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Ahead of the much-anticipated UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City, several Blues superfans from across India passed on their wishes to Thomas Tuchel's team. The 2021 UCL final is set to be held in Portugal, with the Estadio do Dragao chosen as the venue after Istanbul’s unavailability due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League journey started under Frank Lampard and reached new heights under Thomas Tuchel, as the Blues topped their group and set up a mouthwatering clash against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.
After beating Los Rojiblancos, victories over two legs against FC Porto and record European champions Real Madrid set up an all-England UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City, as Tuchel set a unique record of reaching two successive finals in the competition with different clubs.
Anant Tyagi
Chelsea fans across the country were in high spirits ahead of the game. Renowned television presenter Anant Tyagi is one of the most die-hard Blues you’re likely to see and he urged the fans to keep the blue flag flying high.
“It’s been an incredible season for men and women at Chelsea football club. The message ahead of the final is simple - you guys keep your head and chin up, while we keep the blue flag flying high,” said Tyagi.
He picked Mason Mount as his Chelsea Player of the Season, while the Blues’ victory against Real Madrid unsurprisingly featured as his moment of the season.
Arjun Kapoor
Bollywood superstar Arjun Kapoor is a big Chelsea fan and has been quite vocal over the course of the season. Ahead of the UCL showdown, he chose Mason Mount as his Player of the Season and spoke in detail about two of his favorite moments from Chelsea’s 2020-21 campaign.
“My proudest moment has to be a toss-up between beating Real Madrid in the semi-finals and beating Manchester City in the league. We made sure we went into the final looking like worthy opponents to City. Beating them at the last minute also proved that we want to count this season as a success.”
Karan Singh
Karan Singh spoke about Mason Mount’s goal for Chelsea in the second leg against Real Madrid, as he lavished praise on the nature of the goal.
“It has been a very interesting season. Mason Mount’s goal, just the way he took the team build-up was brilliant. Mount being at the end of it typified it as he’s a future Chelsea captain.”
Karan Singh named N’Golo Kante as his Player of the Season and went on to speak about the Frenchman’s record in big games over the course of his Chelsea career. He signed off with a passionate message to his beloved team ahead of the UCL showdown against Manchester City.
“Make us proud! It is written in the stars! Let’s go get the cup and keep the blue flag flying high!”
Naman Mathur
E-sports player Naman Mathur, who goes by the name of “Mortal” also shared his views ahead of the UCL showdown against Manchester City.
“Proudest moment for me has to be the UEFA Champions League ties against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid,” said Naman Mathur
Much like Karan Singh, Naman also named N’Golo Kante as his player of the season and signed off by saying that Chelsea will prevail in the final.
Shivankit Parihar
Shivankit Parihar spoke about how tough it is to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, while he also singled out Chelsea’s victory against Leicester City in the Premier League earlier this month as an important moment.
He named Antonio Rudiger, N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount as Chelsea’s best players for the 2020-21 season and left a heartfelt message for the Blues.
“We’re already 2-1 up against Manchester City this season so let’s go do it again and make it 3-1!”
Gunveet Singh Dang
Gunveet Singh Dang unsurprisingly drew parallels with Chelsea’s dream UEFA Champions League run in 2012 when they defied the odds to beat Bayern Munich in the finals.
“Everyone wrote us off, but our legends like Drogba, Lampard, Ivanovic, Cech and Cole showed everyone in the world what Chelsea was capable of!”
The boyhood Blue named Mason Mount as his player of the season and also mentioned Chelsea’s victory against Liverpool at Anfield as one of his standout moments.
Albino Gomes
Kerala Blasters goalkeeper Albino Gomes also sent a special message to his beloved club, as he wished them well ahead of a historic game.
“We know you will give your 100% in the final. All the best in the final, come on Blues!”
The Indian goalkeeper picked the victory against Real Madrid as his favorite moment and named Edouard Mendy as his player of the season.
Shray Rai Tiwari
Shray Rai Tiwari was arguably the most optimistic fan you could wish to see ahead of a major cup final, as he seemingly took Chelsea’s victory as a foregone conclusion.
“I’m anxious just like every Chelsea fan, but let’s see how we bring the trophy home!”
Much like several other Chelsea fans, he picked out the victory against Real Madrid as his standout moment and picked legendary defender Thiago Silva as his player of the season.
Ankur Diwakar
Ankur Diwakar also picked the semi-final victory against Real Madrid as his standout moment and unsurprisingly singled chose Mason Mount, who he referred to as a machine, as the player of the season.
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity of witnessing a UEFA Champions League final. We’ll make sure the blue flag is always flying high!”
Finally, Arjun Kapoor finished with an inspirational message to his team. The Bollywood superstar said that the Blues have already beaten Manchester City twice this season and have everything it takes to do so again on Saturday.
