Busquets, Koke and Nacho, starters on the first day of the new championship, are three of the players leading the list of players who have only played for one team
Summer is the time for transfers, for the market in its purest form. During this time of the year, a multitude of moves are made in the football world. Players going and others coming into each team for the new season. Although there are also those that remain immovable. They are known as ‘one club men’. Footballers such as Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) or Koke (Atlético de Madrid), benchmarks in their teams, as well as Nacho (Real Madrid), already a veteran of the white team, have started their umpteenth year in the ranks of the three main teams Spaniards from the starting eleven on the first day of the championship.
Gone are the days of undying loyalty to a club, when starting and finishing the race in the same place was the order of the day. In a football that is increasingly in business and has lost some of its essence of yesteryear, changing colors is now the most common. Despite this, there are still many footballers who do not know what it is like to put on a shirt other than that of the team to which they have devoted their career. Some rare instances where loyalty to a shield exceeds salary or the desire to gain new professional experiences.
In the case of a philosophy that has fewer and fewer members, one cannot speak of it, let alone in Spain, without mentioning Athletic. One of the longest-running entities in national football, the One Club Man award has been presented annually since it emerged in 2015 as an award for footballers who have played on the same team throughout their careers. Figures like Paolo Maldini (Milan), Carles Puyol (Barcelona) or Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) are some of those who shine in his track record.
Although it is a species in danger of extinction, there are still several cases of absolute identification with certain colors in Spanish football, especially in the highest category. While there have been fewer of them over the years, LaLiga Santander continues to run a new campaign with players who don’t know what it’s like to wear a shirt other than the one they wear today. A list that no longer includes Mario Gaspar, who has lost his status as ‘one club man’ this summer by moving to Watford after all his life associated with Villarreal. The clear sign that it is not easy to belong to this particular group of privileged groups.
There are not a few footballers who have spent much of their career, or almost all of it, at the same club. Names like Iker Casillas, Raúl González, Guti, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta or Leo Messi are some of the most notable cases. Players who were hard to see in colors other than Real Madrid or Barcelona, but who ended up trying what it is like to live outside the two giants of Spanish football.
For example, the fact that one wears the same shirt for the entire sports career is reduced to a select group. Footballers like Koke (Atlético de Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Sergi Roberto (Barcelona), Nacho Fernández (Real Madrid), José Luis Gayà (Valencia), Hugo Mallo (Celta) or Roberto Torres (Osasuna) are some of the current Primera players who still bear this honor. Although it would be a shame to forget Athletic, which has several ‘one club men’ such as Muniain, Iñaki Williams, Lekue or Yeray.
It is also worth mentioning the case of Real Sociedad, where Xabi Prieto was the main reference in the recent history of the txuri-urdin team when it came to the ‘one club men’. In the squad that Imanol Alguacil now has at his disposal, the figure of the currently injured Mikel Oyarzabal stands out.
With years of career ahead of us, time will decide if anyone leaves this select group. Also who is going. Players like Unai Simón (Athletic) or Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), with the first steps well taken, could pick up the baton that others started long ago. The only certainty at this point is that to be a ‘one club man’, not just anyone. An example of how complicated such an undertaking is, a knot: in Real Madrid’s 120-year history, there are only four footballers who wore only the Chamartín team jacket: Zárraga, Camacho, Sanchís Jr. and Chendo. Nacho could be next.
Source: La Verdad
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