If you’re a football fan and avidly follow the sport, chances are you recognise that while many players can switch clubs like a fresh pair of socks, there are some who decide to remain at the same very place which made them what they became in their careers.
Recently, the world was stunned to see the departure of Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona- two names in world sports that everyone thought were inseparable, but sometimes, even the most loyal of players can be a part of some of the most shocking transfers in club football. If you want to get into football wagering, check out new bookmaker accounts.
The crack between Messi and Barca had already started forming since last year, and now the Argentine forward, who spent almost two decades at his boyhood club, will now don the Parisian shirt for the rest of his career.
While Messi may have done the unthinkable and leave the club that everyone once thought he would be loyal to till the end of his career, there have been a certain number of footballers who bid adieu to the urge of switching sides and remained at their club till the last day of their career. Below here are some of them-
Francesco Totti:
One of the greatest forwards of his generation, Francesco Totti’s youth career reached its termination at AS Roma, the prestigious Italian side that saw Totti siding by it till the end of his career as a footballer.
Across his twenty five year stay at Roma, Totti clinched a Serie A title, along with two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. Despite multiple lavish offers from the top elite clubs in Europe, the Italian spent his entire career at Roma.
Ryan Giggs:
Under the managerial stint of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United became the most feared legion in the European football circuit, and one of the fundamental names in the star-studded lineup was Ryan Giggs.
The Welsh midfielder lived and breathed MUFC, spending 24 years at Old Trafford across 13 Premier League wins, four FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League trophies, making him one of the most decorated footballers of all time.
Paul Scholes:
Like a complement to Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes is another of Manchester United’s foundations during its domination of club football. The 5 ft 6 inches midfielder knew only one club throughout his youth and senior careers- the Red Devils.
Over the span of two decades at MUFC, Scholes bagged the PL title 11 times, more than any other English player, as well as two UEFA Champions League trophies.
Paolo Maldini:
A poster boy of Italian football, Paolo Maldini was the heart and soul of AC Milan, and considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time, if not the greatest, playing as a center back and occasionally left back.
Maldini spent 25 years at Milan, winning seven Serie A titles, five European Cup/UEFA Champions League trophies, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, four European/UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup title.
Javier Zanetti:
What Paolo Maldini is to AC Milan, Javier Zanetti is for its counterpart Inter. The Argentine defender started his club career in his motherland and arrived in Europe through the Nerazzuri, which became his home until retirement.
Joining Inter in 1995 and becoming the captain six years later, Zanetti spent almost two decades at the club, winning five Scudetti, four Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana, one UEFA Cup, one Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.