10 most loyal, one-club men in Europe, Messi number two!

“LOYALTY IS STILL THE SAME, whether it win or lose the game; true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon.” The 10 players on the following list, collated by the guys over at Transfer Markt, are the embodiment of the following quote by the famous English author Samuel butler.

Read: City to offer THREE players, €100M in exchange for Messi!

They are the embody the absolute epitome of true loyalty and what it means to be a one-called-man. Perhaps the most iconic off all, Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona, following nearly two decades of service with the Blaugrana. But La Pulga currently stands as the second most loyal player in Europe.

Lionel Messi adds to his trophy cabinet with World Soccer's World Player of  the Year award - EssentiallySports
Image: sourced.

It is well-documented that Messi spent the early part of his youth career with Newell’s Old Boys in his hometown of Rosario in Argentina before making the move to the La Masia academy in 2001. Then, as a fresh-faced youth beaming with natural talent, Messi made his official first-team debut in October 2004.

He has since made 730 more appearances for the club in 16 years, scoring a ridiculous 634 goals in all competitions, on his way to capturing a record six Ballon d’Or titles and a mountain of other records to go with it. Only CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has been at a club for a longer period of time when it comes to longest-serving one-club-men.

Below is the top 10 list:

10. Sammy Bossut

Club: Zulte Waregem

Period in service: 14 years, 1 month and 26 days

Bossut en Leye reageren enthousiast - Zulte Waregem - KW

9. Sergio Ramos

Club: Real Madrid

Period in service: 14 years, 11 months and 26 days

Real Madrid: Sergio Ramos: Real Madrid's next renewal | MARCA in English

8. Giorgio Chiellini

Club: Juventus

Period in service: 15 years, 1 month and 26 days

Juventus news: 'It should not be anything to worry about' - Allegri  unconcerned over Chiellini injury | Goal.com

7. Francesco Magnanelli

Club: Sassuolo

Period in service: 15 years, 1 month and 26 days

Gotteslästerung: Italien sperrt zwei Erstliga-Profis

6. Jessy Moulin

Club: Saint-Etienne

Period in service: 15 years, 1 month and 26 days

Sport | Jessy Moulin (Saint-Etienne) : « La priorité, c'est la santé des  gens »

5. Oier

Club: Osasuna

Period in service: 15 years, 1 months and 26 days

Osasuna renueva el contrato del capitán Oier Sanjurjo hasta el año 2020,  cuando cumplirá 34 años - Osasuna - Navarra.com. Noticias de Navarra,  Osasuna, Pamplona, deportes

4. Sergio Alvarez

Club: Celta Vigo

Period in service: 16 years, 1 month and 26 days

Celta: Sergio Álvarez has been playing official matches for almost a year |  Spain's News

3. Mark Noble

Club: West Ham United

Period in service: 16 years, 7 months and 25 days

West Ham captain Mark Noble: There's still no way that I'm letting anyone  take my shirt | London Evening Standard

2. Lionel Messi

Club: Barcelona

Period in service: 16 years, 7 months and 25 days

Ronaldinho: Messi the best of his time, not all time - AS.com

1. Igor Akinfeev

Club: CSKA Moscow

Period in service: 17 years, 7 months and 25 days

Igor Akinfeev retires: Goalkeeper announces Russia retirement after earning  111 caps | Goal.com