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There's an old German saying that goes: Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet, ob sich nicht doch was Bessres findet. That basically means: Look before you leap, there might be something better out there.

Typically, a parent says this to a son or daughter shortly before a wedding ceremony. Is the person really right for you...for the rest of your life? Are you sure there isn't someone better?

Long-term contracts are seldom

In professional football, life long "partnerships" between players and clubs are the exception.It is seldom that players are at a club for more than two years. Most hope that at the end of their stay they will be offered a higher salary somewhere else.

Flirting with other clubs, domestic or foreign, has become a rule of the game. And the flirt here is the player's agent.

Loyalty is rewarded

Club players like Uwe Seeler or Karl-Heinz Körbel come from another time. "Our Uwe" Hamburger SV's man from 1946 to 1972, fended off the temptation of lucrative offers from Italy and elsewhere.

Frankfurt eternal "Charly" Körbel held true to his oath for 19 years and 602 Bundesliga matches.

The reward in these cases is not pecuniary. Both Seeler and Körbel are still legend amongst fans, not only in Hamburg or Frankfurt, but in the whole country.

Nikolov as Körbel's successor?

There are some exceptions, however, who continue to prove the rule in today's professional play. What's clear if you look at the statistics is that the loyal player tends to be the goalie.

Christian Fiedler, for example, who has been with Hertha BSC since 1990 and is the oldest pro in Berliner. At the age of 15, "Fiedel" moved from Lichtenrader BC to the "Old Lady" and since then he has stood between the posts as a youth, amateur and professional player.

Goal keeper Oka Nikolov may be he man in Frankfurt who steps into the shoes of Körbel. The German passport carrying Macedonian national team player has protected goal in Frankfurt since 1991. Back then, Nikolov moved over from rivals SV Darmstadt 98.

The "eternal titan"

The most prominent and longest serving figure amonst Bundesliga goalies is, of course, Oliver Kahn. In 1994, Kahn transferred from Karlsruher SC to FC Bayern and immediately became the number one man in the Bavarian goal. And he will keep his status as the titanic goalie, the "Torwart Titan", in what for now is his last season in 2007-08.

Another exceptionally loyal player who hasn't played for anyone but his current club is Schalke's Manuel Neuer. Already at the tender age of five Neuer was cheering on his Royal Blue idols.

Last season, Neuer fulfilled a life long dream by replacing the long-time starting goalie Frank Rost in the 10th match of the season. And since then, he hasn't so much as hinted at relinquishing his job of protecting Schalke's goal.