The Greatest One-club Legends ever

In a world where footballers leave their clubs for several reasons such as achieving more titles, playing in a more prominent team, and even for earning more money, there have always been a few loyal players which stood by their one and only club throughout their professional career, in spite of all of the offers that has been made to them by some of the biggest European clubs.

For a football fan, who never even thinks of changing their favorite club, seeing a player just as faithful is the most satisfying thing to do. The greatest one-club men in world football think of their club as their family, and one can never abandon their family.

Some of these players belong to high-level prestigious clubs while there have been many legends who stayed loyal to their mediocre clubs.

The Greatest One-club Legends ever:

In the following article, we provide a list of the greatest one-club legends ever, and have given a brief overview of their devoted career on club level as well as international level.

Carles Puyol, FC Barcelona, 1999 – 2014

• Full name: Carles Puyol Saforcada

• Date of birth: 13 April 1978 (age 43)

• Place of birth: La Pobla de Segur, Spain

• Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

• Position(s): Defender

Barcelona's eternal 'El capitano' is regarded as one of the greatest center backs of all time. He spent the entirety of his 15-year professional career with the club that had nurtured him from a very young age. He joined Lamasia, Barcelona's youth academy, in 1995, and it was to be 4 years later until he made his debut for the senior team.

He was named the club's captain at the end of 2003/4 season, and kept that position for 10 years. Moreover, by appearing in 593 matches, he stands 5th in the list of the players with the most appearances for

.

Puyol announced his retirement on 4th of March, 2014 by saying "After my last two major operations, I find it is taking me a lot of effort to reach the level required here, even more than myself and the surgeons thought necessary. That's the reason I have reached this decision"

During a luminous 15-year career, including 10 as the captain, Puyol has achieved 24 major titles with Blaugrana, all of which were lift by him as the captain: 6

titles, 2 Spanish Cups, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 3 Champions League trophies, 3 UEFA Super Cups, and 2 FIFA Clubs World Cups.

Moreover, Puyol has also had an exhilarating career on international stage, by making 100 appearances for Spanish national team, and winning the 2008 European Championship as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with him being named in the team of the both tournaments.

Unfortunate for him, He missed Spain's victorious Euro 2012 campaign due to a knee injury sustained in a league game against

.

Puyol was known for his strong character on and off the pitch which has made him one of the best captains in history. Regarded as one of the

best one club footballers in football history

, he was a versatile and powerful defender who could perform accurate tackles and was efficient in the air despite his not very tall stature. He has been named in FIFA FIFPro World XI on 3 occasions, and was voted UEFA Club Best Defender in 2006.

Paolo Maldini, AC Milan, 1984 – 2009

• Full name: Paolo Cesare Maldini

• Date of birth: 26 June 1968 (age 53)

• Place of birth: Milan, Italy

• Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)

• Position(s): Defender

Paolo Maldini is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history. He is also one of the most notable players in the list of

the greatest one-club legends ever

by playing for

for 25 years.

Paolo Maldini, whose father-Cesare- had played for Milan as well, made his debut for the club at the age of only 16 in 1985. He was named rossoneri's captain in 1997, and kept the position until his retirement in 2009 at the age of 41. With 902 appearances, Maldini is the most-capped player in the history of AC Milan.

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Paolo Maldini helped his beloved club to the conquest of 7 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Italia (Italian Cup), 5 Italian Super Cups, 5 European Cups/UEFA Champions Leagues, 4 European Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups, as well as 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

Moreover, Paolo Maldini has featured in 126 games for Italian national team, which makes him the 3rd player in the list of most-capped players for Italy. In addition, he has reached 2 final matches with his national team including Euro 2000 and 1994 World Cup. However, none of which was achieved by the team.

On individual level, Maldini's career has lots of bright records. He holds the record of most European competitions appearances (168), he has played the most UEFA Champions League games (139) and Seire A games (647) for Milan. Moreover, by making his debut at the age of 16 years and 208 years, he is the youngest player to have ever played for AC Milan.

As one of the most astounding records of his, Maldini holds the record of playing in the most Champions League final matches with 8 times ( jointly with Paco Gento). He has also played for the club longer than anybody else in the history by 24 years and 132 days. With 23 appearances Maldini is the Italian player with the most games played in FIFA World Cups.

Furthermore, he holds the record of playing the most minutes in FIFA World Cups among all of the players with 2216 minutes. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest one-club legends ever whose name and achievements will forever be revered by the fans.

Francesco Totti, AS Roma, 1992 – 2017

• Full name: Francesco Totti

• Date of birth: 27 September 1976 (age 45)

• Place of birth: Rome, Italy

• Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

• Position(s): Attacking midfielder, forward

Francesco Totti is widely known as one of the best Italian players of all time, and the greatest player in AS Roma history. He spent the entirety of his professional career playing for

, and earned himself some nicknames such as "the Gladiator", "the Golden Boy", and "ll Capitano".

Totti, who played primarily as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, refused to live his team, despite the glamorous offers from Real Madrid. The Gladiator is the club's most capped player in history by appearing in 785 games, as well as being AS Roma's all-time top scorer with 307 goals.

On 31 October, 1998, Totti, who was 22 at the time, was named the club's first captain, and became the youngest Serie A club captain. He remained kept the position until he hung his boots in 2017. Totti has been AS Roma's captain in 19 years of the club's 91 years of history.

Commonly known as one of

the greatest one-club legends ever

, Totti has not won many team awards, and that makes his loyalty even more impressive. The Golden Boy managed to win 1

title in 2000/01 season, 2 Coppa Italia titles, and 2 Italian Super Cups.

Moreover, he has made 58 appearances for Italian national team, netted 9, and has provided 24 assists. He helped his country reach the final match of Euro 2000, and win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In both of the championships Totti was named in the All-Star team of tournament, being named the man of the match of EURO 2000 final match, and the top assist provider of 2006 WC.

In contrast with his club achievements, he has been a decorated player on individual level. Totti has been named the Italian Seire A Footballer of the Year on 5 occasions, and was named the Serie A Player of the Year twice.

Furthermore, he was crowned Serie A top scorer in 2006/7 with 26 goals, and that earned him the European Golden Shoe as well. He is indubitably one of the most notable players in the list of greatest one-club men in world football, and one of the best Italian players of all time.

Giuseppe Bergomi, Inter Milan, 1979 – 1999

• Full name: Giuseppe Bergomi

• Date of birth: 22 December 1963 (age 58)

• Place of birth: Milan, Italy

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Defender

The eternal legend of Inter Milan, Giuseppe Bergomi, is another player in the list of the greatest one-club legends ever with many remarkable achievements, and one of those is his popularity among the fans that stems from his dedication to the club.

His 20-year career was spent entirely with Nerazzuri, mostly as their captain. Moreover, he is regarded as one of the best Italian defenders of all time. He has played in 756 games with Inter's shirt, and is the second-most capped player in the history of the club behind the legendary Javier Zanetti, who has made 858 appearances.

His presence co-occurred with AC Milan spending one of their golden eras. Thus, he only managed to win 1 Serie A title, 1 Italian Cup, and 1 Italian Super Cup. However, he helped to the conquest of 3 UEFA Cups, and reaching the final of 1 further.

Regarded as one of the best one-club footballers in football history, Bergomi has had a bright career with Italian national team. Bergomi made his debut for the national team at the age of 18 years and 3 months, which made him the youngest player to have played for Italy after World War II.

He has featured in 81 matches for Azzuri, including taking part in 4 World Cups and 1 European Championships. With him being in the squad, Italy won the 1982 World Cup. Moreover, he was his national team's captain in 1990 WC, where they finish third. Furthermore,

reached the semi-finals of EURO 88, with Bergomi being named in the team of the tournament.

Bergomi was a very versatile defender who could play in every position of the backline, in addition to being very hard-working, having high stamina and great pace.

He was also a huge contribution to the offensive acts of his teams by scoring goals and providing assists, as he had powerful shots and could perform accurate crosses. Without any doubt, he was one of the best defenders of his generation, and one of the

greatest one-club men in world football

.

Jamie Carragher, Liverpool, 1996 – 2013

• Full name: James Lee Duncan Carragher

• Date of birth: 28 January 1978 (age 43)

• Place of birth: Bootle, Merseyside, England

• Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

• Position(s): Defender

Jamie Carragher's career was spent entirely in Anfield. He made his debut for the club in 1997, and stayed there until he became their vice-captain in 2003 and hold the position to his retirement in 2013.

By appearing in 737 games, Carragher is

's second-most capped player of all time. At his prime, Carragher was regarded as one of the best English center-backs.

Having played for the club for 17 years, Carragher helped them to the conquest of 2 English FA Cups, 3 English League Cups, 2 English Super Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and most impressively 1 UEFA Champions League title.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest one-club legends, he has featured in a total of 38 games for

, including taking part in 2 World Cups and 1 EURO. Although his lack of pace or remarkable technical skills, Carragher was a powerful and versatile defender, and was renowned for his strong character and leadership abilities.

Moreover, he was extremely tactically intelligent and could anticipate the opponents very well. He is deservedly one of the best English defenders of his generation, and is a notable player in the list of greatest one-club men in world football.

Manolo Sanchis, Real Madrid, 1983 – 2001

• Full name: Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo

• Date of birth: 23 May 1965 (age 56)

• Place of birth; Madrid, Spain

• Height: 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)

• Position(s): Sweeper

Manolo Sanchis played only for

throughout his 18-year career, making him one of the greatest one-club legends ever. With his father, Manuel Sanchis, being a Real Madrid player, he grew up becoming the Whites fans and finally entering their youth academy at the age of 12.

His astonishing performances with U-14 and U-19 teams promoted him to Castilla, which is the first team's reserve side. He made his debut for the first team at the age of 18 under Alfredo Di Stefano, and became a regular for the rest of his decorated career.

By featuring in 710 games for Los Blancos, Manolo Sanchis stands 3rd in the list of players with the most appearances for the club after Raul Gonzalez (741) and Iker Casillas (725). He has also scored 40 goals, which is a great record for a center back, and won a lot of prestigious titles.

Being widely considered one of the best Spanish center backs at his prime, he helped Real Madrid to achieve 8 LaLiga titles, 2 Copa del rey (Spanish Cup) trophies, 5 Spanish Super Cups, 1 League Cup, 2 UEFA Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups, and 2 European Cups, which were not been obtained until the last 2 years of his career, 1998 and 2000.

Manolo retired from football lifting his second European Cup title-after winning it in two years earlier- and Real Madrid’s Eighth in the year 2000.

With Spanish national team, Manolo made a total of 48 appearances and took part in EURO 1988 as well as the FIFA World Cup in 1990. Moreover, he stood out for his restraint in defense, great positioning ability, astounding agility and his professionalism. Sanchis is greatly admired by Real Madrid fans for his loyalty and dedication to the club which has made him one of the greatest one-club legends ever.

Franco Baresi, AC Milan, 1977 – 1997

• Full name: Franchino Baresi

• Date of birth: 8 May 1960 (age 61)

• Place of birth: Travagliato, Italy

• Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

• Position(s): Defender

The legendary Franco Baresi is regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of the sport, and is indubitably one of

the greatest one-club legends ever

, having spent the entirety of his 20-year career wearing his beloved AC Milan's shirt.

He made his debut for the club at the age of 17 in 1977/78 season of Serie A, and went on to become the club's second-most capped player in history with 719 appearances, behind Paolo Maldini who has played in 902 games.

Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Baresi has had a luminous career on club level. He helped AC Milan achieve 6 Serie A titles, 4 Italian Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 2 European Champion Clubs' Cups, and 1 UEFA Champions League title.

On international stage, Baresi has spent a bright career as well. Having made 81 appearances for Azzurri, he has participated in 3 World Cups and 2 EUROs. He won the 1982 World Cup with Italian national team, and finished third in 1990 World Cup, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Moreover, Baresi was Italy's captain in 1994 World Cup where they reached the final match. However, they lost the match-and the cup- to Brazil in Penalty shootouts where Baresi, despite his amazing defensive performance during the match, missed one of the penalties.

Baresi was endowed with excellent intelligence, strength, stamina, tenacity, and speed. These attributes along with his ability in distributing the ball, his perfect vision, and his great control on the ball has made him deservedly one of the best one-club footballers in football history.

Giacinto Facchetti, Inter Milan, 1960 – 1978

• Full name: Giacinto Facchetti

• Date of birth: 18 July 1942

• Place of birth: Treviglio, Bergamo, Italy

• Date of death: 4 September 2006 (aged 64)

• Place of death: Milan, Italy

• Height: 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)

• Position(s): Left-back

The legendary Giacinto Facchetti is commonly known as one of the best Italian defenders of all time. He spent his entire career serving Inter Milan, and was a member of "Grande Inter" team, which was managed by Helenio Herrera, that won numerous prestigious awards in the golden era of the club's history.

Facchetti has made 634 appearances for Nerazzurri, placing him 3rd in the list of the players with the most games played for the club after Javier Zanetti (858) and Giuseppe Bergomi (756). Furthermore, he scored a total of 75 goals for his club throughout 18 years.

With him being a pivotal player in one of the best squads in the history of Inter Milan, the club has won 4 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Italia, 2 European Champion Clubs' Cups, as well as 2 Intercontinental Cups.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest one-club legends ever, Facchetti had had a remarkable career with Italian national team as well as his bright spell with Inter. The legendary defender has fearured in 94 matches for Italy, including taking part in 3 World Cups and 1 European Championship.

He lifted the EURO 1968 trophy as Italy's captain, and was included in the Team of the Tournament. Moreover, he helped his national team reach the final match of 1970 World Cup, where they lost to

4 -1, and Facchetti was named in the All-star team of the tournament. Fachetti was so close to becoming the first ever defender who has won the Ballon d'Or, but placed second in 1965 after Eusebio.

Having scored a total of 59 goals in Serie A for

, Facchetti is the defender who has scored the most number of goals in the history of the league. He was renowned for his astonishing pace and strength, as well as having great physical and technical attributes which enabled him to join the attacks, and that accounts for his record of goal scoring.

Besides, he stood out for being an excellent man- marker and a great tackler who possessed the ability to distribute the ball and build up attacks, as well as his capability of anticipating the opponents' acts.

There are so many active players who have played only for one club within their career, but since their professional career is not over yet, these players cannot be counted as one-club legends.

The most notable man of the mentioned players is undoubtedly

, who has been playing for FC Barcelona from 2004, has made 777 appearances (until 15th of May, 2021), and has scored 671 goals.

Some other active one-club players are Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich, 2008 – present), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, 2008- present), Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao, 2009- Present), and Koke (Atletico Madrid, 2009 – present).

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