There are players who go through 20 different clubs, and there are others who are more loyal or even frenzied. Spending your entire career at the same club, from training to the biggest titles (sometimes, some also remain anonymous for life with a record close to nothing), it’s a great feat, and the players here below have succeeded in carrying it out. Cheer.
1. Carles Puyol, 15 years old at FC Barcelona
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Puyol has only known Barça, and for nothing in the world he would have left his favorite club. Puyol is a real Barça legend, he is the third player after Xavi and Messi to have played the most games with the Catalan club. 3 Champions Leagues and 5 Ligua, it must be said that Barça did well for him, and he wouldn’t have left for anything in the world… alalaaaa if all the players were like him, the fans would surely be calmer and there might be be fewer wars in this world.
2. Marc Planus spent his entire career at the Girondins de Bordeaux
Yes, it’s less stylish than FC Barcelona, but everyone needs it (stop laughing), and Planus has decided to be loyal to the club that trained him. He arrived at the Girondins de Bordeaux at the age of 7 as a youngster and never left, it’s beautiful all the same, personally I have tears in my eye.
3. Lars Ricken, loyal to Borussia Dortmund
From 1993 to 2007, Lars Ricken only knew Borussia Dortmund. He is largely remembered for his goal in the Champions League final in 1997 which saw his team claim victory. Well apart from that, he’s still a big lazy guy who only played in Germany because he didn’t want to bother learning other languages (no, in real life, I don’t know, maybe he was very attached to Currywurst).
4. Pepe will have spent his entire career at Santos
Ok it’s about the 60s so it goes back a bit and maybe you didn’t see who Pepe is. And yet he is a legendary player who has played his entire career as a striker for Santos in Brazil, he is also one of the club’s top scorers with Pelé. Well promised for the rest I try to stay in the most recent because otherwise I will lose you.
5. Gary Neville, Manchester United or nothing
Gary Neville played from 1992 to 2011 at Manchester United. When you play 19 years in the same club, inevitably you become a bit of a legend, it’s almost cheating at this stage. Two Champions Leagues, and still many other titles, yes we understood Neville, you were very strong.
6. Ryan Giggs, another Man U stalwart
So we have to believe that Manchester United is particularly endearing since a lot of players have spent their entire career there. Like Neville, Giggs didn’t want to change house, and he spent 23 years at the same club (not to mention his junior years, which he also spent at Manchester United). A little homebody the Giggs.
7. Loïc Perrin, because yes the French can also be faithful
Yes, there is a Frenchman in this top, there are some players who still have principles and values and who do not betray the hand that nurtured them in factch. This is the case of Loïc Perrin, who has evolved throughout his career at AS ST-Etienne. He does not have a crazy track record (a Coupe de France final, a Coupe de la Ligue in 2013 and two/three other trifles) but at least the pride of having always remained faithful to his training club. It’s nice.
8. Paolo Maldini, and AC Milan
From 1985 to 2009, that is for 24 years, we will have seen the big mouth of Maldini in the ranks of AC Milan. And I don’t know why I say it like that because Maldini has given us a great show all these years. He is surely one of the greatest defenders in the history of this sport, and he has a record that commands respect, like 5 Champions Leagues and 7 Italian Champions titles. Yeah it’s not quite like Loïc Perrin (sorry Lolo).
9. Francesco Totti and AS Roma
The Italian Franesco Totti is also a man of his word, when he signed with AS Roma, he never left. 25 years with Roma, he is one of the players with the longest career in the same club. And you can imagine that Totti, especially after Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup, was called upon by the best European clubs. However he never left Rome, declining all offers to stay at his favorite club, that’s how Totti became a legend of Italian football, considered by many to be one of the greatest players in its time.
10. Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Madrid native
To end this top in style, let’s talk a bit about one of the legends of Real (and we know that there are many), Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo. The Spaniard spent 18 years in the Madrid club, 18 years in which he won two Champions Leagues and eight times the Spanish championship (like his father who had himself won a Champions League with the Real, the success runs in the family).