4 Best Chelsea Right Backs of All-Time

The right-back position has been one that has resembled stability and consistency for Chelsea through the years. Cesar Azpilicueta is a right-back by trade and has been one of the most consistent players for Chelsea during his spell at the club. Here, we’ll see who all have been Chelsea’s best right-backs over their 115-year history.

The Greatest Chelsea Right-Backs Ever

4. Dan Petrescu

Romanian international Dan Petrescu signed for Chelsea in 1995 from Sheffield Wednesday. He featured heavily during his 5 years at the club going on to make 207 appearances for the club and scoring 24 goals. Petrescu was loved at Stamford Bridge and he had the same amount of affection for his fans. He even named one of his daughters “Chelsea” in honour of the club.

The Romanian was an integral part of the squad that won the League Cup in 1997 and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1998. He fell out with manager Gianluca Vialli following a defeat to Manchester United ( a match in which he scored ) and was left out of the squad entirely during the club’s triumph in the 2000 FA Cup final. Chelsea fans still remember him in good light for his service at the club.

3. Steve Clarke

Steve Clarke moved from Scottish club St. Mirren in February 1987 for a deal worth 422,000 pounds. He stayed at the club for 11 years making 330 league appearances and 421 appearances in all. He was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final. The latter match against VfB Stuttgart in Stockholm was Clarke’s final appearance for the club.

He was voted into Chelsea centenary XI in 2005 occupying the right-back berth. He also had an impact in a managerial position at the club when he played second fiddle to Jose Mourinho when he was first employed by Chelsea in the summer of 2004. He saw Chelsea win 2 Premier League titles, 2 League Cups and an FA Cup in 3 seasons under the Portuguese.

2. Cesar Azpilicueta

Cesar Azpilicueta moved to Chelsea from French club Marseille for 7 million in the summer of 2012. This deal is often mentioned as one of the best bargain buys of the century. Azpilicueta soon became an integral part of the Chelsea set up but not as a right-back but on the opposite side of the Chelsea defence. This was when Ashley Cole was out injured. Mourinho found Azpilicueta an ideal fit beside John Terry, so much so that Cole found it difficult to return to the first team even when he became fit.

Azpilicueta was a strong running fullback with brilliant defensive instincts. John Terry’s presence beside him only made the Spaniard better. He was soon referred to as the best one on one defender in the entire Premier League.

Azpilicueta wasn’t the most prolific going forward but he was very resolute defensively and always offered an overlapping run outside the winger. Although he found a special connection with Alvaro Morata connecting with him several times, he more often than not found it difficult to find the right man in the box. Despite this lack of quality, no Chelsea manager thought of upgrading on him, because he offered so much more defensively. After Gary Cahill left in 2019, he was given the club captain tag, despite already wearing the armband for most of the 2018-19 season including the Europa League final where his Chelsea trashed Arsenal 4-1.

Azpilicueta has made 374 appearances for the club scoring 13 goals in total and now finally looks on the decline with able youngsters like Reece James already being blended into the squad under Frank Lampard.

Data Until April 2020

1. Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic is Chelsea’s best right-back ever to grace the pitch for the west London side. The Serbian moved to Chelsea in January 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow for a deal worth 13 million pounds. He was a wanted man across Europe with AC Milan, Juventus and Ajax all vying for his signature.

The following 6 months were in Ivanovic’s words, “the most difficult period in his career”. He lacked match fitness and failed to make a single appearance for the Blues. He even failed to impress when matched up against the academy youngsters and made just two appearances for the reserves.

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He showed strong will and character and tried proving Luiz Felipe Scolari that he was worth trying. He gained fitness and was in and out the entire 08-09 season despite being applauded for his aerial ability and man-marking. The Serbian then went from strength to strength and proved to be a beast at the right side of the Chelsea defence, always bombing up and down the pitch. He also had a habit of popping up at the right place at the right time. The Serb scored some important goals in knockout matches which further likened him to the Chelsea faithful. His most memorable moment in a Chelsea shirt would be when he scored the winning goal in added time of the 2012-13 Europa League final against Benfica. He was a massive presence in both boxes which often proved to be the difference in big matches.

With 3 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, a League Cup, a Europa League and a Champions League, he will forever remain a Chelsea and Premier League legend.

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Some honourable mentions who were the top contenders for the list of Best Chelsea right-backs ever:

• Victor Moses
• Paulo Ferreira
• Juliano Belletti
• Albert Ferrer