Chelsea’s best ever Left-wingers: All-time Greats

Posted on May 6, 2020

There are different types of wingers, some have raw pace, some bring bags of trickery and the skill to beat their marker, while some can put the ball on a sixpence with their ability to whip in a cross with accuracy. Wingers are often the star of the team, as they are tasked with both scoring and creating. Chelsea have had their fair share of quality wingers through the eras and here we’ll see who make this list of our best-ever left-wingers at the club.

Chelsea’s 3 Best Left-Wingers Ever

3. Damien Duff

Damien Duff came into the Chelsea side in 2003 for a 17 million fee as one of the first signings in the Abramovich era. Duff was declared as the “star of the show” when Chelsea won 2-0 in a Champions League match on his debut. He was unavailable for the Champions League semi-final which saw Chelsea lose out to AS Monaco. Duff played a pivotal part in Chelsea’s league season as well in which they finished second, their highest ever league finish in 49 years.

The arrival of Robben in the following season meant Duff would have to fight for his spot on the left-wing. However, a change of shape allowed them both to play at the same time. Robben and Duff formed a glorious wing duo which propelled Chelsea to their first league title in exactly 50 years. He also played a significant role in Chelsea’s League Cup win that season, scoring the winner against Manchester United in the semi-finals.

During his 3 year spell at the club, the Irish international won 2 Premier League titles and one League Cup. He ultimately moved on to Newcastle in the summer of 2006. Despite his short tenure at the club, he had a pivotal role in the club’s success.

Duff also has 100 national caps for the Republic of Ireland ranking him 6th in the all-time appearances list.

Season	Appearances	Goals
2003-04	37	6
2004-05	48	10
2005-06	40	3
Total:	125	19

2. Clive Walker

A name very familiar to the older generation of Chelsea fans, Walker played for Chelsea in the late 70s when the club was going under a lot of financial pressure. Walker played more than 1000 games in his career predominantly as a left-winger but equally effective upfront. He broke into the Chelsea side in 1977 when the likes of Ray Wilkins were playing.

Walker scored 60 goals across 198 League appearances for the Blues and was known for terrorizing defences on a weekly basis.

Walker left the club in 1983 over contract disputes which saw Pat Nevin take on his mantle and showing equally brilliant skills. The Englishman immediately came back to haunt Chelsea as he inspired Sunderland to a win the League Cup semi-final over his former club, eventually losing out to Norwich in the finals.

Also Read – 5 Best Chelsea Strikers Of All Time

1. Eden Hazard

The crafty Belgian is undoubtedly the best ever left-winger to play for Chelsea. Hazard arrived from Lille in 2012 after winning consecutive Ligue 1 Player of the Year awards. He won the League and Cup double in 10-11 and finished 3rd in 11-12 scoring 20 goals and creating 15 in the process.

His famous tweet, ” I’m signing for the Champion’s League winner” still strikes a chord within Chelsea fans.

Hazard spent a total 7 seasons at the club, where he made an instant impact. He scored 13 goals and had 24 assists in his debut season making a deadly combination with Juan Mata and Oscar in midfield.

Hazard’s stature at the club only grew over time. He won 2 Premier League titles at the club in 14-15 and 16-17. He won the Chelsea Player of the Season on both occasions and a total of 4 times. The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 appearances for the club putting him 9th in the all-time Chelsea goalscoring list. He also has 92 assists to his name which meant he had a goal contribution every 99 minutes during his time in the Premier League.

Hazard also captained the Belgian national team to a 3rd place finish in the 2018 World Cup.

Hazard is currently considered as one of the best players in the world, known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and acceleration.

Alongside several individual honours, Hazard won 2 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup and 2 Europa League awards in 7 years at the club, scoring a memorable brace in his final appearance against Arsenal in the Europa League final.