Chelsea has been blessed with some of the very gifted players over the years. While a significant number of those players came after the Abramovich era, Chelsea did have some absolute legends playing for them before as well.
Players like Peter Osgood, John Terry, Ron Harris, and Eden Hazard are synonymous with the image of Chelsea’s greatness. Here we’ll see who gets selected in the All-time Chelsea-XI.
The formation remains 4-3-3 which reflects the resounding success Chelsea managers have had playing this formation over the years.
Chelsea All-Time 11
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Petr Cech came in as one of the first signings under the Abramovich reign and kept 228 clean sheets in 494 appearances for the club. The Czech international makes a very strong case for himself to be the best Premier League goalkeeper of all time, with the most number of clean sheets and multiple Golden Glove awards to his name.
He won Chelsea the 2011-12 Champions League having stopped a penalty from Arjen Robben in Extra time and then from Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the shoot-out.
Peter Bonetti who very recently died, also had a shout but Petr Cech’s success with the club is undeniable and very superior to Bonetti.
Right Back: Branislav Ivanovic
The Serbian made the switch from Lokomotiv Moscow for a fee of around 13 million in 2008. He took a while to adapt to the English game but once he did, he was an absolute unit down the right flank for Chelsea. He had 377 appearances for Chelsea and had a habit of popping up at the right place at the right time. He had many memorable goals for Chelsea, most notably the winner in added time to win Chelsea the 2012-13 season. He also scored the winner against Napoli in the Round of 16 of the 11-12 Champions League win. He had an amazing aerial presence in both the boxes and got his reward for it several times.
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He fights off close competition from another Chelsea legend in Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard moved to Chelsea from Marseille in 2012. He came in as a right-back but has played across all defensive positions. He earned his reputation when he played left-back in the absence of Ashley Cole. He even played as the right-sided Centre-back under Antonio Conte effortlessly. He earned the title of being the best one-on-one defender in the Premier League due to his brilliant defensive abilities. Ivanovic edges the Spaniard having more iconic moments.
Centre-Backs: John Terry and Marcel Desailly
There is nobody who deserves their spot in this XI more than Mr.Chelsea himself, John Terry. Captain, Leader, Legend Terry has captained Chelsea to 5 League titles and the Champions League amongst numerous other trophies. He joined Chelsea at the age of 14 and made his debut in 1998. 717 appearances later, he has earned his spot in discussions of the greatest ever Centre-backs in football history.
He also had a habit of scoring crucial goals. He scored 67 goals for Chelsea in total, 41 of them coming in the Premier League. He also happens to be the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history. He was vocal, commanding and read the game brilliantly, that is, everything you would need in a Centre-Back. His ability on the ball with both feet was underrated and it underlines his quality and impact on Chelsea’s history.
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Marcel Desailly will partner John Terry in our XI as much as he did when he captained Chelsea from 1998-2004. Terry credits Desailly for a lot of his game and says he became the defender he is because of Desailly’s mentoring. Desailly was also a part of the great French team of 1998 who won the World Cup and then the Euros two years later. He also won the FA Cup in 2000 with Chelsea beating Aston Villa in the final. He played the role of a sweeper and defensive midfielder brilliantly and had a solid partnership with Frank Lebouf and then Terry.
The Frenchman fought off close competition from Ron Harris who made 655 appearances for the Blues from 1961-1980. The fondest memory Chelsea fans have of him is the 1970 FA Cup final which saw him come into his own in the role of both inspirational leader and uncompromising tackler. The following season he also lifted Chelsea’s first major European honour – the UEFA Cup Winners Cup.
Left-Back: Ashley Cole
In August 2006, after a protracted transfer saga, Cole completed a move to Chelsea from rival-club Arsenal. It turned out to be the best decision for his career as he went on to lift every single major club honour in his career. He made 338 appearances for Chelsea in 8 years where he lifted 9 major trophies including the Champions League and the Europa League.
He also made 107 appearances for Chelsea, most of them alongside club teammates John Terry and Frank Lampard. His 2011-12 Champions League final performance earned him a lot of praise. He wasn’t quite the attacking force modern fullbacks are, but few could match his defensive instincts, comfort on the ball and general consistency.
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No standout candidate comes close to giving competition to Ashley Cole in this XI, but it is doubtful anyone will ever be able to surpass Cole’s legacy.
Central Midfielder: Michael Essien
Michael Essien was bought for a club-record fee in August 2005 from french club Lyon. Essien was a tenacious player and after a brief spell at right-back, he played defensive mid for the rest of his career. He made 256 appearances for the Blues and had a habit of scoring some absolute worldies from outside the box. His goal against Arsenal in the 2006-07 season is still counted as one of the best premier league goals ever.
Essien was rightfully nicknamed ‘The Bison’ due to his sheer strength and his massive presence on the pitch. He was a proper utility man and could do just about anything, a quality which was beloved by every manager of his.
Central Midfielder: Claude Makelele
Essien’s partner in crime in midfield would be the diminutive Frenchman who was bought for 16.8 million from Real Madrid. He proved Florentino Perez wrong as he played the defensive midfield position to perfection. He was the battery of the team and was so good that he had the position renamed as ‘The Makelele role’.
Claude made 217 appearances for Chelsea and was a pivotal part of Chelsea’s run in the 2008 Champions League which saw them lose to Manchester United in the finals on penalties. Makelele is still attached to the club under Frank Lampard as he tends to the development of the Chelsea players out on loan.
Central Midfielder: Frank Lampard
Just like John Terry, it is impossible to make a Chelsea all-time XI without their record goalscorer and current boss Frank Lampard. Lampard was a technically gifted and a very creative box-to-box midfielder. He was also the pivot around which most of Chelsea’s attacks took place. Lampard is also the only midfielder in premier league history to score more than 150 goals.
He captained Chelsea in the Munich final in the absence of Terry who was suspended and led the blues with pride. In 648 appearances, Lampard scored 211 goals surpassing the record set by Bobby Tambling. The West Ham academy graduate came second in the Ballon D’Or standings behind Ronaldinho the closest an Englishman has come to winning it since Michael Owen.
Left-Wing: Eden Hazard
There is no better left-winger to play for Chelsea than the magical Belgian. Signed from Lille for 32 million pounds in 2012, Hazard hit the ground running instantly, forming a destructive partnership with then Chelsea player of the year, Juan Mata.
Hazard made 352 appearances for Chelsea in total scoring 110 goals. His goal scoring record is often criticized but Hazard was known to be unselfish and a brilliant creator. Almost every fullback to have played against him names him as their toughest ever opponent. Hazard had the ability to turn the game around on its head and control its pace.
With a low centre of gravity, Hazard was a brilliant dribbler and dazzled defenders with his twinkling feet.
Besides a huge list of individual awards, he won the Europa League twice, the Premier League two times, The FA Cup, and the EFL Cup with Chelsea.
Right-Wing: Gianfranco Zola
He was bought in 1996 by Ruud Gullit for 4.5 million alongside compatriot Gianluca Vialli. He put in several notable performances in his debut season scoring several memorable goals. He was voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player in 2003 and that speaks volumes of the player he was. A creative and technically gifted right-footed player, Zola was renowned for his ball control, his skilful dribbling ability, vision, and passing ability, as well as his tactical intelligence, ability to read the game and eye for goal.
He scored 80 goals across 311 goals for the club during which he won 6 major trophies including the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Striker: Didier Drogba
Chelsea has been blessed with a lot of legendary strikers across their history. Be it Kerry Dixon, Bobby Tambling, Peter Osgood or more recently Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank and Diego Costa. But Drogba made his name in the Chelsea history books like no other striker. He was signed for 24 million in 2004 from Marseille and is said to have been chosen over Ronaldinho by then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
Drogba played for Chelsea over two stints, one from 2004-2012 and then 2014-15. He won 4 league titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and the Champions League with Chelsea in a total 381 appearances. He was a man for the big occasion scoring 10 goals in 10 finals. He is credited with the most iconic moment in Chelsea history when he scored the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final.
His hold-up play was also quite brilliant as he often dropped deep and dragged defenders along, which allowed wingers to cross it in for the runs of Frank Lampard.
Here’s how our final Chelsea All-time 11 looks after considering all the players to have ever played for Chelsea in their 115-year history.
GK: Petr Cech
Defence: Ashley Cole – John Terry – Marcel Desailly – Branislav Ivanovic
Midfield: Michael Essien – Claude Makelele – Frank Lampard
Attack: Eden Hazard – Didier Drogba – Gianfranco Zola
