10 Best Chelsea players ever

Lets take a look at the ten best Chelsea players ever. Ever since Roman Abramovich took over the Blues in 2003, they have been a huge force in English and European football. But they have had some huge stars way before this era as well. Here's the list.

#10 Kerry Dixon

After the era of Bobby Tambling, it was Kerry Dixon who emerged as the greatest striker of Chelsea. He scored 193 goals in 420 matches. This record makes him be the third highest scorer in the history of Chelsea. In his first season, Dixon helped Chelsea gain promotion to First Division League after winning the Second Division. Goals after goals that he netted immediately made him a favorite of the public. Stamford Bridge fell in love with Dixon. In his first two seasons, he scored 70 goals in just 101 games.

#9 Peter Bonetti

Peter Cech can lay some claim to being one of Chelsea's best-ever goalkeepers, but it’s another Peter who received that title first and is regarded so by many as the club's best. Peter Bonetti may not have been the most successful goalkeeper in terms of silverware, but he was a consistent performer without the assurance of the same caliber of defense that Cech had. Due to his amazing statistics and long service Bonetti was virtually first choice between the posts, during his two spells at the club (1960-1975 and 1976-1979), and he earned the nickname "The Cat" for his agility and reflexes, during this time. He kept a staggering 200+ clean sheets and made over 700 appearances.

#8 Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba is one of the best players ever bought by Jose Mourinho. Purchased from Olympique Marseille with a high price, the price paid off when Drogba scored a lot of important goals. In total, he scored 157 goals during his eight-year career at Stamford Bridge. His ability to score goals cannot be separated from his excellent physical strength. He has good heading skills, fast, and very efficient in converting chances into goals. He will forever remembered by fans for turning the tables on Bayern Munich and rescuing Chelsea from the brink of defeat at the Champions League Final in 2012. He scored the most powerful header which saw them equalise at 1-1. In the following penalties, he was the final penalty taker. He managed to outwit Manuel Neuer and presented the trophy to the fans.

#7 Dennis Wise

When he was transferred from Wimbledon in 1990 for the amount of 1.6 million pounds, Wise broke the record as the most expensive player ever bought by Chelsea. It turns out that the money was well spent. Wise became one of the best midfielders ever for Chelsea. It was once said of the midfielder that he could start a fight in an empty house, and the joke goes to show the playing style that endeared him to Chelsea fans. Wise led a Chelsea side that was beginning to win silverware again after a long barren spell. Playing for 11 years as a Chelsea player, he presented two FA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, and one League Cup. Wise has also earned the player of the year award in 1998 and 2000.

#6 Bobby Tambling

Tambling's place among the Chelsea greats is sealed by the fact that until very recently, he was the club's top goal scorer of all-time. He made his debut when he was 17-year-old in 1959 against West Ham. After the departure of Jimmy Greaves to AC Milan in 1961, he was given his chance to shine, and he demonstrated his intelligent talent. Tambling hit 22 goals but couldnt stop the club from being relegated to the Second Division. The next season Chelseas new manager, Tommy Docherty, made Tambling captain and the Blues came straight back up. Tambling scored nearly half of the teams total that season35. Despite his prolific scoring exploits, Tambling only won one trophy with the club: the League Cup in 1965.

#5 John Terry

Chelsea’s current and most successful captain has been at the heart of the club’s success over the years. Countless managers have relied on Terry’s leadership and commitment to drive the Blues forward. Terry came up through the youth system and made his debut against Aston Villa in a League Cup tie. Being a one club player, Terry showed his loyalty when the then Huddersfield manager Steve Bruce made a bid of £750,000, which was even accepted by Chelsea in 2000, but Terry decided otherwise and stayed put in West London. The following season was when Terry began to establish himself in the first team, and two years later manager Claudio Ranieri handed him the captaincy when Marcel Desailly was out injured. Jose Mourinho kept him as captain when he took over in 2004, and since then Terry only seems to be playing better and better.

#4 Ron Harris

Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris holds the appearance record for Chelsea—a staggering 975 games from 1961 to 1980. The defender came up through the ranks like Osgood and captained the side to victory in the 1970 FA Cup Final. The next season, he helped the Blues win their first ever European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a replay after the first game finished 1-1. His nickname stems from his uncompromising style on the pitch and harks back to a much more physical era. Defenders don’t get much tougher than ‘Chopper’ Harris, and as a striker you knew that if you came up against Chelsea in the 1960s or ‘70s that you would be in for a tough time. Chelsea through and through, Ron wouldn’t shirk a challenge.

#3 Gianfranco Zola

Zola arrived at Stamford Bridge in November 1996, when the club was experiencing something of a revival. He made an immediate impact in his debut season, scoring a number of memorable goals. After he found the net against Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson branded him a "clever little so-and-so." The next season, he was key again: Zola scored the winner in the Cup Winners' Cup final against Stuttgart. The Italian came off the bench and scored with his second touch. In his final appearance for the club, against Liverpool in May 2003, he beat four Reds players with a mazy dribble that drew applause from both sets of fans. Zola played 312 games for Chelsea and scored 80 goals. The popular Italian brought a new sense of creativity and flair to the side and was also one of the first foreign stars to truly excel in the Premier League.

#2 Peter Osgood

You could say that Club eras can sometimes be epitomized by the brilliance of certain players, such as Eric Cantona for Manchester United and Thierry Henry for Arsenal. Well, if that’s the case then, for The Blues, it would have to be Peter Osgood. The player who played for the Blues for ten years is regarded as the King of Stamford Bridge by the fans. His ability to score goals made him one of the most feared strikers in the history of English football. One of the best moments of Osgood when he scored diving header that helped The Blues win the FA Cup for the first time in 1970. A year later, he led his club win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup after successfully defeating Real Madrid.

#1 Frank Lampard

Making the Mid-field his home, Frank Lampard has grown into a talismanic figure at Chelsea and no other player has scored more goals for the club than he has. His time at Chelsea started back in 2001 when he moved from London rivals West Ham. His leadership skills, team balance, ability in regulating the tempo, and his loyalty are the greatest qualities of the player. Although Lampard played and regulated at the middle of the Chelsea team, he was prolific in his goal scoring, delivering results in every game and scoring some very impressive goals. No wonder he’s called Super Frankie. If you have any more doubt than maybe you should watch his incredible goal, a goal that shocked everybody at Camp Nou, against Barcelona in the Champions league.