Decoding players with the most appearances in Serie A
The Serie A has been the home of some of the most exciting talents along with some great veterans. The league has always remained different from its competition because of the passion, rivalry and loyalty that players show toward their clubs. Many players have spent their entire careers turning out for a single club. Hence, we decode the players with most Serie A appearances.
596 Serie A appearances: Gianluca Pagliuca
The only player on this list with less than 600 Serie A appearances, Gianluca Pagliuca is a former Inter Milan goalkeeper, who has also featured for clubs like Sampdoria, Bologna and Ascoli. Pagliuca was a legend during his era as he made 39 appearances for Italy. He featured in 150-plus matches for Sampdoria, Inter and Bologna while winning the Serie A title once (1990-91).
615 Serie A matches: Javier Zanetti
Commonly known as "El Tractor" for his relentless work ethic, Javier Zanetti is nothing short of a Serie A legend. He has featured in 618 league appearances for Inter Milan while winning five consecutive league titles with the Nerazzurri from 2005-2010. Zanetti was also a crucial part of Jose Mourinho's Champions League-winning team from the historic 2009-10 season.
619 Serie A matches: Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti is synonymous with AS Roma. The Italian forward spent his entire career with the Giallorossi registering 619 Serie A appearances while featuring in 786 matches. Totti won the Scudetto once in the 2000-01 season. He also bagged two Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana crowns each. While he should have won more accolades considering his exceptional talent, he chose loyalty over anything else.
647 Serie A appearances: Paolo Maldini
Hailed as one of the finest defenders to grace the game of football, Paolo Maldini owns the second-most Serie A appearances (647). The legendary left-back spent his entire career at AC Milan, registering 902 appearances for the Rossoneri. Maldini earned a lot of success at Milan, winning seven Serie A crowns besides winning five UEFA Champions League titles. He scored 29 Serie A goals.
657 Serie A matches: Gianluigi Buffon
One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Gianluigi Buffon was a pillar, firstly for Parma during his initial days in Serie A, followed by almost 20 years at Juventus. He has featured in 657 Serie A matches across these two teams. During his time at the Italian top flight, he recorded 299 clean sheets in Serie A, which is still untouched.
