One Club Man: A Dying Breed

Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Tony Adams, Berti Vogts, Paul Scholes, Francesco Totti etc.

The above mentioned belong to a select category of footballers, one that is fast dying out i.e.they have all spent their entire careers at a single club.

Call it passion or love for the club or anything else, their achievement is something worth talking about. Besides all of them have been extremely successful in their respective clubs and have not just been there to make up the numbers.

Lets begin with Mr.Roma, the great Francesco Totti. When he joined the club in 1993, not even he would have imagined the success that he would get. 15 years later and one scudetto and a World Cup later he has been the club's best ever. Several times in his career he was tempted to leave Rome for more successful teams such as Milan or Madrid, but his loyalty for the club was much greater than any amount of money.

His loyalty is so highly regarded in Rome that he even has a chapel dedicated to him. He is truly an example setter in more ways than one.

Then come the trio of players from Manchester United. Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. All three have epitomised the club throughout the Alex Ferguson era. In a time when the fortunes of the club changed significantly, they can proudly say that they have been there and done that.

The trio has been responsible for the rise of Manchester United over the years and have featured for the club in almost all of its greatest victories under Ferguson.

Paolo Maldini is another player that needs no introduction. His achievements are so numerous with the Rossonieri that i would have to write a completely different article to cover them all. In his 24 year career with AC Milan he has served them as loyally as one could. It's hard to imagine that he had played alongside the legendary Baresi and is still plying his trade today. Quite an achievement I must say.

All the players mentioned spent their careers at "big" clubs. What about the ones who were at less glamorous ones..??

One example is Matt Le Tissier. A legend among the Southampton faithful, Le Tissier refused to join AC Milan and Chelsea, just because his heart was with The Saints. He is even reported to have torn up a contract he had signed with Tottenham Hotspurs in 1991. A true loyalist I must say. His refusal to leave a struggling Southampton exemplified all that makes legends out of men.

These are just a few of the players who have been dubbed as ONE CLUB WONDERS. In today's footballing world where money is the lingua franca, it is hard to imagine any player spending his entire career at one club.

Gone are the days where the likes of Lev Yashin and Giancinto Facchetti refused large wads of money for contempt of heart. It would not be entirely wrong of me to say that the 'one club wonders' are a dying breed and probably will only exist in smaller clubs.

All these men chose loyalty over money and fame. It hurts me to see someone like Nicolas Anelka change clubs like one changes clothes. It only points out to the fact that football has developed an enemy in form of wealth.

Well, it only remains to be seen if someone can carry on this tradition of being loyal to one club.