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The game of football remains the most popular sport in the world and as such supporters share a strong bond with their clubs. Sometimes players also develop a strong bond with their own clubs and become reluctant to leave the club to another club. Such players are very rare to find in the game given the competition for players services and attractive offers given out by other rival clubs.
However, there have been very few players who have been able to remain loyal to their clubs and have spent the entirety of their careers at only one club. Some of these players even sometimes refused attractive and better offers than what their clubs were giving them but they shrugged off the offers and stayed put.
#8. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the current captain of Barcelona, a club he has played for in the last 14 years of his life. Messi who was born in Argentina was diagnosed with a growth hormone that inhibited his development as a child, yet his talent as a footballer was evident in those years. Barcelona signed him and flew him to Spain to take care of his medical treatment.
He played for Barcelona's youth side before making his senior debut in 2004. Messi grew in the shadows of Ronaldinho, who was the club's talisman. In 2009, Messi established himself as the club's de facto talisman starring in the club's first treble win in a season. The following years would prove to be a success for Messi as he became Europe's highest scorer in a season, Barcelona's highest scorer, and winning five Fifa Balon Dor and five FIFA World's Best player awards.
The Argentine maestro would go on to win 4 UEFA Champions League trophies. He has played a total of 641 matches and scored 556 goals.
#7 Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol, considered by many as one of the best central defenders of his generation, made his debut for Barcelona in 1999 and played for the club for the entirety of his career. Over the course of 15 years, he played for Barcelona, winning 6 La Liga Titles and 3 UEFA Champions League titles and several national and individual honors. He played a total of 392 matches and scored 12 goals for the club.
#6 Daniel De Rossi
Rossi made his debut in 2001 under manager Fabio Capello in a Champions League match against Anderlecht and has remained with the club ever since. Over the course of his 17-year career, he has won the Copa Italia and the Supercopa Italia. In 2009, he was voted the Serie A footballer of the year. He has played a total of 596 matches and scored 61 goals over the course of 17 seasons for the club.
#5 Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher played for Liverpool for 17 years, beginning his football career at Liverpool Academy. He spent 10 of those years as a captain of Liverpool. Over the course of his career, he won 11 trophies with the club, making him one of the most decorated Liverpool players in history.
He played a total of 737 matches for the club and also holds the record for the most appearances in European competition for Liverpool with 150.
#4 Ryan Giggs
Giggs made his debut for Manchester United in 1991 and would go on to spend 24 seasons total at the club, winning every title possible in club football. Giggs was never sent off during his 24-year stay at Manchester United.
He won 34 titles during his stay at Manchester United, making him the most decorated footballer in history. His performances earned him several individual titles. He played a total of 963 matches and scored 168 goals.
#3 Paolo Maldini
Maldini made his debut for Milan and went on to spend the remainder of his entire career with the club. Over the course of 25 seasons, Maldini won 25 trophies with Milan, including winning the UEFA Champions League five times.
Maldini holds several honors in football, including the most European competition appearances and is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history. He played a total of 902 matches and scored 38 goals for Milan.
#2 Francesco Totti
Totti spent his entire career that spanned 25 seasons with AS Roma in Italy. Over the course of his career, he won four trophies with the club, including a Serie A title.
He remains the second highest goal scorer of all time in the history of the Italian league. He has won several individual honors. He played a total of 786 matches and scored 307 goals.
#1 Rogerio Ceni
Ceni spent his 25-year career as a goalkeeper for Sao Paulo in Brazil and won a total of 20 trophies with the club. Over the course of his career, he played a total of 1,237 matches and is widely recognized as the goalkeeper with most appearances in history.
He also scored a total of 131 goals, mostly through set pieces. He is generally recognized as the goalkeeper with most career goals in football history.
Honorable mentions: The following players spent more than ten seasons at a club and they deserve a pat on the back. Del Piero, Buffon, Gerrard, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Ramos, Iniesta, Pele, Garrincha.
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