With Robin Van Persie declaring yesterday that he won't be putting pen to paper on a new contract and would leave Arsenal in pursuit of silverware elsewhere,I wondered if the term 'loyalty' still exists in the dictionary of football.One club men are a rare commodity in modern day football.A very few of the superstars these days spend their entire career at a single club.The lure of more money elsewhere and the crave for immediate success leads these so called superstars to change clubs much too often.One club men are the ultimate examples of loyalty and faithfulness.They are the players who are the heart and soul of the club and are loved by the fans more than anyone else.
STEVEN GERRARD(liverpool fc)
- Steven Gerrard : Liverpool through and through
"Mr.Liverpool" is undoubtedly one of the first names that come to one's mind when they think of one-club men.Born in Whiston,Liverpool,Gerrard is Liverpool through and through.He even had trials with Manchester United,which he claims was a move to pressurize Liverpool to offer him a youth contract.A born leader,Gerrard is famous for his boundless energy,long range strikes and extraordinary vision.His drive and passion for the club endears him to the Kopites.Despite this,it hasn't been smooth sailing all these years.He was heavily courted by Jose Mourinho and Chelsea in 2004-05 but Gerrard stayed on as Liverpool won the Champions League that year.Over the years,Chelsea,Real Madrid,Inter Milan all wanted his elusive signature but Gerrard stayed on and as of now,has more than 500 caps for his boyhood club.RYAN GIGGS(manchester united fc)
- Ryan Giggs : A great servant
A great servant for his club,Ryan Giggs is the epitome of a one club man having spent all his professional career at Manchester United.At the ripe old age of 38,Giggs still woos the Stretford End faithful with his tireless running,mazy runs and articulate flamboyance and flair.Born in Cardiff,Giggs started his footballing journey at the Manchester City School of Excellence but his talent was obvious for all to see and Alex Ferguson quickly snapped him up and the rest,as we all know,is history.He was a part of the famous FA Youth Cup winning Class of '92.Giggs holds a plethora of records at United and has played and scored in each and every Premiership season till date.He is a firm fan favourite and is arguably Manchester United's greatest ever player.IKER CASILLAS(real madrid cf)
- Iker Casillas : Captain Fantastic
There are very few who come out of the Real Madrid youth system and become modern day greats.Iker Casillas is one of them.Known as San Iker or Saint Iker,Casillas came through the ranks at Real Madrid and established himself as top dog between the sticks in the early noughties.Arguably the greatest goalkeeper of his generation,Casillas has been the only constant in the expensively assembled Real Madrid sides of the last 10 years.From the Galacticos of the Figos,Zidanes and Beckhams through the Calderon era of Robben and Sneijder to the present day Ronaldos and Kakas,Casillas has seen it all.Branded as one of the most complete goalkeepers in the world due to his ability on the ball,Casillas is the highest capped goalkeeper in Real Madrid history.XAVI(fc barcelona)
- Xavi : A true legend
A product of the famous La Masia academy of FC Barcelona,Xavier Hernandez or Xavi has seen it and done it all at Barcelona.Barca born and bred,Xavi joined La Masia at the tender age of 11 and hasn't looked back ever since.Hailed as one of the greatest midfielders to have ever graced the football pitch,Xavi's game is based on his pin point passing,vision and his ability to find space.His technical prowess and extraordinary creativity make him the ultimate playmaker.Xavi's CV is littered with silverware and at 32 years old,he doesn't look like stopping any time soon.He is the player with the most appearances in the red and blue of Barcelona and is a firm favourite of the Boixos Nois.PAUL SCHOLES(manchester united fc)
- Paul Scholes : Unsung Hero
A player who lives and breathes Manchester United,Paul Scholes.United from top to bottom,Scholes is one of the heavyweights of his generation.Praised by peers and coaches for his vision,passing and goal scoring abilities,Scholes is 3rd on the list of all time appearances for Manchester United.Scholes was one of "Fergie's Fledglings",a group of academy graduates who did exceptionally well in the youth competitions and were the core of United's several title winning sides.Scholes played an integral part of United's treble winning season of 99 although he missed the Champions League final through suspension.Like Giggs,Scholes enthralls the United faithful and even came back from retirement last season to help steady a fragile midfield.He is best known for his passing range,long shots and dirty tackles.Other honourable mentions : Jamie Carragher,Francesco Totti,Carles Puyol,Ledley King and Leo Messi.P.S. Only players who are actively playing have been considered.
As the quadrennial European Championships come to a close after a month's entertainment,it's time to look back and review various aspects of the wonderful event.Here,I run down a list of the players who shone despite being relative unknowns to the majority of the masses prior to the tournament.Some of those listed have earned their big move into the elite while the others have been celebrated in their homelands.
- WARSAW, POLAND - JUNE 21: Petr Jiracek of Czech Republic runs with the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter final match between Czech Republic and Portugal at The National Stadium on June 21, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
PETR JIRACEK (czech republic)
Petr Jiracek was one of the stars for the Czech Republic at the Euros.His almost boundless energy,drive and persistence will be well remembered by the Czech fans.He scored two of the most important Czech goals of the tournament,his first was against Greece in just the 3rd minute of the game which set the tone for the evening and his second came against co-hosts Poland which propelled them to the top of group A and won him the Carlsberg Man of the Match prize.Born on 2nd March 1986 in the erstwhile Czechoslovakia,Petr was a kind of a late bloomer on the international scene.Having never played in the lower age groups for his country,Petr got his first cap in September 2011 against Scotland in a friendly.His energetic displays as a box-to-box midfielder for Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Champions League against the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan earned him a move abroad to VfL Wolfsburg in Germany.
- WARSAW, POLAND - JUNE 21: Vaclav Pilar of Czech Republic runs with the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter final match between Czech Republic and Portugal at The National Stadium on June 21, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
VACLAV PILAR (czech republic)
Many tipped Vaclav Pilar to succeed in the Euros and the diminutive winger didnot disappoint.Dubbed as the Czech Messi because of his electric speed and lively dribbling,Pilar was a major attacking weapon for the Czechs down the left wing.He provided the goods too,chipping in with 2 goals,both in the group stages against Russia and Greece.Starting his career with Czech club Hradec Králové,Pilar found plenty of admirers and spent last season on loan with Viktoria Plzeň where he started every UEFA Champions League Group Stage games.Pilar is set to join compatriot Petr Jiracek at German club VfL Wolfsburg next season.
- WROCLAW, POLAND - JUNE 16: Theodor Gebre Selassie of Czech Republic on the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 group A match between Czech Republic and Poland at The Municipal Stadium on June 16, 2012 in Wroclaw, Poland. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
THEODOR GEBRE SELASSIE(czech republic)
Gebre Selassie was a breath of fresh air in the tournament with his lung bursting runs down the flanks and energetic presence in the Czech defence.Born to an Ethiopian father and a Czech mother,Theodor was the tormentor-in-chief against Greece,providing the assist for his side's second goal.His performances in the tournament haven't gone unnoticed with German club Werder Bremen quickly snapping him up mid-tournament from Czech champions Slovan Liberec.
- GDANSK, POLAND - JUNE 22: Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Dimitris Salpigidis of Greece fight for the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter final match between Germany and Greece at The Municipal Stadium on June 22, 2012 in Gdansk, Poland. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
DIMITRIS SALPINGIDIS(greece)
A livewire on the pitch,Dimitris Salpingidis was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dull and obtuse Greek side.Blessed with electric pace and an eye for goal,Salpi,as he is better known as,scored two goals and assisted one as Greece stumbled onto the quarter finals.He was a supposed "game changer" in Fernando Santos' side but quickly changed his coach's perception of him when he delivered a high quality performance in the opening match against Poland where he came off the bench and single handedly threatened to win it for Greece,scoring the equaliser and then earning a penalty which captain Karagounis missed.He was the only Greek player to come away with some credit against Germany in the quarters with a goal and an assist.
- Krohn-Dehli in action against Germany
MICHAEL KROHN-DEHLI(denmark)
Krohn-Dehli was one of Denmark's star performers of the tournament.The former Ajax winger set the Danes off to a flying start in the tournament when he netted the only goal in the upset win over Netherlands which won him the Carlsberg Man of the Match prize.Krohn-Dehli was a constant menace to opposing full backs down the left wing where his trickery and quick movement left them for dead.Krohn-Dehli supplied the assist for Nicklas Bendtner's opener against Portugal and himself scored an unlikely headed goal against Germany.It was a tournament which reminded the world of his talents which went missing after being tipped for greatness and labelled a wonderkid as a teenager.
- POZNAN, POLAND - JUNE 14: Cristian Maggio of Italy and Ivan Strinic of Croatia clash during the UEFA EURO 2012 group C match between Italy and Croatia at The Municipal Stadium on June 14, 2012 in Poznan, Poland. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
IVAN STRINIC(croatia)
Ivan Strinic was one of the few players in the Croatia side who were into their first major international tournament.Considered an inexperienced member of the side having played only nine competitive games,Strinic was one of the finds of the Euros.As a relative newcomer,he played full 90 minutes of all the group games,keeping out the highly experienced Danijel Pranjic.The 24 year old left back provided the assist for Mario Mandzukic's equaliser against Italy.He bossed his flank well,and provided a constant threat down the left with his energy and precise delivery.
- POZNAN, POLAND - JUNE 14: Mario Mandzukic of Croatia with the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 group C match between Italy and Croatia at The Municipal Stadium on June 14, 2012 in Poznan, Poland. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
MARIO MANDZUKIC(croatia)Mario Mandzukic showcased his ability to the world with his solid showing at the Euros.The lanky 6 ft 1 in target man caused all sorts of problems for opposition defenders with his strength and aerial ability.He showed his aerial prowess as all three of his goals came through his head.He was a real fox-in-the-box and won the Carlsberg Man of the Match prize against Republic of Ireland for his impressive display.Against Italy,he grabbed the equaliser with a trademark header midway through the second half.The 26-year old got his just rewards for the headline-grabbing performances as he was signed by UEFA Champions League runner-up FC Bayern soon after his and Croatia's tournament ended.
p.s. Household names have been omitted.
