Hey guys. Happy #SoccerLadumaDay to all of you. I hope you all have bought your latest copy of Soccer Laduma already.
Please have a read of my international column on whether Steven Gerrard's time at Liverpool is up. As promised in the paper, I did a little research to find the next Gerrard, the next Xavi or the next Frank Lampard.
What did all of the above have in common? One of the stand-out similarities is that they spent a large part of their career at one big club and are/were known as so called "one-club-wonders".
So which players can be regarded as the new "one-club-wonders' or is this sort of loyal players dying out?
Andres Iniesta:The 30-year-old came through Barcelona's famous youth academy La Masia and made his first team debut as an 18-year-old. He went on to feature in 511 games for the Blaugrana and has won 21 senior trophies with the club.
Bastian Schweinsteiger:The 30-year-old came through the youth ranks of Bayern Munich and made his senior debut in 2002. He has made 472 first team appearances in twelve years since and won 21 trophies.
Daniele De Rossi:The Italian joined the youth system at Roma as a 17-year-old and made his debut for the Serie A side one year later. The 31-year-old has since made 463 appearances for Roma and won 14 domestic trophies with the Italian side.
Philipp Lahm:The 31-year-old joined Bayern Munich's youth when he was 12 and made his senior team debut in 2002. However, he needed one season on loan at Stuttgart to kickstart his career. Since his return in 2003, he has made over 400 appearances for Bayern and has won 18 trophies with the German giants.
Lionel Messi:The 27-year-old famously signed his first Barcelona contract as an 11-year-old on a napkin. He made his senior team debut in 2004 and has since made 365 appearances for the Blaugrana. Overall, Messi has won 21 trophies with Barcelona.
Gonzalo Castro:The 27-year-old joined German side Bayer Leverkusen as 12-year-old and made his senior debut when he was 17. Castro has made 346 appearances for Leverkusen and stayed with the club despite winning any trophy.
As you can see there are still a few "one-club-wonders" out there. However, I have a feeling that we will see fewer and fewer really loyal players.
Who is your greatest "one-club-wonder" of all time?
Chat to me here in Supporters Club.
Kind regards,
David
