Marcelo, Chiellini, Busquets: The 10 most loyal players currently in European football

Loyalty in football can be hard to come by these days, as wages rise and player power increases it’s not unusual for players to turn their back on clubs or managers.

Of course, some players simply like the idea of playing in different leagues and countries. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a great example of a player who has shined across Europe and beyond in many different leagues.

But one-club players are definitely a dying breed, even Lionel Messi, who spent 21 years at Barcelona after joining aged 13, has now moved on to new pastures.

A Transfermarkt image recently posted to Reddit has sparked the interest of fans. It shows 10 active players from the top five leagues that have spent the most time at a single club without interruption.

There doesn’t appear to be much of a trend amongst the players, as the list includes footballers from the Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, Serie A and Ligue 1.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 of the most loyal players that are still plying their trade.

Muller is one of the best German players of all time, and he has certainly been awarded for his troubles. The 32-year-old is the most decorated German footballer in history, with 30 trophies.

Muller has managed a ridiculous 606 appearances for the German outfit. The midfielder also spent a large chunk of his youth career in Bayern Munich’s academy, so has actually been at the club since 2000.

Schmelzer’s resume is not quite as impressive as Muller, but the German defender’s loyalty is unquestionable.

Schmelzer only spent two years of his youth career at Borussia Dortmund’s academy, but has still been at the club since 2005. All 13 years of his professional career have been spent at Dortmund, and the defender has racked up 367