Sergio Pellissier
We begin with the only player on this list who is still active and, perhaps, one of the least frequently mentioned when we talk about this kind of loyalty. Sergio Pellissier joined Chievo in 2000, although he subsequently spent two seasons on loan at SPAL before joining the Verona-based side on a permanent basis in 2002.
The striker has been representing the club for 16 seasons now, becoming the player with the most appearances in Chievo’s history, both in Serie A and across all competitions. Furthermore, he is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Italian league, with a total of 108 goals.
During the 2013/2014 season, his loyalty to the Verona side was nearly shaken when the then manager Eugenio Corini, a former team-mate of his, benched him for several matches, casting doubt on both the manager’s and the board’s confidence in him. However, Pellissier decided to stay at Chievo and remains part of the Verona side’s squad for the 2017/2018 season.
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini’s history with the Rossoneri began when he was still a child, as he first pulled on the Milan jersey in 1978. He made his Serie A debut at a very young age, in 1985, when he was just 16. It was the then manager, Nils Liedholm, who gave him the chance to make his first-team debut after calling him up for the first time, making him the youngest debutant in Milan’s history.
From the very start, he became an undisputed first-team regular and, over the years, went on to establish himself as one of the finest defenders in the history of football.
For 25 seasons, he defended the colours of his beloved Milan, becoming the player with the most appearances in the Rossoneri’s history, with whom he won a total of 26 titles.
Despite being a defender, he also holds the record for the fastest goal scored in a Champions League final, achieved in that unfortunate 2005 final against Liverpool. Maldini went on to win five Champions League titles and feature in a total of eight finals.
Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti joined Inter at the age of 22 and was the first signing made following Massimo Moratti’s appointment as club president. He made his debut in the Nerazzurri kit in 1995 and brought his career to a close in 2014, aged 40, whilst maintaining an enviable level of fitness.
Beloved by fans of all teams, he fell in love with Inter’s colours and defended them for 19 years. Following his retirement, he took up the role of vice-chairman of the club.
In the 2009/2010 season, he won the historic treble, lifting the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League under the management of José Mourinho.
He will always be remembered for his endless runs down the wing, a physical prowess he continued to demonstrate even during his final years as a footballer, when it seemed as though the passage of time barely affected him.
He is the player with the most appearances as captain in the history of the Champions League and also the player with the most appearances in all competitions in Inter’s history.
Alessandro Del Piero
His love for Juventus enabled Alessandro Del Piero to enjoy an exceptionally long career representing the Bianconeri, ever since he joined the Turin-based club in 1993.
From then on, the history of Juventus became inextricably linked with that of its striker and captain. After inheriting the number 10 jersey from Roberto Baggio, he led the team to victory in the Champions League in 1996 and the Intercontinental Cup, scoring the decisive goal in the final against River Plate.
If there was ever a time when Del Piero might have left Juventus, it was when the team were relegated to Serie B as a result of the Calciopoli scandal. However, the captain once again demonstrated his love for the club by accepting the relegation and becoming Serie B’s top scorer in the 2006/2007 season, with 20 goals.
He is the player who has played the most seasons in a Juventus kit, as well as being the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in both Serie A and all competitions combined.
Francesco Totti
Er Pupone of Roma retired just a year ago, at the age of 40. His journey with the Giallorossi began in the youth ranks and spanned 24 long seasons, during which he scored 307 goals in 786 matches.
Francesco Totti demonstrated his love for Roma practically from the outset and remained loyal to the club even when, in the early 2000s, he attracted interest from Real Madrid and AC Milan – teams that would surely have enabled him to win more domestic and international titles.
But Roma was always the team closest to his heart, and nothing made him happier than wearing their colours and serving as captain.
He is the player who has scored the most goals in Serie A whilst always wearing the same kit, and also the only player in the history of the Italian league to have scored in double figures for the same club for nine consecutive seasons and thirteen in total.
Totti is Roma, and Roma was Francesco Totti for 25 consecutive seasons. Even as the years went by and the Roman striker began to see fewer minutes on the pitch, his love for the capital club never wavered.
A loyalty that will always be remembered, matching the affection the fans feel for their eternal captain.
