Valentine's Day - Everton, Newcastle United and Man Utd stars most loved up

Everton, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace stars have been named as the most loved up with their clubs in their Premier League in a Valentine's Day themed study to celebrate the worldwide day of romance.

The CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post has crunched the numbers behind 60 leagues across the world to find the players who have been in their club's first teams for the longest interrupted period. In a world where huge transfer sums fly about and clubs change managers frequently, the phenomenon of one-club legends is something of yesteryear.

Yet, there are some footballing stars who have managed impressive long-term relationships with their employers and earned the ardent love of fanbases across the globe, including some huge Premier League sides.

Everton defender Seamus Coleman tops the chart for the top flight having spent a huge 14 seasons at Goodison Park. The Irishman signed for Everton for just £60,000 in 2009 and is still on the books, although has made just five Premier League appearances this term.

Second is another full-back in Crystal Palace man Joel Ward, who has been at Selhurst Park for 12 seasons. Brighton star Solly March is tied with Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett and Luton Town midfielder Pelly Ruddock with 11 campaigns at their sides.

Premier League stars named as most loyal by CIES

1. Seamus Coleman, Everton - 14 seasons
2. Joel Ward, Crystal Palace - 12 seasons
3. Solly March, Brighton - 11 seasons
4. Paul Dummett, Newcastle United - 11 seasons
5. Pelly Ruddock, Luton Town - 11 seasons
6. Lewis Dunk, Brighton - 10.5 seasons
7. Adam Smith, Bournemouth - 10.5 seasons
8. Chris Basham, Sheffield United - 10 seasons
9. Aaron Cresswell, West Ham - 10 seasons
10. Ben Davies, Tottenham Hotspur - 10 seasons
11. Luke Shaw, Manchester United - 10 seasons

On a global scale, it's CSKA Moscow and Russia international Igor Akinfeev who has proven the king of Valentine's Day having been at the club for an eye-watering 21 years.

In the European big-five leagues, two Germans top the table - Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich and Tony Jantschke at Borussia Mönchengladbach. They are currently playing their sixteenth consecutive season with their respective clubs.

Top 5 most loyal footballers worldwide by CIES

1. Igor Akinfeev, CSKA Moscow - 21 seasons
2. Rizvan Utsiev, Akhmat Grozny - 19 seasons
3. Ali Khaseif, Al-Jazira Club - 19 seasons
4. Steffen Hagen, Odds BK - 18 seasons
5. Huikang Cai, Shanghai Port - 18 seasons