Mail Sport with the assistance of our readers is on a mission to search out the best participant of all-time at every of the 20 Premier League golf equipment.
Right this moment it is the flip to take a look at the legends of Chelsea from Bobby Tambling and Peter Osgood to Premier League legends Gianfranco Zola and Didier Drogba.
And as soon as you have made up your thoughts who’s the very best ever, it is time to vote…
For some golf equipment, there’s a clear front-runner with regards to figuring out their best participant. Not so Chelsea, they’ve had so many large stars and personalities over totally different eras, most just lately their 5 league titles and two Champions Leagues below Roman Abramovich.
They have been first English champions in 1955 with Roy Bentley serving as each captain and high scorer. General he netted 150 occasions in 367 appearances for The Blues and went to the 1950 World Cup as a Chelsea participant.
Frank Lampard (left) and John Terry (proper), who was captain for all 5 of Chelsea’s Premier League titles, performed starring roles for Jose Mourinho (centre) throughout his time on the membership
Chelsea captain Roy Bentley (centre) watches on as Stan Wicks (proper) shakes arms with supervisor Ted Drake (left) upon signing for the Blues – earlier than successful the First Division in 1955
Gianfranco Zola joined Chelsea again in 1996 and loved a blinding profession in west London
Bentley’s stayed because the membership’s file scorer till Bobby Tambling overtook him with 202 targets between 1958 and 1970.
By then Chelsea had turn out to be England’s glamour membership synonymous with Swinging London with showbiz stars like Raquel Welch invited to video games by celeb fan and director Dickie Attenborough.
Striker Peter Osgood was often called The King of Stamford Bridge as Chelsea gained the FA Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup. Within the latter, he scored in each spherical together with the ultimate and the following replay in opposition to Actual Madrid.
Tall and chic, Osgood made his debut at 17 and was so good, team-mate Terry Venables quipped: ‘The place have you ever been all this time?’
Osgood cohorts in that staff are iconic. Scottish winger Charlie Cooke and Alan Hudson have been the skilful mavericks who fitted into the staff’s King’s Highway picture.
On the different finish, they could possibly be laborious. Defender Ron Harris was often called Chopper for the way in which he’d be ready to cease his opponents in full move.
Harris made a file 795 appearances for Chelsea and fortunately informed Mail Sport in an interview: ‘With VAR, I might be fortunate to see out the warm-up.’
Legendary defender Ron Harris (centre) celebrates successful the FA Cup with team-mates Peter Osgood, John Hollins, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Houseman and David Webb (pictured left to proper)
Lampard is Chelsea’s high scorer whereas Terry is extensively considered top-of-the-line ever captains
His sidekick was Dave Webb who scored a uncommon objective to win the 1970 FA Cup in opposition to Leeds in a infamous match that trendy ref Michael Oliver mentioned he’d have issued 11 pink playing cards.
For many of the Eighties and 90s, Chelsea hit the doldrums although Kerry Dixon was an enormous terrace favorite in his 9 years on the membership, twice firing the membership to promotion and successful the First Division Golden Boot.
Gianfranco Zola joined Chelsea from Serie A in 1996 and was a formative determine within the Premier League changing into a worldwide attraction.
Earlier than Zola, it was questioned whether or not smaller gamers from abroad might address the physicality of English soccer. Their new No25 tore up that concept with sensational performances capped by scoring the winner within the 1998 European Cup-Winners’ Cup ultimate.
Zola helped make Chelsea engaging sufficient for Roman Abramovich to purchase the membership in 2003 and alter the membership’s historical past.
Below Jose Mourinho in 2005, they ended a 50-year look forward to a championship and established themselves amongst England’s elite golf equipment.
John Terry was membership captain for all 5 Premier League titles although he was suspended once they lastly lifted the Champions League in 2012.
Terry will get into many all-time Premier League dream groups and is mostly considered the very best skipper of the final 30 years with Roy Keane. The central defender is credited for sustaining Chelsea’s excessive requirements on the pitch at the same time as managers got here and went.
His vice-captain Frank Lampard scored a membership file 211 targets from midfield and later returned to Stamford Bridge to be supervisor.
Striker Didier Drogba (above) was Chelsea’s large match participant of the Roman Abramovich period
Supremely proficient Eden Hazard gained the Footballer Writers’ and PFA Participant of the 12 months in 2015
Fittingly, it was ‘Tremendous Frank’ who was twice on course at Bolton in 2005 that clinched Chelsea’s all-important first championship.
The final word big-match participant throughout that interval was Didier Drogba who twice scored successful targets for Chelsea in FA Cup finals and most significantly headed their equaliser in opposition to Bayern Munich within the 2012 Champions League ultimate that The Blues went on to win on penalties.
In fact, it was the highly effective Ivory Coast centre-forward who took the successful kick within the shoot-out as Chelsea upset the Germans in their very own again yard. He additionally gained the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 targets in 2009/10 when Chelsea gained their solely League and FA Cup Double.
It was feared the honours would dry up as soon as the affect of the golden era waned however Chelsea nonetheless gained the titles in 2015 and 2017, largely as a result of affect of Eden Hazard.
Hazard’s implausible shut management allowed to beat opponents with ease and he backed it with finish product, successful the Footballer Writers’ and PFA Participant of the 12 months in 2015.
All the time having a way for the massive event, the Belgian scored twice and arrange one other within the 2019 Europa League ultimate in opposition to Arsenal – his ultimate Chelsea sport earlier than an ill-fated transfer to Actual Madrid.
Although Chelsea’s second Champions League crown, below Thomas Tuchel in 2021, has not been the springboard to extra success, it is uncertain their triumph would have been attainable with out N’Golo Kante, the unbelievable midfield participant who had additionally been voted Footballer of the 12 months 4 years earlier after serving to Chelsea win the Premier League in his first season.
After lifting the Premier League with Leicester, N’Golo Kante joined Chelsea and did the identical
Fewer footballers had a much bigger affect for Chelsea than free-scoring ahead Bobby Tambling
To pick your best Chelsea participant, click on on the voting button or e mail greatest@dailymail.co.uk if you wish to select somebody not on the shortlist.
We are going to reveal the outcomes of the best all-time participant for all 20 Premier League golf equipment earlier than the beginning of the 2024-25 season.
