Who are the top one-club men in Europe's top leagues?
After 25 seasons, Francesco Totti made his 786th and final appearance for home-town club Roma on Sunday. It got us thinking: with the 40-year-old bowing out, who are the longest-serving one-club men still playing in Europe’s top leagues? Here’s what we found …
Criteria
Players must have spent their entire senior career with the same club, and must never have played for another team – even on loan. We looked at the top eight leagues according to the UEFA coefficients.
Spain: Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona)
Seasons: 15, competitive appearances: 624
Scoring the winner in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final rubber-stamped Iniesta’s super-star status, but he had long been integral for club and country. Superb at UEFA EURO 2008, he was player of the tournament when Spain won UEFA EURO 2012. Above all, Iniesta has been an enduring presence for Barcelona, his elegance pivotal to their ‘tika-taka’ style. Alongside Xavi Hernández he was the heartbeat of an Azulgrana side that won three UEFA Champions Leagues.
Germany: Thomas Müller (Bayern München)
Seasons: 9, competitive appearances: 394
Müller joined Bayern in 2000 aged ten, making his breakthrough under Louis van Gaal in 2009/10 following a few cameo appearances the previous season. Seven years on, he has amassed six Bundesliga titles, four German Cups and the UEFA Champions League (in 2013), not to mention the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany.”I am not always eye-catching, but always dangerous,” explained Müller, who has scored 161 goals for Bayern.
Honourable mention, too, for Benedikt Höwedes, who has been at Schalke almost as long.
England: Andy King (Leicester City)
Seasons: 10, competitive appearances: 363
King had no ties to Leicester when they took him on aged 15 after he was released from his youth contract at Stamford Bridge. “I will always be grateful for that,” he said. He expressed that gratitude by sticking with the Foxes through lean times, the Wales midfielder representing the club in three leagues, winning two promotions and famously the 2015/16 Premier League title.
Italy: Daniele De Rossi (Roma)
Seasons: 16, competitive appearances: 557
With Totti bowing out, the man known as ‘the eighth king of Rome’ does not have to look far for his successor as Italy’s longest-serving one-club man: step forward De Rossi. The 33-year-old, Italy’s fifth-most capped player, has just completed his 16th season with his home-town club. He made his first-team debut under Fabio Capello in October 2001, breaking into the side just after their most recent Scudetto. The Giallorossi have since finished Serie A runners-up seven times.
France: Vincent Manceau (Angers)
Seasons: 9, competitive appearances: 237
Totti isn’t the only one-club man bowing out this summer. Caen’s Nicolas Seube has also called time on his playing career after 520 appearances for the Norman club. That leaves Manceau as France’s longest-serving one-club man. On his home-town club’s books since he was six, Manceau has been a regular in the side for the past seven seasons, the last two in Ligue 1.
Russia: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moskva)
Seasons: 14, competitive appearances: 522
On the Army Men’s books since he was four, goalkeeper Akinfeev was 17 when he made his senior debut in March 2003, and was regular first-choice soon after. Already CSKA’s appearance-record holder, he eclipsed Lev Yashin’s record for top-flight clean sheets in 2014. “I don’t know what everybody else thinks, but in my eyes CSKA are a top club,” said Akinfeev, now 31, back in 2012. “I have been here for 22 years and I have not ruled out spending the rest of my career here.”
Portugal: Rui Patrício (Sporting CP)
Seasons: 11, competitive appearances: 412
Propelled into the first-team aged 18 in the midst of an injury crisis, Rui Patrício made his mark by saving a penalty in a 1-0 win. He earned a permanent first-team place the following season, and has not abandoned his post since. Twice a Portuguese title-winner, he is third in Sporting’s all-time appearances list, and has played a club-record 79 European games.
Ukraine: Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar)
Seasons: 8, competitive matches: 275
The son of a miner, Rakitskiy has fittingly spent his entire career with the Pitmen. The central defender broke through in 2009 when Dmytro Chygrynskiy left for Barcelona, and – now 27 – the left-footer has amassed six league titles and five Ukraine Cups. He extended his stay at Shakhtar for another five years in April. “Shakhtar are my life,” he told UEFA.com. “I started my footballing life here. I can talk forever about this club and what it is like to play in this team. I love Shakhtar.”
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