Tag: history

Key Takeaways

• Loyalty is a rare commodity in football that should be acknowledged and applauded.
• Most players get swayed by bigger financial deals and potential silverware, and don’t repay the faith shown in them.
• The likes of Francesco Totti and Marco Reus are among the most loyal footballers to ever play the game.

Loyalty is a rare commodity in football. In an industry as lucrative and silverware-driven as the beautiful game, mega-money contracts and the prospect of competing for the biggest trophies will always deter players from remaining at the clubs that unearthed them, or provided them with the support and platform to flourish.

Most will jump ship immediately when they believe the grass to be greener elsewhere, and won’t repay the faith shown in them by those who enabled the possibility of a move away in the first place. Particularly in periods of adversity, footballers have been notoriously quick to leave clubs in difficult positions, while leaving for rival teams has become increasingly more common in the modern era.

There are exceptions to the rule, however. There are those who value what their clubs have given them, and resist outside temptations.

From Francesco Totti and his love affair with Roma, to Marco Reus and the German’s devout commitment to Borussia Dortmund, GIVEMESPORT have identified the top 15 most loyal players in football history.

Ranking Factors:

• Longevity at a given club.
• Loyalty in times of adversity.
• Resisting offers from elsewhere.

15 Thomas Müller

Bayern Munich (2008-Present)

Joining the Bayern Munich academy at the age of 11, Thomas Müller is still at the Allianz Arena, having turned 35 in September. The German has made over 700 appearances for the Bundesliga club, scoring 245 goals, and has won 12 league titles and two Champions Leagues in the process.

While remaining at Germany’s most successful club, and one of the biggest clubs in the world, doesn’t represent an incredible ability to resist outside temptations, Muller’s pure longevity in Munich, and his commitment to die Roten, must be appreciated. He’s remained with Bayern in periods when they’ve not been the most competitive on the continental front, and reportedly turned down an ‘astronomical’ offer from Manchester United in 2014.

14 Koke

Atletico Madrid (2009-Present)

Atlético Madrid’s club-record appearance maker, Koke has remained at Spain’s third biggest footballing institution for the entirety of his career thus far, making over 650 appearances for the first team. Mostly operating in the shadows of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Spanish footballing landscape, most who are good enough at Atlético have aspirations of joining the two Galactico clubs, or alternatively end up in the Premier League.

However, these aspirations seemingly haven’t appealed to Koke, who has certainly been at the level to make the step-up to those clubs, or accept a lucrative offer from elsewhere in Europe. Indeed, the elegant midfielder revealed back in 2014 that he rejected an offer from Barcelona to remain at his beloved Atlético, a stern demonstration of loyalty for any Spaniard.

13 Mark Noble

West Ham United (2004-2022)

Nicknamed ‘Mr. West Ham’, aside from a couple of brief loan spells at Hull City and Ipswich Town, Mark Noble spent his whole career on the East London club’s books. Growing up in Canning Town, close to the Irons’ old ground, Upton Park, the midfielder was a Hammer through and through.

Noble made 550 appearances for West Ham, was never tempted by the allure of other clubs, and shed tears at the end of his final game for the club in 2022. The definition of a loyal servant, Noble also claimed to have turned down the chance to have an international career via the Republic of Ireland, due to his allegiance to England, who never demonstrated any interest in selecting him. That’s true loyalty.

12 Jamie Vardy

Leicester City (2012-Present)

Only establishing himself as a professional footballer at the age of 25, Jamie Vardy would’ve been forgiven for accepting any lucrative contract offer he received, to maximise his earnings during his short career at the top level. However, after winning the Premier League title with Leciester City in the 2015/16 season, Vardy turned down the chance to join Arsenal and earn presumably substantially more money, while giving himself a better chance of competing for the game’s top honours.

The Gunners had agreed a deal with the Foxes to sign the striker, but the player himself opted against the switch at the eleventh hour. He could certainly have been the catalyst for the North London outfit to win major silverware, but remained faithful to the club that had given him an opportunity at the highest level in the first place.

Whereas Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez all secured big-money moves to major clubs in the 18 months after Leicester’s title win, Vardy stuck around. The maverick centre-forward has gone on to make 475 appearances for Leicester, scoring 194 goals.

11 Rogerio Ceni

Sao Paulo (1993-2015)

Making 1,197 appearances in your career is impressive, let alone for one club. Brazilian goalkeeper Rogerio Cerni spent 25 years at Sao Paulo, and despite being widely recognised as one of the best in between the sticks in the world in the mid-2000s, he never opted to depart Serie A for one of Europe’s top leagues, when he certainly could’ve.

However, what makes Ceni a shoo-in for this loyalty list, is the fact that he’s played more games and more minutes for a single club than any other player in the history of football. He’s literally spent more time on the pitch for one club than anyone else to ever play the sport. That’s some indication of commitment, and he’s even returned to coach the first team on two separate occasions.

10 Paul McStay

Celtic (1981-1997)

An apt name for a player commended for his loyalty, Paul McStay spent the entire duration of his 16-year career at Celtic, having developed through the Glaswegian giants’ academy. Making 678 appearances for the Scottish outfit, winning three first division titles and several domestic cups, it would be fair to suggest that there was no reason for him not to continuously commit his future to Celtic Park, given the consistent success and that he was plying his trade in his home nation, close to his hometown of Hamilton.

However, as a highly-thought of midfielder and prominent figure in the Scottish national team, managing 76 caps and playing in two World Cups, he certainly would’ve had interest from abroad. More lucrative deals and the opportunity to play in one of Europe’s top leagues would likely have been on the table.

Indeed, McStay reportedly turned down multiple offers from Italy, at a time in which Serie A was arguably the most attractive league in Europe. The likes of Inter Milan, Juventus and Fiorentina made proposals to the Scotsman, but he rejected all of them to remain faithful to his beloved Celtic.

9 Igor Akinfeev

CSKA Moscow (2003-Present)

Similarly to McStay, Moscow-born Igor Akinfeev has spent the entirety of his career at one club, with that club being dominant in his home nation. The goalkeeper has been at CSKA Moscow since making his debut at the age of 16 in 2003, and has since made 784 appearances for the Russian outfit, winning six league titles.

Making more appearances for the Russian national team than anyone barring one, Akinfeev has showcased his talents at multiple major international tournaments, which has caught the attention of several top European clubs. The one-club man was understood to have held talks with Manchester United back in 2009, while he was linked with Arsenal in 2010.

Ultimately rejecting these moves and remaining loyal to CSKA, the shot-stopper, who had been deemed a wonderkid when he was emerging as a teenager, was perhaps hindered from fulfilling his potential by not making the step away from Russian football.

8 Paolo Maldini

AC Milan (1984-2009)

One of the greatest defenders in football history, Paolo Maldini remained at AC Milan for his whole career, and subsequently established himself as one of the best ‘one-club’ footballers of all time, making over 900 appearances for the Italian giants. While enjoying a ridiculously illustrious time with his boyhood club, winning seven Serie A titles and five Champions Leagues, this success did dry up to an extent in the second half of his spell at the San Siro.

From 2000 onwards, Milan were slightly less competitive at the summit of the Italian top flight, and given he was widely regarded as the best defender on the planet, he could certainly have jumped ship for any club in world football. He didn’t, however, and this outstanding commitment to the Serie A giants, for such a long-time, deserves recognition.

7 Matt Le Tissier

Southampton (1986-2002)

Perhaps the first player on this list who remained loyal to a club that wasn’t successful in regard to silverware, Matt Le Tissier may be a controversial figure nowadays, but his devotion to Southampton should be applauded. Developing through the Saints’ academy, he scored 209 goals in 540 appearances for the south coast side, enjoying four seasons where he managed in excess of 20 goals across all competitions.

This exceptional productivity inevitably sparked interest from those competing at the top of the English first division. Le Tissier revealed he rejected approaches from both Tottenham and Chelsea, claiming that he couldn’t leave his beloved Southampton. That’s in spite of the fact that the Saints never finished above seventh in his time at the club, and were regularly involved in relegation dogfights.

6 Gianluigi Buffon

Juventus (2001-2018)

An Italian remaining at Italy’s most successful club for the majority of his career may not sound like a particularly remarkable example of loyalty, but Gianluigi Buffon stayed with Juventus through some turbulent times. With the Old Lady relegated to Serie B as a punishment for a betting scandal in 2006, the goalkeeper was expected to leave Turin.

Widely regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in the world at the time, he would be forgiven for not wanting to spend at least a year of his career outside of the top flight. However, Buffon opted to remain at Juventus, where he’d eventually make over 700 appearances, across two spells and 19 seasons at the club.

5 Steven Gerrard

Liverpool (1998-2015)

While many will claim that staying at one of the world’s most prestigious clubs for almost your entire career is not an impressive feat in regard to faithfulness, Steven Gerrard’s unwavering commitment to Liverpool is actually a rare example of a player resisting the temptations of more money and more success.

The English midfielder was worthy of numerous league titles and other pieces of silverware, and could have attained this elsewhere, but instead was insistent on trying his best to achieve these triumphs at his childhood club. He was rewarded with a Champions League winners medal in 2005, but a league title evaded him.

Famously turning down a move to Chelsea in 2004, Gerrard could’ve swapped Anfield for the riches of Stamford Bridge, where he would’ve won multiple league titles, but ultimately chose not to.

4 Marco Reus

Borussia Dortmund (2012-2024)

At his scintillating best, Marco Reus was one of the best wingers in world football. Unfortunately for the German, his dazzling career has just two DFB-Pokals to show for it.

After signing for Borussia Dortmund from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, Reus made 429 appearances, scoring 170 goals, for die Schwarzgelben. He spent 12 seasons with the Western German club, before ending his love affair with them this summer by joining LA Galaxy for his swansong period in football.

Many who have joined Dortmund have notoriously used the club as a stepping stone, before moving to bigger clubs in the future, but Reus refused to take this path. Describing the Bundesliga outfit as his ‘home’, and claiming that he ‘belongs here’ in 2019, Reus is said to have turned down a move to Manchester United in 2014, while the Dortmund CEO revealed in 2015 that the loyal man rejected ‘double the money’ from some of the world’s biggest clubs.

3 Alessandro Del Piero

Juventus (1993-2012)

Like Buffon, the prolific Alessandro Del Piero remained at Juventus during the club’s season in Serie B in the late 2000s. Despite being one of the most potent goalscorers in Europe, the Italian pledged his allegiance to the Turin side in their darkest days, allowing him to continue what would be a staggering 19-year stay at the club.

What places him above Buffon on this list is merely the fact that he didn’t leave Juventus until it had become clear that he was surplus to requirements and was no longer at the requisite level to play in Serie A, joining Sydney FC in the A-League for his last dance. Meanwhile, Buffon jumped ship to accept a lucrative offer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, albeit at the tail end of his career.

2 Francesco Totti

Roma (1993-2017)

Possibly the most iconic ‘one-club man’ in football history, Totti was the poster-boy of Roma, nicknamed ‘the Eighth King of Rome’ and ‘the Emperor’ during his time at the club. Worthy of a statue outside the Stadio Olimpico, the former attacking midfielder rose through the ranks in the Italian capital, making his debut at the age of 16, and retired with I Giallorossi at the age of 40.

Totti made 786 appearances for Roma in this time, netting 307 goals, and never even flirted with another club, despite winning just one Serie A title. This relative lack of success and extreme longevity is what makes the Italian so deserving of this recognition of loyalty, with Real Madrid understood to be the only team that were remotely close to prying him away from his home.

1 Alessandro Lucarelli

Parma (2008-2018)

Not a name many will be familiar with, but Alessandro Lucarelli has arguably displayed the most loyalty of any footballer to grace the game. An Italian defender, who had been something of a journeyman before arriving at Parma in 2008, was evidently capable of playing at the highest level, given he was consistently presented with opportunities to play in Serie A by new clubs throughout the first half of his career.

He finally settled down at Parma, winning the club promotion to the top flight in his debut campaign, before enjoying six straight seasons in Serie A. However, financial struggles hit I Crociati in 2015, and they were subsequently demoted straight to the fourth tier of Italian football.

Inevitably, there was a significant squad overhaul, with the entire playing staff leaving, aside from Lucarelli. The centre-back would certainly have had offers from Serie A clubs, but pledged to help the club return to the top flight, and took a significant reduced wage in the process.

Winning three successive promotions, Lucarelli retired at the end of the third, achieving what he’d promised, prompting Parma to retire his number six shirt.

All Statistics via TransferMarkt – correct as of 02/12/2024