In brief
In football, loyalty is a unique quality that deserves recognition and appreciation.
Most players don’t return the trust placed in them since they are influenced by larger cash transactions and possible awards.
Some of the most devoted football players in history are Francesco Totti and Marco Reus.
In football, loyalty is a rare commodity. Mega-money contracts and the chance to compete for the biggest trophies will always discourage players from staying at the clubs that found them or gave them the backing and platform to thrive in a business as profitable and trophy-driven as the beautiful game.
The majority will go right away if they think there is a better opportunity elsewhere, and they will not return the trust that people who made it possible for them to relocate in the first place had in them. Football players are notoriously quick to leave clubs in difficult situations, especially during times of crisis. In the modern era, leaving for rival teams has become more and more common.
However, there are several exceptions to the norm. Some people reject external temptations because they respect what their clubs have given them.
GIVEMESPORT has determined the top 15 most devoted football players in history, ranging from Marco Reus and the German’s fervent devotion to Borussia Dortmund to Francesco Totti and his infatuation with Roma.
Longevity in a particular club is one ranking factor.
loyalty throughout difficult circumstances.
rejecting proposals from other sources.
15Thomas Müller
Bayern Munich (2008-Present)
Thomas Müller, who turned 35 in September, is still at the Allianz Arena after joining the Bayern Munich academy at the age of 11. With more than 700 games and 247 goals, the German has helped the Bundesliga team win 12 league titles and two Champions Leagues.
Muller’s sheer longevity in Munich and his dedication to die Roten must be admired, even though staying with Germany’s most successful club—and one of the biggest clubs in the world—does not demonstrate an extraordinary capacity to withstand outside temptations. In times when Bayern hasn’t been the most competitive on the continent, he has stuck with them. In 2014, he reportedly rejected a “astronomical” offer from Manchester United.
14Koke
Atletico Madrid (2009-Present)
Koke, the club-record appearance maker for Atletico Madrid, has spent his whole career at Spain’s third-largest footballing institution, making over 650 first team appearances. Most players who perform well enough at Atletico have dreams of joining Real Madrid or Barcelona, the two Galactico clubs who dominate the Spanish football scene, or they may end up in the Premier League.
Koke, who has undoubtedly been at the level to step up to those teams or accept a big offer from abroad in Europe, doesn’t seem to have been drawn to these goals, though. In fact, the graceful midfielder made it clear in 2014 that he turned down a Barcelona offer to stay at his beloved Atletico, a stark sign of loyalty for any Spaniard.
13Mark Noble
West Ham United (2004-2022)
Known as ‘Mr West Ham’, Mark Noble played his whole career with the East London club, with the exception of a few short loan stints at Hull City and Ipswich Town. The midfielder, who grew up in Canning Town near Upton Park, the former home field of the Irons, was a true Hammer.
Noble played 550 games with West Ham, never gave in to the attraction of other teams, and broke down in tears after his 2022 last match. The epitome of a faithful servant, Noble also asserted that his loyalty to England, which never showed any interest in choosing him, caused him to decline the opportunity to pursue an international career through the Republic of Ireland. True loyalty is that.
12Jamie Vardy
Leicester City (2012-Present)
Jamie Vardy, who only became a professional football player at the age of 25, could have been forgiven for taking any big contract offer he got in order to optimise his earnings during his brief time at the highest level. Vardy, however, declined the opportunity to join Arsenal and earn potentially much more money after winning the Premier League title with Leicester City in the 2015–16 season. This gave Vardy a better chance of competing for the game’s top accolades.
The striker and the Foxes had reached an agreement for the Gunners to sign him, but at the last minute, the player decided against the move. Though he stayed loyal to the team that had initially given him a chance at the top level, he could have undoubtedly been the driving force behind the North London team’s major trophy success.
In the 18 months following Leicester’s title victory, Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, and Riyad Mahrez all signed lucrative contracts with prominent teams, yet Vardy stayed. In his 492 appearances for Leicester, the innovative center-forward has scored 198 goals.
11Rogerio Ceni
Sao Paulo (1993-2015)
It’s incredible that you made 1,197 appearances throughout your career, especially for one team. Rogerio Cerni, a Brazilian goalkeeper who played for Sao Paulo for 25 years, was considered one of the world’s best goalkeepers in the mid-2000s, but he never chose to leave Serie A for one of Europe’s top leagues, even though he could have.
However, the fact that Ceni has played more games and minutes for a single club than any other football player in history makes him an obvious choice for our loyalty list. He has really played more games for one team than any other player in history. His dedication is demonstrated by the fact that he has twice returned to coach the first team.
10Paul McStay
Celtic (1981-1997)
Paul McStay, who spent his whole 16-year career at Celtic after growing up in the Glaswegian giants’ academy, is a fitting name for a player who was praised for his commitment. With 678 appearances for the Scottish team, three first division titles, and multiple domestic cups under his belt, it would be reasonable to assume that, considering his steady success and the fact that he was working in his native country, near Hamilton, there was no reason he shouldn’t continue to dedicate his future to Celtic Park.
Nonetheless, he would have attracted interest from outside teams as a highly regarded midfielder and important member of the Scottish national team, having amassed 76 caps and participated in two World Cups. The possibility of playing in one of Europe’s top leagues and more lucrative deals would have probably been available.
In fact, at a period when Serie A was undoubtedly the most alluring league in Europe, McStay reportedly rejected several offers from Italy. The Scotsman turned down offers from teams like Juventus, Fiorentina, and Inter Milan in order to stick with his beloved Celtic.
9Igor Akinfeev
CSKA Moscow (2003-Present)
Like McStay, Igor Akinfeev, who was born in Moscow, has played for a single club his whole career, and that team is the best in his native country. After making his debut for CSKA Moscow at the age of sixteen in 2003, the goalie has now made 787 appearances for the Russian team, winning six league titles.
Akinfeev has made more appearances for the Russian national team than anybody else save one. He has also attracted the interest of several elite European teams by showcasing his skills at numerous important international competitions. In 2009, the one-club man reportedly had discussions with Manchester United, and in 2010, he was connected to Arsenal.
The goalie, who had been considered a wonderkid when he was first emerging as a teenager, may have been prevented from reaching his full potential by ultimately rejecting these offers and sticking with CSKA.
8Paolo Maldini
AC Milan (1984-2009)
Paolo Maldini, one of the greatest defenders in football history, spent his entire career at AC Milan and went on to become one of the greatest ‘one-club’ football players of all time, playing for the Italian powerhouses in more than 900 games. Winning seven Serie A titles and five Champions Leagues during his absurdly successful tenure with his boyhood club did, however, somewhat wane in the second half of his tenure at the San Siro.
Since 2000, Milan has been a little less competitive at the top of the Italian football league, and since he was considered the world’s best defender, he could have joined any team in the world. He didn’t, though, and his exceptional dedication to the Serie A powerhouses over such a lengthy period of time merits praise.
7Matt Le Tissier
Southampton (1986-2002)
Even though Matt Le Tissier is a contentious character these days, his loyalty to Southampton should be commended. He is possibly the first player on this list to have stuck with a team that wasn’t successful in terms of trophies. He progressed through the Saints’ academy, scoring 209 goals in 540 games for the south coast team during four seasons in which he scored more than 20 goals in every tournament.
Those at the top of the English first division were bound to take notice of this extraordinary output. Le Tissier disclosed that he turned down offers from Chelsea and Tottenham, saying he was unable to leave his cherished Southampton. This is despite the fact that during his tenure at the club, the Saints were frequently involved in relegation dogfights and never finished higher than eighth.
6Gianluigi Buffon
Juventus (2001-2018)
It may not seem like a very noteworthy example of loyalty for an Italian to spend the majority of his career at Italy’s most successful team, but Gianluigi Buffon stuck with Juventus throughout some difficult times. The custodian was anticipated to leave Turin when the Old Lady was demoted to Serie B in 2006 due to a betting scandal.
He would be excused for not wishing to spend at least a year of his career outside of the top division, as he was widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the time. But Buffon chose to stay at Juventus, where he would play for the team for 19 seasons and two stints, totalling over 700 matches.
5Steven Gerrard
Liverpool (1998-2015)
Although many would argue that remaining loyal to one of the most prominent clubs in the world for nearly your whole career is not an impressive feat, Steven Gerrard’s unwavering dedication to Liverpool is actually a unique example of a player avoiding the lure of greater success and financial gain.
The English midfielder might have won multiple league titles and other awards elsewhere, but he insisted on giving his all to win these victories at the team he played for as a youth. Although he failed to win a league title, he was rewarded in 2005 with a Champions League winners’ medal.
Gerrard famously declined a move to Chelsea in 2004, which would have allowed him to leave Anfield for the wealth of Stamford Bridge, where he would have won numerous league titles.
4Marco Reus
Borussia Dortmund (2012-2024)
Marco Reus was one of the greatest wingers in world football at his most brilliant. Unfortunately for the German, his impressive career has only resulted in two DFB-Pokals.
Following his 2012 transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Borussia Dortmund, Reus played 429 games for the Schwarzgelben, tallying 170 goals. He played for the Western German team for 12 seasons before joining the LA Galaxy this summer, which marked the end of his playing career.
Reus refused to follow the notorious trend of many Dortmund players using the team as a stepping stone before eventually joining larger clubs. Reus reportedly turned down a move to Manchester United in 2014, and the CEO of Dortmund disclosed in 2015 that the devoted player turned down “double the money” from some of the best teams in the world. In 2019, Reus described the Bundesliga team as his “home” and asserted that he “belongs here.”
3Alessandro Del Piero
Juventus (1993-2012)
The productive Alessandro Del Piero, like Buffon, stayed at Juventus during the late 2000s Serie B season. Even though he was one of Europe’s most effective goal scorers, the Italian remained loyal to Turin during their worst moments, extending his incredible 19-year tenure at the club.
The only thing that puts him above Buffon on this list is that he joined Sydney FC in the A-League for his farewell dance after it became evident that he was surplus to requirements and no longer at the level required to play in Serie A. Even though he was nearing the conclusion of his career, Buffon left the team in 2019 to accept a sizable offer from Paris Saint-Germain.
2Francesco Totti
Roma (1993-2017)
Known as ‘the Emperor’ and ‘the Eighth King of Rome’ while he was a member of Roma, Totti is perhaps the most famous ‘one-club man’ in football history. The former attacking midfielder, who made his debut at the age of sixteen and retired with I Giallorossi at the age of forty, is deserving of a statue outside the Stadio Olimpico.
Despite winning only one Serie A title during this time, Totti made 786 appearances for Roma, scoring 307 goals, and never even entertained the idea of joining another team. Real Madrid is thought to have been the only team that came close to luring the Italian away from his country, which is why his relative lack of success and extraordinary longevity made him so worthy of this award of commitment.
1Alessandro Lucarelli
Parma (2008-2018)
Alessandro Lucarelli may not be a household name, but he has perhaps shown the most loyalty of any football player to ever play. Given that he was continuously offered chances to play in Serie A by new clubs over the first half of his career, it was clear that the Italian defender, who had been something of a journeyman prior to joining Parma in 2008, was capable of performing at the highest level.
After securing the club promotion to the top level in his first season, he eventually made Parma his home and went on to enjoy six consecutive seasons in Serie A. But in 2015, I Crociati experienced financial difficulties, which led to their immediate relegation to the fourth division of Italian football.
With Lucarelli and the rest of the playing staff departing, a major squad revamp was unavoidable. The centre-back would have undoubtedly received offers from Serie A teams, but he accepted a much lower salary in exchange for his commitment to assist the team return to the top flight.
Lucarelli fulfilled his pledge by retiring at the end of the third game after winning three straight promotions, which led Parma to retire his number six shirt.
xz
