As fans, we have no choice. Through family, geography or simply closing our eyes and sticking a pin in the league table, we have a team. Then we are stuck, chained to the misery, the euphoria, the boredom and whatever else may come to pass for as long as we live. As much as we try to kid ourselves, though, it’s a different world for the players. In reality, despite the bullish fist-pumps and emotional badge kisses, the likelihood is that the bond with your club’s talisman is a fleeting one, destined to come to an abrupt end in a grim contract dispute and a flurry of transfer fees. It’s a dismal thought, but luckily Sport.co.uk is here to seek out those players whose dedication to a single club brings back the romance of the game. Step forward the Top 10: One-Club men...
Matthew Le Tissier – Southampton
That’s right, before tearing it up with the lads on Soccer Saturday, Matt Le Tissier actually had a rather accomplished career on the pitch. What he lacked in agility (he had none), he made up for in ability (he had lots), and the sight of Le Tiss hooking in a majestic 40-yarder became standard Match of the Day fare in the mid-90’s. For a time he could have had his pick of teams from around the country. That he chose to remain at Southampton for the duration was refreshing, admirable and, ultimately, why his trophy cabinet is empty. Although, he probably didn’t bother to buy one.
Ryan Giggs – Manchester United
I think it was Shakira who said ‘the stats don’t lie’, and when it comes to Ryan Giggs, they certainly don’t. His ageless talent and dedication to Manchester United have been rewarded with 11 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions League titles. Fast approaching his 20th anniversary at the club, Giggs has never shown a hint of a desire to leave. But let’s face it, with a trophy haul like that, why the hell would he?
Jamie Carragher - Liverpool
Jamie Carragher, of course, is one of two home-grown idols currently at Anfield. But while persistent transfer rumours have circled the head of his esteemed colleague, Carragher is Liverpool through and through. Cut him open, they say with biological and metaphorical accuracy, and he bleeds red. The kop see him as one of their own, and their bond is founded in his unwavering passion on and off the pitch, and quotes such as these, when asked whether he would consider moving to another club; ‘Where’s bigger than Liverpool?’.
Raul – Real Madrid
You have to hand it to Raul. Despite never commanding a reputation on the level of the truly great players of his era, the little Spaniard has quietly and relentlessly turned himself into a Real Madrid legend. Illustrious team-mates such as Ronaldo, Fernando Morientes and Davor Suker have come and gone, as have lucrative offers from around the continent, but Raul has kept his head down and just kept on scoring to cement his status as the darling of the Bernabeu.
Gary Kelly – Leeds United
For most players on this list, their one-club careers have conveniently remained at the highest level. For Irish right-back Gary Kelly, his time with Leeds United was somewhat of a roller coaster. After winning the league in his debut season, the next 15 years rolled through the highs of some classic Champions League nights, the lows of relegation, and catastrophes of financial implosion. In a period that took Leeds from the summit of English football to Championship strugglers there were very few constants, but the ever-reliable Kelly at full-back was one.
Franco Baresi – AC Milan
To have sat at the heart of one of the meanest defences to grace a football pitch is an impressive claim. To do so for two decades is remarkable. A Milanese rock from his first game to his last, Baresi won just about everything available to him at the San Siro, and when he finally called it a day in 1997, the club laid his number 6 shirt to rest as a mark of respect. Of all the indelible marks he left on the club, though, perhaps the greatest was...
Paolo Maldini – AC Milan
When Paolo Maldini emerged into the back four alongside Milan’s favourite son in 1984, few could have guessed that Baresi’s protégé would achieve anything like the success of his mentor. 25 years and, a frankly ridiculous, 900 appearances for Milan later and the long-haired defender must have surpassed even the most surreal of guessing games. In an act straight out of the good parenting guide, the club also retired Maldini’s shirt when he hung up his boots last year, under strict orders only to re-introduce it should any member of the next Maldini generation follow in the footsteps of Dad.
Santiago Bernabeu Yeste - Real Madrid
Those boys from Milan and their retired shirt-numbers may sound impressive, but they’re someway short of matching the legacy of Santiago Bernabeu Yeste. Such was Bernabeu’s affinity with Real Madrid – as player, as post-civil war saviour and as subsequent President – that they named their whole stadium after him. Under Bernabeu, a war-ravaged wreck of a team had become the most decorated club in the World, a status they can still lay claim to today. Now that’s a one-club man.
Gary Neville – Manchester United
Gary Neville, pre-eco warrior days, has often appeared on a one-man mission to antagonise the rest of the world in the name of the love of his life, Manchester United. Copious honours and many, many more performances have assured Neville of his place in history, but it’s the fierce support of his team that has elevated him to true legendary status at Old Trafford. His penchant for taunting the enemy is perhaps ill-advised, but in truth, there’s nothing fans love more.
Tony Adams - Arsenal
Being a one-club man involves a special relationship between the player, the fans and the club itself, and nowhere is this more in evidence than with Tony Adams. Club captain from the age of 21 until his retirement, Adams offered 19 years of unflinching service to Arsenal, and the club responded in kind, throwing nothing but support behind the big man through his battle with alcoholism. Under Arsene Wenger, the defender’s final years were among his best and his championship winning strike on the final day of the season in 1998 is one of the most enduring images of the Premier League era.