Keeping up appearances

In a position where the slightest error may cost a player his starting place, longevity in goalkeepers is a mark of true quality. With professionals happy to change teams on a regular basis as well, one-club men are also a rarity. So, after Ulrich Ramé put pen to paper last week to extend his time at UEFA Cup challengers FC Girondins de Bordeaux for a further year, uefa.com salutes some of the longest-serving and loyal custodians in European football who are still plying their trade.

Sander Boschker, FC Twente (498 league appearances)
Save for a solitary season at AFC Ajax in which he did not make an appearance, Boschker has been at Twente since 1989 and is fast approaching the 500-game milestone. The 38-year-old did not miss an Eredivisie match for five straight years from 1996/97 and was part of the side that won Twente's second Dutch Cup in 2001.

Ulrich Ramé, FC Girondins de Bordeaux (380)
Ramé, 36, is in his 12th campaign with Bordeaux and is the only surviving member of the Ligue 1 winning side of 1998/99. Since that season, he has only gone one term without clocking up more than 30 appearances and is on course to break the 400 barrier following his recent contract extension. However, he will have to pull out all the stops to break Alain Giresse's record of 521 first-team games for the club.

Petter Wastå, Kalmar FF (357)
Wastå joined Kalmar in 1994, became the first choice two years later and has been entrenched in the Allsvenskan side's goal ever since. In 2008, he missed just one league game as he helped his club win their first-ever Swedish championship. At just 32, he has the chance to add plenty more games to his already impressive total.

Iker Casillas, Real Madrid CF (329)
Spain's No1 has been at the nine-time European champions all his career and since establishing himself as an 18-year-old has gone on to be one of the world's leading shot-stoppers. He missed just three games in five seasons between 2002/03 and 2006/07 and after signing a contract extension last year that will see him stay at his hometown side for the rest of his career, he said: "Another dream has come true and I'll be at the club for a very long time." Still only 27, perhaps he has the best chance to top the lot.

Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus (229)
Buffon has been a fixture in the Juve goal since joining from Parma FC in 2001 in a world-record fee for a goalkeeper of €52m. After firmly establishing himself as No1 for both club and country, the 30-year-old won further favour with Bianconeri fans after opting to stay with the club following its enforced demotion to Serie B, saying: "This choice confirms the great relationship I have with this club and with Juventus fans."