A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

Boring to be at the same club for too long

After compiling a team of footballers who have spent their entire professional career at one club, we are now back with a side of exact opposites – players who can’t hang onto one club for too long and keep moving from club to club every now and then.

Unlike last time we will restrict this eleven to players whose major playing career happened post 1990. This way we will be able to identify the wanderlusts who managed to be on the move, long before the Bosman ruling gave them the freedom to move as and when they liked.

The qualification cut-off for this list is having atleast a 6 club career including loan spells. This list is far bigger than the list of one-club players and hence we will include a reserve for each position as well.

Here we go

Have contributed 8 players to this list

Forwards

Ronaldo (Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Internazionale, Real Madrid, Milan, Corinthians) – Fans of any club hate a player who switches loyalties to join a bitter derby rival. There is a select group of players who have done this. But having played for two sets of bitter rivals, Ronaldo belongs to an extremely exclusive list. Leaving Barcelona even before the season got over and ditching Inter immediately after recovering from a two year injury (Inter paid his wages and medical bills during this time) are some of the not-so-proud highlights of his career. I wouldn’t bet against him adding to his list of 7 clubs by the time he is done with his career.

Christian Vieri (Prato,Torino,Pisa, Ravenna, Venezia, Atalanta, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio, Internazionale, Milan,Monaco,Atalanta,Fiorentina, Atalanta) – Don’t know anyone who can beat the 15 club resume of Bobo Vieri. It’s interesting to see that his strike partner in this eleven, Ronaldo, was also his cohort at Inter Milan – a club which has one of the highest rates of player turn-over. He is currently without a club and was paid by the goal at his last stop at Atalanta. He isn’t done moving though. Reports abound of an alleged move to LA Galaxy.

Reserve

Nicolas Anelka (Paris Saint-Germain,Arsenal,Real Madrid,Paris Saint-Germain,Liverpool (loan),Manchester City,Fenerbahçe,Bolton Wanderers,Chelsea) – nicknamed ‘the Sulk’ for good reason, he can be relied upon to put in a transfer request the moment something goes against his wishes. Once the most sought after striker in Europe, he has also had to endure the lows of Istanbul and Bolton, many thanks to his grumpy temperament. But he is also a gifted goal-scorer and big clubs keep coming back for him.

Midfielders

Rivaldo (Santa Cruz,Mogi Mirim,Corinthians,Palmeiras,Deportivo La Coruña, Barcelona, Milan, Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor) – 11 clubs old, Rivaldo seems to be on a mission – to continue playing for as long as he can, for any club which is willing to take a chance with him. He is surely the only FIFA World Player of the Year who will play in the Uzbek League. Always keen to be the centre of attention and of the attack, he will have to continue to move to lesser clubs as his physical powers wane. Maybe, he will end up leading the Mohun Bagan attack in India at the age of 50.

Juan Veron (Estudiantes, Boca Juniors, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Manchester United, Chelsea, Internazionale (loan), Estudiantes) – His is a story of two halves. In the first part he was outstanding; raising his stock and market value at every stop. His peak came when he lead Lazio to the Serie A title and then moved to Man United in what was then the most expensive transfer in British football. In the second part of his career, he was far less successful and his transfers involved much smaller amounts of money.

Paul Ince (West Ham United, Manchester United,Internazionale,Liverpool,Middlesbrough,Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town, Macclesfield) – He started at West Ham, a club he supported as a boy, and could have had a long stint with them but unfortunately the club got relegated. He then became a star at Man United, but in spite of being a crowd favourite, couldn’t last long enough to become an Old Trafford legend thanks to a stormy relationship with Alex Ferguson. Also one of the few players to play for both United and hated rivals Liverpool

Edgar Davids (Ajax, Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona (loan), Internazionale, Hotspur, Ajax) – A product of the Ajax youth system, he was part of their brilliant sides in the mid 90’s. Sadly Ajax didn’t have the money to hold on to their talented young players and like many others before and after him, Davids moved to a bigger and richer European giant. As for his other moves, they were often caused by an outspoken temperament and once by a failed drugs test.

Diego Simeone (Vélez Sársfield, Pisa, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, Internazionale, Lazio, Atlético Madrid, Racing Club) – His is a very surprising case. He is one of the most durable and consistent footballers of all time – A very low-key player who made a living out of doing the simple things well. He was by no means the kind of player clubs chase with big transfer fees or the disgruntled misfit who finds trouble everywhere. Therefore, an 8 club career is begging for inclusion.

Reserve

Denilson (São Paulo FC, Real Betis, Flamengo (loan), Bordeaux, Al-Nasr, FC Dallas, Palmeiras, Itumbiara) – His dazzling dribbling skills have left many an observer blinded. Many have been besotted enough to sign him for a fortune, like Real Betis did for a world record transfer fee in 1998. But soon they realize that he is more a circus artist and less a footballer, incapable of making meaningful contributions to the teams cause. That coupled with his high wages have often made him a liability. But someone keeps falling for his bag of tricks. If the rumoured move to Perth Glory goes through, he will become one of the few players to play in 5 continents.

Never mess with the manager

Defenders

Juan Pablo Sorin (Argentinos Juniors, Juventus, River Plate, Cruzeiro, Lazio, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Cruzeiro, Villarreal, Hamburger, Cruzeiro) – Sorin has played in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Had he played for a premiership side, and he has had opportunities to do so, then he would have had the unique distinction of having played in all the top leagues of the world. But he is just 33 and we can’t rule out another move from South America to Europe, the defender having done that 3 times previously. The maximum number of games that he’s played for a single club is 78 for River Plate.

Christian Panucci (Genoa, Milan, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Chelsea (loan), Monaco (loan), Roma) – After being on the move for most of his career, Panucci has kind of settled down at Roma, spending almost 8 years at the club. Or so it seemed, till a selection tiff with the manager led to Panucci announcing his decision to leave the club. While no buyer was found in the January 2009 transfer window, things could be a lot different once his contract expires in June 2009. An eighth club look well on the cards.

Jaap Stam (FC Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden, Willem II, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan, Ajax) – When he moved to United, he became the most expensive defender in history. He soon became the defensive cornerstone of a side which won trophies galore. Sadly, thanks to an ill-advised and ill-timed tell-all autobiography, Stam incurred the wrath of Alex Ferguson and was sold to Lazio, cutting short what could have been a long rewarding career at Old Trafford. He never quite enjoyed the same kind of success after that, adding 3 more clubs to his resume before retiring in 2007.

Laurent Blanc (Montpellier, Napoli, Nîmes, Saint Etienne, Auxerre, Barcelona, Marseille, Internazionale, Manchester United) – Guess who was signed as a quick replacement when Ferguson let go of Stam in the middle of the season. The answer is Laurent Blanc and the fact that he was ready and available for a middle of the season move, kind of tells the story of the player’s career. After an 8 year stint at his first club, he never settled anywhere, playing for 8 clubs in 12 seasons. And mostly these moves were not caused by lack of success or a failure to adapt. He just found new suitors all the time and was always willing to accept their offers. Case in point being Guy Roux at Auxerre, Johan Cryuff at Barcelona and Rolland Courbis at Marseille.

Reserve

Dan Petrescu (Steaua Bucureşti, FC Olt Scorniceşti (loan), Foggia, Genoa, Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City, Southampton, FC Naţional)- Had a successful 5 year stint with Chelsea and is still loved by the fans who remember him as one of the best players in the club’s history. Unfortunately for both parties, the player fell out with manager Gianluca Vialli and had no option but to leave the club. Other than that and his time with his first club Steaua, Petrescu’s career has been a litany of one season stints.

Goalkeeper

Fabien Barthez (Toulouse, Olympique Marseille, Monaco, Manchester United, Olympique Marseille, Nantes) – Generally goalkeepers are not given to a lot of movement, especially the good ones. A former ‘Worlds Best Goalkeeper of the Year’, Fabien Barthez is an exception to that rule. One of the many players on this list who was let go by Alex Ferguson. However, in his case it was purely because of a propensity for committing major blunders. His unpredictable behavior also contributed to a few moves.

Reserve

Kasey Keller ( Portland Timbers, Millwall,Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton (loan), Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fulham , Seattle Sounders FC )- His has been a case of being good but not very good. He has almost always failed to establish himself as the club’s long-term first- choice goalkeeper – Except when playing for a lowly one like Millwall which let him go when they got relegated. Often has been stuck as a back up and clubs have frequently not extended or renewed his contract.

United's contingent of life time employees

One club men – football players who spend their entire professional careers with one club are an extremely rare breed.

There are a number of reasons which cause players to change clubs. A lot of younger players start out at small clubs and move to bigger clubs which are more befitting of their talent. Similarly, many older players move to lesser clubs to prolong their careers as their physical prowess starts to ebb away. Players have ambitions to play in different leagues and at different clubs, often leading to movement. Sometimes a player just doesn’t get along with the manager or doesn’t fit well in the playing system.

The Bosman ruling of 1995 opened the flood gates to free movement of players. Clubs could no longer hold onto players against their will. They were literally free to go wherever and whenever they wanted. This led to a quantum jump in player activity. And therefore, a one club man became an even rarer species in the post-Bosman era.

For a player to spend his entire career at one club, a number of things must fall in place. He must start out at a club which is just right for his level of talent. His development must be commensurate with the expectations of his club and not more or less than that. As his physical powers wane, he must add new dimensions to his game to be able to hold his own at the club. He must continue to be in the good books of successive managers and always be part of the clubs long term and short term plans. And finally, the club should have enough success to match his personal ambitions.

If even of these things don’t happen, then a move is inevitable.

It happened when Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Liverpool great Michael Owen moved to greener pastures because their clubs weren’t successful enough. It happened when one of Fergie’s fledglings – David Beckham fell out with his manager. It happened when life-long Barcelona supporter and loyalist, Pep Guardiola’s powers diminished and he wasn’t good enough for the Catalans. It happened when Leeds United were relegated and club legend Alan Smith had to mov

There are a lucky few who have managed to beat the odds and spend their entire playing careers at a single club. Today we will celebrate them by picking an all-star eleven made up entirely of such players. This list will be limited to players who played the game after the Bosman ruling; atleast the majority of their career happened after 1995. It will be a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

Here we go. A few of these players are still playing and might not be members of this exclusive club by the time they are done with their playing days. We are only considering their careers in the senior team for this exercise.

A lifetime at Real Madrid

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – Saint Iker is easily one of the best goalies of his generation. Destined for greatness at the most successful club in the world, he first made the playing eleven at 17. Has a buy-out clause of 128 million pounds and reportedly turned down an offer of 11 million pounds per season from Man City. Has won 2 Champions League and 4 Primera Liga titles with Real. He could have had serious competition from Gianluigi Buffon but the Italian was lured by a 52 million euro transfer fee- the biggest ever for a goalkeeper.

Defence

Paulo Maldini (AC Milan) – One of the all time great left backs has been part of the Milan family forever. His father Cesare also excelled at Milan and Paulo’s son Christian is already part of the club’s youth side. Debuted at 16 and is going strong at 40 – don’t think anyone has spent 24 years as a player at any club in the world. His haul of 5 Champions League and 7 Serie A titles is also unmatched. Will surely continue his association with Milan long after his playing days are over. He is surely the mascot of this ‘one club’ fraternity.

Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – A Merseysider, he rose through the Liverpool youth ranks with Michael Owen. But while Owen was making the headlines at senior level and getting frustrated at Liverpool’s lack of success, Carragher was finding life difficult as an unsettled utility man. He finally established himself in defence and played a stellar role as Liverpool re-established themselves as European heavyweights. With his best form coinciding with club success, he was never a dissatisfied want-away like Owen. Winner of one Champions League title.

Carlos Puyol (Barcelona) – Barca is the pride of Catalonia and playing for the club is the highest honour for a Catalan. The challenge lies in being good enough to play for them regularly. Carlos Puyol has risen to the challenge with aplomb. He was part of a superbly talented group of young Spanish players at the club, but while most of the others fell by the wayside, he has continued to flourish as the leader at the back; at a club where chronic defensive problems result in a regular churn of defenders. Winner of 1 Champions League and 2 Primera Liga titles.

Gary Neville (Man United) – Joined United after leaving school and debuted in the senior side at 17. Part of the celebrated youth movement under Alex Ferguson. Much admired and respected at Old Trafford for his leadership and fighting spirit; qualities which have become increasingly relevant as his plying skills have diminished. That and a willingness to accept a reduced role, rather than trying for regular first team football elsewhere, have meant that he will wind up his playing career with United. Winner of 7 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Midfield

Ryan Giggs (Man United) – United’s most capped player has been with them for 22 years now and looks good for many more. This has come thanks to his amazing transformation from a dashing left winger to a mature playmaker. While his past was all speed and breathtaking skill, his present is all guile and intelligence. Thanks to that he has continued to be a valuable squad player. Sir Alex is keen on holding on to him and uses him quite judiciously. A member of Fergie’s fledglings, he has been part of everything that United have won under the Scot – 10 Premier league titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 Champions League titles.

Paul Scholes (Man United) –Grew up as a supporter of Oldham Athletic but has been at United throughout his youth and senior career. His is another story of a player changing and flourishing in new roles as his career progressed. Once a striker, he has made a name for himself as a driving force in United’s midfield. Continues to be a vital member of United’s squad, especially on European nights when Fergie can still count on his big game temperament. He is another player whose career will be extended thanks to Fergie’s intelligent use of him. Winner of 8 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) – Another fiercely proud Catalan who joined the club’s youth side in 1991 at age 11 and is already contracted to play for them till 2014. His rise as the home-grown lynchpin of Barca’s midfield is especially creditable considering the club has largely relied on foreign talent in the attacking department. Largely under-rated thanks to the presence of a galaxy of stars at the Nou Camp, he announced himself to the world at Euro 2008 where he was voted best player. Barca have always known his worth and have tied him down for good with a massive contract. Winner of 4 Primera Liga and 1 Champions League title.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – He almost followed Michael Owen out of Liverpool after a frustrating Trophy less season in 2003-04. But luckily for him, for new manager Rafa Benitez and for Liverpool Football Club, he decided to stay. Istanbul happened in 2005 and in his own words; Steven Gerrard couldn’t leave the club after a night like that. The player has since become a legend at the Kop and few players can dream of achieving the status he enjoys at the club. A long overdue league title is also within touching distance and once Liverpool win that, Steven Gerrard can have the key to the entire red half of Merseyside. Winner of 1 Champions League title.

Forwards

Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) – A cult hero at the club, who can continue to play for Real Madrid for as long as he desires. Holds almost all the goal scoring records for the club and continues to be their leading striker at age 31 with 24 goals in the 2008-09 campaign. Has been their golden boy from the time he became their youngest debutant at age 17. The ironic part is that he started his youth career at bitter rivals Atletico and had to move to Real because the youth system was closed down by President Jesus Gil. If not for Mr Gil’s short-sightedness, Raul Gonzalez would have made this list as an Atletico player. Winner of 6 Primera Liga and 3 Champions League titles.

Francesco Totti (Roma) – A symbol of the club who was probably born to play for Roma. He was born in Rome and he and his family have been lifelong Roma supporters. His mother refused a lucrative contract from AC Milan when he was a teenager and Totti first played for the Roma senior side at 16 and became captain at 20. His trophy collection is the most meagre of all the players on this list and he could have easily moved to bigger clubs to win more titles but the option of leaving Roma is one that Totti has never considered. Will probably end up as the greatest Roma player of all time. Winner of 1 Serie A title.

We will be back shortly with a team of polar opposites – players who can’t seem to stay at one place for too long.