If you're a player a big club comes knocking, promising trophies and wads of cash, it generally turns your head. But there are still a few, even in the modern age, who still go with their hearts rather than their wallets or their heads.
Here's a selection of some of those players who have resisted the temptation to go and chase a very intriguing dragon, instead opting to stay put where they are, usually for reasons of sentimentality.
1. Alan Shearer (Newcastle)
After joining Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku stated in an interview: "Who would say no to the biggest team in the world?" Veteran striker Alan Shearer was quick to respond, tweeting: “I did. I turned down… Barcelona.”
Two decades earlier, Shearer had claimed the Premier League title and two consecutive golden boots with Blackburn. After he'd top-scored at Euro 96, Manchester United were once again strongly linked with the forward - Sir Alex Ferguson having first shown an interest in Shearer when he signed for Blackburn from Southampton in 1992.
Yet despite that offer being on the table, Shearer opted to join his hometown club instead: Newcastle United. In his first season he won another golden boot, but the Magpies finished second in the Premier League table – behind the club he rejected, Manchester United.
As the season ended, Barcelona boss Sir Bobby Robson called Shearer, trying to lure him to the Catalan giants. Nothing was enough to tempt the Englishman away from St James’ Park, though, as Shearer remained faithful to Newcastle throughout his football career. He failed to win a trophy there, but finished his career with 260 Premier League goals – making him the most prolific striker in the league's history.
2. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
In 2006, only a few months after winning both the World Cup for his country and the Scudetto with Juventus, Del Piero found his team demoted to Serie B thanks to Italian football’s calciopoli scandal. As a result, plenty of influential players duly moved on to other elite European clubs, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro.
But some key players chose to stay, including Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon. Most crucially, so did their iconic number 10 Alessandro Del Piero, who commented: "A true gentleman never leaves his lady."
Del Piero took the Bianconeri back to Serie A, but the club failed to touch any silverware for four seasons. The player stuck with Juventus even when he was benched, when they were knocked out of Europa League losing 4-1 to Fulham and when they finished seventh in the league... twice.
Del Piero saw the Old Lady get back on her feet as he was waving goodbye to Italian football, with Antonio Conte’s side winning the Scudetto in 2011/12. In his final game, a tearful Juventus Stadium was begging to watch the club’s all-time record scorer play for one more season.
3. Francesco Totti (Roma)
Del Piero isn't the only cult hero in modern Italian football, and not the only No.10 worshipped for his faithfulness. No-one described Francesco Totti's case better than former coach Luciano Spalletti when he said: “It would be easier to move the Colosseum out of Rome.”
For 25 long years, no offer was enticing enough to draw Totti’s skilful feet from the Stadio Olimpico. Two seasons after winning his only Scudetto (in 2000/01), Real Madrid approached Totti.
The Eighth King of Rome's response? “They taught us in school that family is the most important thing. Did you ever hear of someone leaving his poor parents to live with rich strangers?”
Totti never won a fraction of what he could have achieved elsewhere, but Serie A’s second-highest all-time goalscorer had tears in his eyes and a huge smile as he enjoyed football's most emotional farewell in 2017 - a feeling no trophy could ever have given him.
4. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Gerrard leaving Liverpool after that historic Champions League triumph over Milan at the Ataturk Stadium seemed idiotic newspaper talk - especially after the man himself said immediately after That Night In Istanbul: "We're going to talk really soon, but how can I leave after this? It's the greatest night of my life."
Yet the truth is that the Liverpool captain handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2005, after temptation from Chelsea and Jose Mourinho got to him.
That the Premier League champions wanted the midfielder left him torn between playing for a club with big ambitions and a visionary coach, or staying with the club he'd loved since he was eight. Gerrard said he'd only handed in his request in the hope that Liverpool would show their desire to keep him, after he became frustrated with hold-ups to his contract extension talks.
In the end, Gerrard chose to remain devoted to the Reds. Upon his retirement, he said: "Of course I'm sitting here with that one big regret that I didn’t win the Premier League, but I am proud of my loyalty… Liverpool means the world."
He's still not quite a one-club man, however, thanks to his two-year spell at LA Galaxy.
5. Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Manuel Pellegrini was hoping to be reunited with his ex-player as Manchester City boss in 2015, but couldn't land Atletico Madrid's Champions League finalist and La Liga champion Godin.
The Uruguayan centre-back later said on his former Villarreal coach: "It’s true that City wanted me when Pellegrini was there... I’m proud that he wanted me, but I feel like just another fan of this club. I’m very happy here."
Godin had to go through the pain of losing out to Real Madrid once more in a Champions League final in 2016, and eventually left for Inter in 2019.
6. Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
Juventus left Nedved frustrated when they showed him the exit in declining to renew his contract in 2009. Then-Inter manager Mourinho called Nedved - who’d previously stayed loyal to Juventus following their calciopoli demotion – urging him join the Nerazzurri, and promising the player that his team would win the Champions League. (Is this why they call them italics?)
Nedved knew how good Mourinho was, and what he could have achieved playing under the Portuguese. But one thing blocked the Czech Fury’s path: the rivalry between his previous club and Inter.
“I was and am a Juventino, so I said no,” he later explained. “I loved Juventus too much to join Inter… I really wish I'd been able to win the Champions League with Juve, but I couldn't do it with another jersey on my back."
7. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Arsenal triggered the £20m release clause of Vardy's contract in summer 2016, after he'd bagged 24 goals leading Leicester to a historic Premier League title.
Although Vardy gave serious thought to moving to Arsenal, even looking at London schools for his kids, he backed out knowing he had a good thing at the King Power Stadium. "It was more a case of seeing Leicester as a club that wanted to build on what we achieved with the title and I want to be part of that,” he explained.
Claudio Ranieri sent him a text saying ‘the dream continues’ after he agreed to stay. That may not have proven to be entirely accurate, given Leicester's relegation in 2023...but still Vardy remained at the club to help them get promoted and kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season with a goal against Tottenham, aged 37.
8. Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
In 2012, the late agent Mino Raiola said that “a great sportsman needs to find new motivation, whether you are Messi, Ibrahimovic or Hamsik. Otherwise you’re a flat player.” The message was pretty clear: Raiola believed it was time for the Slovakian star to leave Naples. It took another seven years for him to depart.
The Napoli star was a long-time target of Bayern Munich, Juventus and several of the Premier League’s finest sides. But according to the player, winning with the Partonopei is better than doing so anywhere else – and not even the be-all, end-all of things.
“I need to have more than just a paycheque and trophies; I need to feel something in my soul,” he said.
Apparently, his soul really wanted a trip to China: he went there in to join Dalian Professional in 2019, later having spells at Goteborg and Trabzonspor before hanging up his boots in 2023 to become Slovakian national team manager and lead them into Euro 2024.
9. Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)
Liverpool were not even the first: Martin Zubimendi had previously reportedly turned down Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich to stay with his beloved Real Sociedad.
He said in 2023, after those Gunners and Bayern links: "They are just rumours, I am happy at Real Sociedad, it is like my home. I cannot say that I will play my entire career at Real Sociedad; perhaps the club does not want me to continue in the future. And I am not worried about those rumours."
Liverpool tested those words in the summer of 2024, taking note of his £51m release clause and lodging a pretty hefty bid that Real Sociedad had no choice but to accept.
Zubimendi reportedly said yes at first, with his entourage keen for him to finally make his big move away from San Sebastian - only to decide to stay at his hometown club after all.
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