Top Best Chelsea Footballers of All Time

Established in 1905, Chelsea is a solid Premier League “Big Six member.” Although they’ve been around since the early 1900s, they recently gained notoriety in football. Upon acquiring the club in 2003, Roman Abramovich brought in a change unlike any other at the time.

Chelsea has brought in some of the top players worldwide thanks to Abramovich, and some of them have been etched in the club’s history. These players have also contributed to the inclusion of Chelsea matches on virtual events like what you have on https://parimatch.in/en/casino/virtual-sports. Dealing with Parimatch you can place bets before the match or in-play and also get different promotional offers. While many would refer to individual player successes when naming who the best is, the entire team’s success also plays a major role.

In this article, we provide a shortlist of some of the best footballers ever to play the game at Chelsea. We look at the attackers, forwards, midfielders, and defenders, using individual performances and their overall influence on the team.

Who Are the Greatest Chelsea Players to Ever Grace the Football Pitch?

You can’t look into Chelsea’s football history without mentioning players like Didier Drogba, Giancarlo Zola, Peter Osgood, and Ruud. They are among the most well-known and well-liked players among Chelsea supporters, thanks to their success at the club.

These players are considered the best in their positions in a blue shirt. With that in mind, let’s briefly examine some of the best Chelsea players in history. 

1. Didier Drogba

Any avid Chelsea fan will tell you that Drogba is the best striker in Chelsea’s history, and they will be right. The Ivorian played for Chelsea from 2004 to 2012 in up to 226 matches. He’s scored an amazing 100 goals in those appearances for Chelsea. On the international front, Drogba was a fearful force in front of goal, netting 65 goals in 105 appearances for Cote d’Ivoire.

One of the most memorable appearances came in 2012 when he scored the winning penalty kick that beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final.

2. Frank Lampard

When you speak about Premier League midfield greats, you cannot complete that conversation without mentioning Frank Lampard. Lampard is not only one of Chelsea’s best players of all time, but he was also one of the greatest midfielders the Premier League has seen.

He was an excellent maestro and midfield general who could dribble, score, pass, and tackle. He appeared in 429 Chelsea matches and scored 147 goals. For a midfielder, that’s an amazing return. Frank is presently the manager of Everton in the English Premier League after retiring and going into the coaching profession. He is still loved by Chelsea fans today for his wonderful contribution to the club.

3. Petr Cech

After suffering a head injury and coming back into the game with his famous headgear, Petr Cech was known in Chelsea and the entire football world. Of course, his fame came more from his performances than his stylish headgear, and most of his contributions led Chelsea to a good era of dominance in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s extraordinary success during the Abramovich era was largely due to his amazing goalkeeping skills and experience. The Czech goalie racked up a whopping 228 clean sheets. Chelsea won four EPL titles and four FA Cups under his brilliant supervision.

4. Eden Hazard

At a time in the Premier League, Eden Hazard was considered the third best player worldwide, behind Messi and Ronaldo. He moved to Chelsea from the French club LOSC Lille after winning the award for the Ligue 1 young player of the Year.

Eden Hazard spent seven years with the London club before joining Real Madrid. He was a complete package who could score, assist, dribble, pass and press. His ball retention skills were amazing, and it was a nightmare to try and defend against him because he guarded the ball so well.

Chelsea has never had a better attacking midfielder than Eden Hazard. He was lightning fast on the ball, with exceptional decision-making abilities and positional awareness. At Chelsea, the Belgian international, currently at Real Madrid, was sometimes unplayable.

During his seven-year stint with Chelsea, he appeared in 352 games, scoring 110 goals and giving 92 assists. Hazard was a pivotal player at Chelsea, pulling the club to win two Premier League crowns in 2015 and 2017, an English FA Cup, an English League Cup, and two Europa Leagues.

5. John Terry

John Terry stood out even amongst the best defenders in the world. He was one of the best tacklers in the Premier League, and he is Chelsea’s best-ever defender. He is also naturally regarded as one of the greatest center defenders.

Terry was a huge presence for Chelsea and did an excellent job of maintaining their structure and managing the defensive line. Terry appeared in 492 games for Chelsea.

6. Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack is a German footballer who played midfielder during his career. He is considered one of the greatest German midfielders to play the game and an icon in Chelsea’s history. He joined Chelsea in 2006 after winning multiple trophies with Bayern Munich and stayed at the club for four years.

He played in 167 games, netting 25 goals and providing 24 assists. With these numbers, he helped Chelsea win 3 English FA Cups, 2 English Super Cups, 1 English League Cup, and 1 Premier League title.

Conclusion

These are some of the best players to play the game at Chelsea and the entire world. Their current squad may be miles behind their elite team in the glory days, but there’s much room for improvement and many things to look forward to.