Ryan Giggs, Manchester United (672 league appearances, 114 goals)
When
Ryan Giggs was brought in from the youth ranks by Sir Alex Ferguson as a
17-year-old, neither probably expected he would be running up and down
the wing at Old Trafford for the next 24 years.
Having
made 672 appearances in the Premier League, Giggs earned his place as a
Manchester United great and won everything there is to win, including
13 titles.
He still hasn’t left, either, as he is assistant to Louis van Gaal and is tipped to become their manager in the future.
Ryan Giggs (left) charges past John Terry during a 2003 match between Manchester United and Chelsea
Tony Adams, Arsenal (504 league appearances, 32 goals)
After
more than 500 appearances and four titles – two in the First Division
and as many in the Premier League – Tony Adams became known as Mr
Arsenal.
Having signed for them as a schoolboy in 1980, he made his first appearance three years later and was captain by the age of 21.
Adams
bowed out with the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2002, and it’s
no wonder there’s a statue of him outside the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's Tony Adams salutes the crowd during his 500th league game against Sunderland in March 2002
Jamie Carragher, Liverpool (508 league appearances, 5 goals)
Sportsmail’s Jamie Carragher made 508 appearances in the Premier League after starting his youth career with Liverpool in 1988.
The
defender gave a quarter of a century of loyal service to the Merseyside
club and was never tempted to leave as he became a Liverpool legend
before retiring in 2013.
In
his 737th and final game for the Reds at home against Queens Park
Rangers, Carragher received a standing ovation from both sets of
supporters as he was substituted in the 87th minute.
Jamie Carragher applauds the Liverpool fans for their ovation as his career comes to an end in May 2013
Gary Neville, Manchester United (400 league appearances, 5 goals)
Gary
Neville reflected in his autobiography how his England career was a
‘massive waste of time’ but the same cannot be said about his 19-year
stay at Manchester United.
Having
played 400 games in the Premier League and more than 600 altogether,
Neville made the fifth-most appearances in the club’s history.
And
after years of being Carragher’s enemy as a Premier League player, he
became his pal as a presenter on Monday Night Football before going into
management with Valencia.
Manchester United's Gary Neville (right) is tackled by Chelsea's Joe Cole during a match in 2004
Paul Scholes, Manchester United (499 league appearances, 107 goals)
Another Class of ’92 member.
Paul
Scholes started his Manchester United youth career in 1991 and signed a
professional contract the year after, before going on to make 499
league appearances.
He won 10 titles in the Premier League, three FA Cup trophies, two League Cups and two European Cups.
Scholes
retired in 2011 but returned the year after to help their injury-hit
squad, and the former England international became an Old Trafford icon
after more than 20 years with the club.
Paul Scholes waves to the fans at Old Trafford with his family at the end of his testimonial match in 2011
Paolo Maldini, AC Milan (647 league appearances, 29 goals)
An
Italian legend. Paolo Maldini has been adored at AC Milan since making
his first appearance in 1985, before going on to make 647 in Serie A.
After 24 years, he hung up his boots, having been an ever-present in the Milan defence.
Maldini
has quite the trophy cabinet too. Seven Serie A titles, five Champions
Leagues and as many Italian Cup triumphs – he’s a one-club man in every
sense of the words.
Paolo Maldini, then aged 18, in action for AC Milan during a Serie A match in October 1986
Mark Noble, West Ham (306 league appearances, 34 goals)
Mark Noble joined West Ham as a youth player in 2000 and, 16 years on, has made more than 300 league appearances.
In
2011-12, Noble played 45 games in the Championship as he helped West
Ham get promoted via the play-offs. To this day, he still puts in a
shift in in the Premier League for the Hammers.
The
midfielder is experienced but has, somehow, never won an England cap.
At 28, he could still leave West Ham, but so far he’s a one-club man.
West Ham's Mark Noble (right) puts in a tackle on Tottenham Hotspur's Edgar Davids in 2005
Matthew Le Tissier, Southampton (443 league appearances, 161 goals)
Matthew Le Tissier earned the nickname ‘Le God’ from Southampton supporters not only for his goals but also for his loyalty.
The
midfielder turned down offers from bigger clubs - including Tottenham
Hotspur in 1990 and Chelsea in 1996 - to stay with the Saints for 16
years.
Le Tissier decided to stay at St Mary’s and left the club in 2002 with 442 appearances in the league to his name.
Southampton's Matthew Le Tissier celebrates his double against Middlesbrough in September 1996
Carles Puyol, Barcelona (392 league appearances, 12 goals)
A
commanding centre back in the heart of the defence for Barcelona,
Carles Puyol joined Barcelona in 1995 as a kid but left in 2014 as a
legend.
Puyol
won six La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, as many UEFA Super Cups, and
three Champions League trophies with the Spanish giants.
After a 15-year career in Barcelona’s first team – 10 as a captain – Puyol retired from football.
Carles Puyol lifts the Champions League trophy after Barcelona won the competition in Rome in 2009
Francesco Totti, Roma (594 league appearances, 244 goals)
Roma’s greatest ever player with more than 700 appearances in all competitions, and their all-time top scorer.
The
thought of leaving his beloved club has probably never ever occurred to
Francesco Totti, who is 39 but still starring for Roma.
The Italian forward has been on the club’s books since the age of 13 and Totti is Roma through and through.
A young Francesco Totti in action for Roma during a Serie A match against Bologna in September 1997
Jack Charlton, Leeds United (629 league appearances, 70 goals)
Jack
Charlton applied to join the police but Leeds United offered him a
trial after spotting him in an amateur match in 1952. His game clashed
with his police interview. Guess which one he chose?
Charlton’s trial was a success and he became a regular in the Yorkshire side, staying there for 21 years.
At Leeds, he won the First Division, Second Division, the FA Cup, League Cup, and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice.
Jack Charlton in action for Leeds United during a match against Manchester City in September 1968
Rogerio Ceni, Sao Paolo (575 league appearances, 65 goals)
Not many goalkeepers have compilations of their greatest goals scored on YouTube. Rogerio Ceni does, however.
This
is the goalkeeper who couldn’t stop scoring from free-kicks and
penalties, managing 131 goals in more than 1,200 appearances.
He joined Sao Paolo in 1992 and ended his career with the club in 2015.
Sao Paulo goalkeeping legend Rogerio Ceni takes a free kick during a match against Palmeiras in 2014
Sir Tom Finney, Preston North End (433 league appearances, 187 goals)
The Preston Plumber who was also a true gentleman and became an England great.
Sir
Tom Finney passed away in February 2014 after proving how dedicated he
was to Preston, making 433 appearances in the league and scoring 187
goals across 14 years.
He
turned down £100 a week, a £10,000 signing-on fee, a villa on Lake Como
and a fast Italian car from Palermo, preferring to stay with Preston on
his £12 wage. About that, Finney simply said: ‘I’m a Preston man,
always.’
Preston North End's Sir Tom Finney (left) passes the ball as Nottingham Forests's Geoff Thomas gives chase
Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid (689 league appearances, 341 goals)
So dedicated that they named their stadium after him.
Santiago
Bernabeu is regarded as a man who made Real Madrid a European
heavyweight during his 35-year spell as president between 1943 and 1978.
Before
that, though, he made more than 700 appearances in all competitions for
the club and as president he won six European Cups, 16 La Liga titles
and six Spanish Cups.
Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu (right) with team captain Francisco Gento in the mid-1960s
Jimmy Armfield, Blackpool (569 league appearances, 6 goals)
Spotted by Blackpool manager Joe Smith in 1954, Jimmy Armfield began an association with the club that lasted until 1971.
He
made 627 appearances in all competitions as a right back and Armfield
has a stand named after him at Bloomfield Road as well as a statue
outside.
Armfield
was part of the Blackpool side that finished second in the old First
Division in 1956 – their best ever finish – and he was part of the
England squad in the 1966 World Cup.
Jimmy Armfield in the colours of Blackpool - the right back spent 27 years at the club from 1954 to 1971
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