Ranking the 9 La Liga Players That Were at the Same Club 10 Years Ago
This list had to be exclusive, so the rules are strict.
Players who made their debut for the club they are at more than 10 years ago, left and then came back again have not been included.
That means the likes of Gabi and Fernando Torres at Atletico Madrid and Sevilla's Jose Antonio Reyes have not made the cut.
Also, players who have been at the club since they were kids, but made their first-team debuts later than January 2005 have also been ignored on the basis there are far too many of them.
Therefore, Barcelona duo Pedro and Sergio Busquets were left off; Villarreal's Bruno Soriano was too late; and a whole load of Real Sociedad players had to be overlooked.
To quantify that all further, the nine players that feature over the following slides must have made their debut for their current club by January 2005 and must still be playing for that same club.
As for the rankings, success with their club, reputation at their club, and being born close to the represented club were all considered.
9. Borja Oubina
1 of 9
Celta Vigo midfielder Borja Oubina only just sneaks on to this list.
He did briefly leave the Galicians, although it was only for a loan spell with English club Birmingham City, so he technically never left his hometown club.
Now captain of Celta at 32, he has made over 300 appearances since making his debut for the first team at Mestalla against Valencia in the 2003-04 season.
8. Carlos Gurpegui
2 of 9
Given the reputation of Athletic Club's Lezama academy, there was always going to be Basque representation on this list—Carlos Gurpegui is the first.
After a spell with Athletic's feeder club, Baskonia, he returned to San Mames in 2000, playing for the B team initially.
He eventually made his debut in 2002 for the first team, but the following 13 years have been far from a smooth ride for the 34-year-old defensive player.
Gurpegui spent two years out of the game after testing positive for nandrolone and has also suffered from cruciate problems.
Athletic have stuck by him, though, and he has now made over 300 appearances in the famous red-and-white-striped shirt.
7. Manuel Pablo
3 of 9
The only player on this list that didn't come through his current club's academy, Manuel Pablo signed for Deportivo de La Coruna from Las Palmas in 1998.
Now 38, he's seen a lot during his time with the club.
Pablo's been part of two relegations from La Liga, two promotions from La Segunda, Depor's only ever Primera Division title and some famous Champions League runs.
He's closing in on 500 appearances for the club, although given his lack of opportunities this season, he may not make that landmark.
6. Andoni Iraola
4 of 9
It's hard to believe Andoni Iraola is 32.
He made his debut in 2003 and has been not just Athletic Club's, but one of La Liga's best right-backs in the 12 years which have followed.
Capped by Spain a handful of times, Iraola perhaps received most recognition for his role in the Marcelo Bielsa side, which reached the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals in the same season.
With over 450 Athletic appearances now to his name, he's still capable of playing at the top level in Spain for another few years.
5. Andres Iniesta
5 of 9
At the age of 12, a skinny kid from Fuentealbilla in the south of Spain was convinced to move north to La Masia by Barcelona youth-team coach Enrique Orizaola.
Eighteen years later, you might say Andres Iniesta's decision has been justified.
The Spanish midfielder made his way through Barca's academy, eventually making his first-team debut in a Champions League match against Bruges in 2002.
He's since made over 500 appearances for the Blaugrana; won three Champions Leagues, six La Liga titles, two Club World Cups, two Copa del Reys, two UEFA Super Cups and six Spanish Super Cups.
4. Xabi Prieto
6 of 9
He can't lay claim to as much success as Andres Iniesta, but Real Sociedad's Xabi Prieto is held in extremely high regard by the Basque club's supporters.
Born in San Sebastian, which always helps, Prieto progressed through the club's Zubieta academy before going on to play for the B team.
His first-team debut then came in 2003 against Osasuna.
Nearly 400 appearances later, he now captains the club at 31 and boasts a hat-trick at the Bernabeu among his highlights in La Real's blue-and-white shirt.
A silky midfielder who will be remembered as a club legend, he still has a big role to play under the recently appointed David Moyes.
3. Lionel Messi
7 of 9
Lionel Messi swapped Argentina for Catalonia when he was a teenager requiring hormone treatment and the rest, as they say, really is history in this case.
Still only 27, he has already become the top scorer in the history of Barcelona, La Liga and the Champions League.
It was Frank Rijkaard who gave him his debut in a Catalan derby against Espanyol in October of 2004, but it was under Pep Guardiola that Messi really elevated himself to the best in the world.
At the last count he'd scored 377 goals for Barca, although that number is constantly increasing.
2. Iker Casillas
8 of 9
Born in Mostoles in the autonomous community of Madrid, Iker Casillas has been at Real Madrid since 1990.
This year he can celebrate being at the club for a quarter of a century—it's been a memorable 25 years.
He made his first-team debut in the 1998-99 season and in 2000, four days shy of his 19th birthday, he became the youngest goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.
Madrid won that final and with Casillas in the squad they have since won two more.
The ultimate one-club man, the 33-year-old has made over 700 appearances for Los Blancos and in addition to the Champions Leagues, he has also won La Liga five times.
1. Xavi Hernandez
9 of 9
There are few players in the history of football who can be so uniquely identified with their club as Xavi Hernandez.
Any player born in Catalonia is already off to a good start with the Barcelona fans—the club is so strongly linked to the politics of the region—so being from Terrassa helped in the beginning.
However, since then, Xavi has become so much more than just a local poster boy.
Lionel Messi was the star performer when it rained trophies under Pep Guardiola, but it was Xavi's style of play with which Barca came renowned.
He's now made over 700 appearances since his 1998 debut and is the most successful player in the history of FC Barcelona.
At 34, he's not expected to hang around at Camp Nou for too much longer, though, so he will be keen to add to his previous 22 titles this season.
.jpg?w=480 "Browns Football")
