Most loyal players in Europe's Top 5 leagues

Premier League (Average: 8.5 years)

John Terry

With a punishing league like the Premier League, it is pretty hard to have a long career in England. A grueling schedule and the lack of a winter break sees players burn out much faster than their continental counterparts – unless your name is Ryan Giggs.

Most players look for an alternate league altogether once they hit their mid-30s. John Terry leads the lot in England having spent close to 19 years but it does look like this will be his final season as Antonio Conte looks to get in new blood in a system that sees three at the back – unsuitable for Terry’s current standards.

Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott have played in the Premier League since they were teenagers and it comes as no surprise that they, too, have played more than a decade for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. The only other player to have spent at least a decade is West Ham United captain Mark Noble.

#	PLAYER	CLUB	YEARS
1	John Terry	Chelsea	18.5
2	Wayne Rooney	Manchester United	12.5
3	Theo Walcott	Arsenal	11
4	Michael Carrick	Manchester United	10.5
5	Mark Noble	West Ham	10
6	Leighton Baines	Everton	9.5
	Phil Jagielka	Everton	9.5
	Andy King	Leicester City	9.5
	Lucas Leiva	Liverpool	9.5
	Ryan Shawcross	Stoke City	9.5