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#3 Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is one of the few Chelsea players to have achieved more with his national team than with the Blues. The defender won the World Cup with France in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.
Before coming to Chelsea, he won the Serie A league title at AC Milan. Desailly also won back-to-back Champions League titles with two different clubs, Marseille and Milan.
Nicknamed 'The Rock', the World Cup-winner was not only powerful in central defense but also displayed admirable quality on the ball. Desailly helped Chelsea qualify for the Champions League for the first time and also lifted the UEFA Super Cup in his debut season at the club.
He also won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2000 and formed a solid partnership with Frank Lebouef at the back before the the latter's departure.
Desailly became Chelsea captain and took young John Terry under his wing, helping the Englishman evolve into a solid presence in the Chelsea back four. Terry then succeeded Desailly as club captain when the French international departed the club in 2004.
#2 Claude Makelele
Having a signature move or pose named after you is a solid legacy. Claude Makelele achieved much more than that and got the central defensive midfield position named after him: the Makelele role.
Prior to arriving at Chelsea, not many people had heard of Makelele or understood his role in a football team. His natural sense and style of play became a revolution in the game.
While Claudio Ranieri was the one to bring Makelele to Stamford Bridge, it was Jose Mourinho who made the Frenchman truly great.
Makelele was the pivot in Jose Mourinho's three-man midfield. The Frenchman's positioning, control and tackling enabled Michael Essien and Frank Lampard to play box-to-box as playmakers and goalscorers.
Without the support of Makelele, Lampard would not have been able to venture forward as much, which eventually helped him on his way to becoming Chelsea's all-time leading scorer.
Makelele made 217 appearances for Chelsea, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup. He left Chelsea for PSG in 2008 before finally retiring in 2011.
#1 N'Golo Kante
Kante is tipped to become arguably the greatest defensive midfielder in football history. A player who made pundits think about renaming the Makelele position. The Frenchman has been absolutely phenomenal for Chelsea since arriving in 2016.
Kante moved to Stamford Bridge after winning the Premier League with Leicester for a fee of £32 million. That has proved to be a real bargain for the Blues.
In his five years at the club, Kante has managed to win the Premier League, the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup. He also played a key part in France's World Cup win in 2018. Kante was also voted France's Footballer of the Year in 2017.
His dynamism and energy, combined with his defensive acumen, has propelled Kante to the top of the footballing world. He had a subdued 2019-20 season and many believed that the 30-year-old's footballing powers were waning.
But he was back to his best last season, helping Chelsea win the Champions League.
Were it not for France's Round 16 exit at Euro 2020, Kante would have been odds-on to compete with Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or.
Without the shadow of a doubt, Kante will be integral to whatever Chelsea do in the years to come. The Blues are already preparing a new contract to tie him down at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future.
