One club players are a rarity these days. In a time where money plays an important factor in the world of football, it is hard to stay loyal to a single club for an entire lifetime. Also, some players decide to move as their own ambition outgrows the club that they have been playing for. Winning trophies is what drives certain players to move on.
But not these players! You have to be a special person, loyal, and love the club above all to stay with them for the entirety of your career. Football players like these are hard to find, but they do exist. Today, it is time to highlight those star players who devoted their whole playing career to one single club and stuck with them through thick and thin.
Francesco Totti (AS Roma)
The Prince of Rome, Francesco Totti, is probably the most well-known example of a one club player. Totti played for his boyhood club for 24 years and captained for the majority of his stay in Rome. He made over 700 appearances for the club and scored more than 300 goals, but only won five trophies with his beloved Lupi.
The height of his career was lifting the 2000/01 Serie A title. His final match for the club was one of the most emotional events in Italian football history. Dubbed “The Stadium of Tears,” everyone was crying when Totti made his final appearance for Rome, forever cementing his place as probably the best one club football player in history.
Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
Another Italian legend and one of players who only played for one club is Paolo Maldini. Considered one of the best defenders to ever play football, Maldini stayed at Milan for 25 years. Interestingly, he continued being a part of the club long after his retirement as a sporting director.
Paolo made 901 appearances for the club, and during that time won a total of 23 trophies. This includes seven Serie A titles and five Champions League trophies. He is so respected at the club decided to retire his famed number 3 shirt. Only his sons will be able to wear it in the future if they ever make it at AC Milan.
Paul Scholes (Manchester United)
The legendary Paul Scholes is one of the famed one-club players in the Premier League. He devoted his whole career, 19 years to be exact, to the Red Devils. He even made a comeback after already retiring, as Sir Alex Ferguson was facing an injury crisis that decimated his entire midfield line.
Scholes played in more than 700 games for the club, and during that period won 25 trophies with Man Utd. It included a total of 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League wins. He was a great example to all of the younger players. Paul will go down in history as a professional without any controversies to his name.
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
One of the current one club players, still playing football, is Thomas Muller. While there is still a chance for him to finish his career at some other club, there is no chance that it is going to happen. Thomas Muller is a Bayern icon. He rose through the ranks of the Bayern academy and broke onto the scene in 2008.
He currently has 15 years of service with the club. At 34 years of age, he still has a lot to go. He helped Bayern claim 12 Bundesliga titles and won the Champions League with them twice. With more than 200 goals and 200 assists, Muller is definitely one of the best one club players to have ever existed.
