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#3 Ramires
Former Chelsea player Ramires Santos do Nascimento was born in Barra do Pirai, Brazil, in 1987. He came through the youth ranks at Brazilian club Joinville, and made his senior debut for them in 2006. Playing mainly on the right side of central midfield, he represented European giants Benfica and Chelsea, among others.
Ramires made 252 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 34 goals and bagging 26 assists. The Brazilian was known for his pace, acceleration and incredible work rate. He played a box-to-box role in midfield for most of his career, but was sometimes deployed as a right winger, owing to his speed.
The Brazilian enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Chelsea. He won one Premier League title, one FA Cup, one League Cup, one UEFA Europa League title and one UEFA Champions League title during his time in London. He scored an incredible goal in the second leg of Chelsea's semi-final against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2012. That paved the way for the Blues' first triumph in the competition that year.
You can watch it here:
Ramires also played for Brazil 52 times, scoring four goals. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 with his national team.
He played a few games for Palmeiras during the 2019-20 season, but parted ways with the club by mutual consent. He is currently without a club, and is being eyed by teams in Japan's J-League.
#2 John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel was born in Jos, Nigeria, in 1987. He came through the youth ranks at Nigerian club Plateau United, and made his senior debut with Lyn in his native country in 2004. Mikel played mainly as a defensive midfielder, and is renowned for his 11-year spell with Chelsea between 2006 and 2017.
He played in 372 games for the Blues, scoring six goals and providing 13 assists. The Nigerian was a no-nonsense player, and knew how to control the midfield with his physical presence. He formed a solid block behind the likes of Frank Lampard and Juan Mata, who had more freedom to attack.
At Chelsea, the League Cup winner won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one UEFA Europa League title and one UEFA Champions League title. He has also represented Nigeria 91 times, and is ranked fourth in their all-time appearances list. Mikel won the African Cup of Nations with his national team in 2013.
John Obi Mikel recently played again in England, this time for Stoke City during the 2020-21 season. He played 41 games for the Potters before terminating his deal with them in 2021. Following that, he played a few games for Kuwait SC, where his contract was terminated yet again after he played only four games in five months.
Mikel is currently without a club.
#1 Cesar Azpilicueta
Cesar Azpilicueta was born in Zizur Mayor, Spain, in 1989. He came through the youth ranks at Spanish club Osasuna, and made his senior debut for them in 2006. He played for Marseille between 2010 and 2012 before moving to Chelsea in 2012 for £7 million.
Azpilicueta has played in 450 games for Chelsea, scoring 14 goals and providing 56 assists. The Blues captain plays at either right-back or centre-back, and is known for his tenacity, aggression and intelligent defending. He is extremely good in unsettling opposition strikers, and does not allow them an inch of space in and around Chelsea's penalty area.
Azpi is one of Chelsea's most decorated players this century, but does not get all the credit he deserves. With the Blues, the Spaniard has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two UEFA Europa League titles and one UEFA Champions League title, among other honours.
Against Brighton & Hove Albion, the Chelsea captain made his 450th appearance for his club, 180th as their captain.
Azpilicueta has also played 36 games for the Spanish national team. With his country, he finished runner-up at the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the UEFA Nations League in 2020-21.
The Spaniard and his Chelsea team are currently second in the Premier League after a disappointing draw against Brighton.
