Top 5 one-club players in football

In the modern world of football, players moving from one club to another is a common trait. It is almost as common as getting offended by everything – something that we do so much these days. Obviously, there are exceptions to this as well – the anomalies – as there some players who get married to one club and stay with them for the rest of their football lives.

It is not that leaving a club is disloyal or anything because, at the end of the day, football is a means of getting food on the table for footballers. As a result, opting to play for another club that has more chances of providing the player with success is only a sensible move.

But then the ones that stay with a club even in their darkest times are truly the ones that love the club unconditionally. Football has had its fair share of these players – and here are 5 of the best among them…

---

#5 Carles Puyol

Considering the fact that Carles Puyol spent his entire senior career at Barcelona, it is quite strange that the former captain isn’t among the top 3 players with most appearances for the Catalans. The fact that he became a first-team player a lot later – at the age of 21 – is one of the reasons for that.

Indeed, the defender was never really touted to be a first-team player, let alone a star. However, by the time he ended his Barcelona and football career, he retired a legend and was not only one of the greatest defenders of Barca, but also of football in general.

The legendary World Cup winning defender won a total of 20 trophies with the Catalans and played a grand total of 592 games for the first-team, scoring 18 goals in the process.

#4 Paolo Maldini

The beautiful Maldini

Another defender, another legend. Watching Paolo Maldini play was a journey in itself. The legendary Italian defender was so talented and had such all-round skills that he could play at left-back and centre-back without any problems.

Most centre-backs go at left-back and the attacking intensity of the left flank is lost. The opposite is also true. However, with Maldini, it was never the case as the former Milan man was equally good at defending and attacking.

We see a lot of defenders relying on a good tackle to stop their marker. Maldini, however, was so intelligent that he rarely ever had to put in tackles. Belonging to a family where even his great-grandfather was a Milan fan, it was actually set in stone that he would play out his entire career for the Rossoneri.

Maldini, or shall I say Mr Milan, played a record 902 games for the San Siro outfit and scored 33 goals for the club. He ended his career with 23 titles – 5 of which were Champions League trophies – and endless reverence from Milanisti and football lovers alike.

#3 Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes was a legend by ever right

The man, the myth, the legend – the internet might be filled with inaccurate quotes about Paul Scholes, but the former Manchester United midfield maestro rarely put in an inaccurate pass in his life. Such was the vision of the man that he was always highly rated by anyone that had the slightest of ideas about the game.

The fans of the Red Devils absolutely adored him and rated him as highly as the likes of Xavi and Andrea Pirlo. Whether he was as good as them remains a topic of debate among varying communities of football aficionados, but what can’t be argued is the fact that he is Manchester United’s greatest midfielder of the modern era.

Indeed, Paul Scholes played a grand total of 718 games with the Old Trafford outfit and scored 155 goals in that time. He also has several accolades with the team, with the total tally of trophies standing at 25 titles over a span of two decades.

#2 Francesco Totti

Totti: The God of Rome

What can I say about this man? People say that true love is dead, that people are too selfish to love someone else more than themselves. But the ones that say or claim something like that, they either don’t know who Francesco Totti is or they are just disrespectful to the man.

Everybody on this list ended or will end their careers with at least 20 team trophies under their belt. That alone is a good enough incentive to claim that these teams were winning ones and staying with them benefitted both parties equally.

However, with Totti, that wasn’t the case – and that is why he is the most special among every player on this list. With Rome, the legendary Italian won only 5 trophies with his club, but the love and respect that he has earned for this can’t be bounded by numbers.

He could have easily gone on to some other club and increased that count threefold at least, but he opted to stay with the love of his life and chose to win and lose with Roma and only Roma. As a result, with the most number of appearances and most number of goals for the club, it is perhaps safe to claim that he has a legacy at Roma that no-one else can break.

#1 Lionel Messi

Lionel Mess might end his career at Barca

Yes, yes, Lionel Messi is yet to hang up his boots and finish his career, but for now, with a contract that sees him play for Barca till 2021 – by when he will be 34 years old – it is safe to claim that he might just be a one-club man like the other players on this list.

While some believe that he might have a last hurrah at Newell’s Old Boys – the club where he began his footballing education – only time can reveal whether that would actually happen. Meanwhile, the Argentina captain continues winning games and titles for his team.

At 30, he is already the third highest appearance maker for the Blaugrana – behind only Xavi and Andres Iniesta. By 2021, if he keeps his fitness at an adequate level, he will surely become Barcelona’s record appearance holder while also extending his lead as the record goalscorer for the club.

The Argentine has already won 29 trophies in his career with Barcelona and that number will only get higher before he calls it a day.