass before anyone else, not to mention having a lethal right foot to score goals from long distance.
Many Liverpool fans were left bewildered with the fact that their legend was let go with so much ease. One wouldn’t be wrong to expect a player to retire at the club where he has served 28 years.
Gerrard may have left Anfield, but not the hearts of Liverpool fans.
#3 Roy Keane
Although he wasn’t an academy product of the club, he was a legend at Old Trafford. He was a player and captain who represented Manchester United like none other.
Roy Keane was fierce. Someone with nerves of steel and unparalleled mental strength. His epic performance against Juventus still plays on many United fans’ minds and he will be remembered fondly by many despite his differences with Sir Alex Ferguson.
It was actually this friction that cost him his place and the deserved honour of ending his playing career at the club he was the most closely associated to. His feud with the Scot manager got out of control and the latter had to take care of it by selling his captain.
And there has been no love lost between the two ever since.
#4 Xavi Hernandez
This seems like a summer of club legends leaving the club where they were supposed to retire. Xavi Hernandez is the third big-name legend to leave his beloved club for pastures new as the Spaniard joins Qatari club Al-Sadd after spending 24 years with the Catalans.
In his career as a Barcelona player, he has won more trophies than many people have drinking cups and eating plates at their home. He has witnessed two treble seasons and was the mastermind of the first one – the brain of that Barcelona team.
But all things must come to an end and now we have to see what we once thought was unthinkable – Xavi Herandez playing or a club that isn’t Barcelona.
#5 Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard wasn’t born at Chelsea; that honour goes to West Ham United. However, he was bred at the London club where he joined as a 23-year-old and engraved his name among the club legends.
His best time with the club was during the mid-2000s, when he was the runner-up of the 2005 Ballon d’Or. At that point, most felt that it was in his fate that he would retire with the Blues. But fate had its own plans.
After 13 years at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard left the club to join MLS side New York City before being loaned to Manchester City for a season – a move that frustrated many Chelsea fans. And it was a move that came back to haunt them as he scored the equalizer in a top of the table clash at the Etihad.
#6 Fernando Hierro
One of Real Madrid’s greatest captain in the modern era, Fernando Hierro was what one would call a true leader. He may not have been a Real Madrid youth product, but he was – and still is – Real Madrid through and through.
He won the Champions League on three occasions and La Liga five times with Los Blancos. He was not only a great defender but an astonishing goalscorer as he finished his career with the Whites with 130 goals – out of which 26 came in one season alone!
Sadly, he didn’t retire at the club as the virus named Florentino Perez stung the club. After falling out with the president over the sacking of Vicente del Bosque, Fernando Hierro chose to leave the club where he deserved to retire.
#7 Andrea Pirlo
The genius of Milan, Andrea Pirlo is perhaps the great Italian regista of all time. He could even, arguably, be labelled as the greatest one ever. The sheer genius he oozes while playing at the heart of the midfield leaves everyone in awe of him.
He is the Mozart of football and the ball is his instrument. He doesn’t play football, he paints it like an artist.
Inter failed to recognize his potential and sold him to rivals Milan. His talent was unraveled at AC Milan where he, along with Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf and later Kaka, formed the best midfield in the world. Such was Milan’s prowess at the time that they dominated Europe and were the most feared team in the continent.
And then Milan did the same mistakes that their neighbours did and let him go. Juventus knew that he still had some great years in him and quickly pounced to sign him, before overseeing four consecutive Serie A titles.
#8 Alessandro del Piero
The epitome of class. If there was one player who could be labelled as the true support forward, it would be him. A master free-kick taker, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest Italian players of all time.
Not only was he a great player, but he had the one trait that so many footballers lack these days: loyalty. After Juventus were relegated to Serie B, he chose to stay and play in the second division and help the club up instead of leaving and playing for an elite club.
One would have thought, at the time, that his marriage with the club would last until he hung up his boots. But they were so wrong. When Juventus were dead in the water, he stayed back and pushed the raft to the shore. But when he declined as a player, Andrea Agnelli decided to not offer him a new contract.
Despite all this, his love for the club is unparalleled – and this is why he is adored by all.
#9 Raul Gonzalez Blanco
The third Real Madrid-associated player on this list – and further testament to the fact that the Galacticos don’t respect their legends. All they respect is commercialism.
Real Madrid and Raul were synonyms. So much so that many fans labeled the team as Raul Madrid. He is the club’s highest ever scorer with 323 goals.But it wasn’t just his goals that made him the heart of so many Madridistas.
His incredible work ethic and leadership coupled with his love for the club etched him with the souls of many. His presence can still be felt around the Santiago Bernabeu, the arena that became the stage for his magic.
And when Real Madrid let him go in 2010, almost every Madrid fan was reduced to tears. Even worse was the fact that he didn’t receive a proper farewell like he got from Schalke when he left them.
#10 Pep Guardiola
To younger football fans, he is a mastermind manager. To the slightly older ones, he was a mastermind defensive midfielder who then became a mastermind manager.
Born and bred at Barcelona, the Catalan club ran in his veins. He was a key member of Johan Cruyff’s dream team and the prestigious Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo had labeled Guardiola as the finest under-21 player in the world.
Under Louis van Gaal, he was the captain of the Barcelona team, but the armband wasn’t lucky for him as he was plagued with injuries ever since wearing it. Ultimately, after some controversy, he decided to leave the club in 2001 and go to Italy to play for Brescia.
He began his career and played for the Catalans for 18 years, but he couldn’t end it there.
#11 Bastian Schweinsteiger
This transfer window will be remembered as the one where the legends left their beloved clubs. After 17 years at Bayern Munich, Bastian Schweinsteiger has decided to take on a new challenge and the destination is England – under his former boss, Louis van Gaal.
In his time with the Bavarians, he won eight League titles and a Champions League – a cabinet that would inflict jealousy in the minds of many players. And his exit was not taken well by the Bayern fans.
Bayern will definitely miss the presence of the soon-to-be 31 years old midfielder – at least in the dressing room. On the other hand, United are getting themselves a really experienced personality – a German captain – who will definitely improve the players around him as well as the performance of the Red Devils.
