Ranking football's greatest one-club men

[BBC] Every year at San Mames, the iconic home of Athletic Club in Bilbao, local fans pause to recognise and celebrate players not from their own club, but those who share a unique value with the Basque outfit - loyalty. Athletic Club - famous for only fielding players born or raised in the region - introduced the One-Club Award in 2015, honouring those who dedicated their entire professional career to a single team. "We wanted to create an award that recognised most kids growing up dream of playing for one club," explains Dan Parry from the La Liga side's communications department.

"On the other side, we wanted to show despite all the big-money transfers in modern-day football, there are top players all over the world who want to become one-club players. "It's an individual award, but it's also an award that celebrates the union between the football team, fans and the player. " Keeping those values in mind, then, this week I'm ranking football's top 10 one-club men - you can have your say below, too.

Spending your entire career with one club is a curious phenomenon - in 20-plus years at the top you're likely to outlast several managers, and how often do the player or club's paths take different trajectories? It's not solely the player's decision to stay, either - the club has to want them. And you have to forge a strong bond with the fans - from Tony Hibbert to Ledley King, and even aptly named Celtic stalwart Paul McStay, many become cult heroes or club legends.

Athletic Club could field teams of one-club players past and present, but they only give the award to retired players from other clubs. "We look for players we feel embody the values of their club or fanbase," adds Parry. "Maybe the player isn't necessarily the big superstar or most talented to have ever come from that club, but generally they tend to be a big fan favourite.