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Gianfranco Zola was voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player in 2003Countless world class players have passed through the gates of Stamford Bridge while donning the famous royal blue of Chelsea. While it is fair to say the majority of them arrived at Chelsea after Roman Abramovich had purchased the club in 2004 and injected the ageing club with some much-needed cash, it is erroneous to state that Chelsea did not indeed possess players of a high pedigree prior to their acquisition by the Russian billionaire.Here is Chelsea’s top XI from the pre-Abramovich era
#1 GK - Peter Bonetti
Peter Bonetti was living proof of the old adage – “you don’t necessarily need a big man in goal, you just need a good one.”
Standing at just 5’11’’, Bonnetti was by no means a large goalkeeper or footballer for that matter. However, this didn’t deter him from becoming one of Chelsea’s all-time greats where his airtight handling, lightning quick reflexes and elegant nature on and off the pitch led him to earn the nickname of “The Cat”.
He appeared in over 600 games for The Blues and was a vital component in their 1970 FA Cup final win over the mighty Leeds United where Bonetti made a string of remarkable saves to keep the Blues in contention in a game where they were outplayed for a majority of the time.
#2 RB - Ron Harris
The legendary Harris was one of the fiercest defenders England had ever seen and his bone-crunching tackles led him onto adorning the moniker of “Chopper” by opposition fans. Loved by the Chelsea faithful, Harris remained with the Blues even when most of their star players left at the start of the 1970s and captained them back into the First Division
One of the few Chelsea players to have played for The Blues his entire career, Harris spent 20 seasons at Stamford Bridge and racked up an amazing 795 appearances for the Blues – a record that still stands today.
#3 CB - Marcel Desailly
The French centre-back raised many eyebrows when he left a star-studded AC Milan in 1998, where he had formed a formidable partnership with Paolo Maldini, and joined a relatively mediocre Chelsea side.
The move, however, turned out to reap wondrous benefits for Chelsea as he brought an aura of international flair and professionalism to the side and formed an equally formidable defensive partnership with fellow Frenchman Frank LeBoeuf. He went on to win a UEFA Super Cup in 1998 followed by successive FA Cup wins in 1999 and 2000 alongside his achievements with the French national squad in the same time frame where they secured the World Cup in 1998 and the Euros in 2000.
#4 CB - Frank LeBoeuf
Frank LeBoeuf arrived at Chelsea in 1996 and was an instant regular in the side. With Marcel Desailly’s arrival in 1998, the duo formed one of the Premier League’s most airtight defensive duos and caused problems for attackers all over.
He and Desailly led Chelsea to numerous domestic league cups during their tenure at Chelsea alongside playing together for the French national squad where he is most well-known for his masterful marshalling of Ronaldo in France’s 3-0 victory over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final.
He was known for his expertise at passing accurate long balls ahead while at the same time being a prolific penalty taker. His most long lasting impression at Chelsea however, would be his mentoring of a young John Terry into the defender he is today.
#5 LB - Greame Le Saux
Le Saux was part of Chelsea’s academy in 1987 and on impressing, became a first team regular by the 1990/91 season. He put in some great performances with the Blues during his first stint at the Blues but irregular match time led him to move to Portsmouth in 1993.
It was when Chelsea re-signed him in 1997 for a then record fee of £5 million for an English defender that he really impressed. He was ever present on the left flank for the Blues and provided continual support for Roberto Di Matteo on the left flank while pushing ahead. He made over 230 appearances for the Blues during his two spells there and is still regarded as a Chelsea great.
#6 CDM - Dennis Wise
Among the Chelsea faithful, Wise was known as “The Little Bulldog” and for good reason. Even though he was a mere 5’6’’, Wise was one of the most combative players in the middle of the pitch with his tackling and aggression leading him to being compared with Manchester United great Roy Keane on many occasions.
Wise went on to become Chelsea’s second greatest captain, behind John Terry, where he led the Blues to two FA Cups, the League Cup and a Cup Winners' Cup. He was brought in for a then club-record fee of £1.6 million and more than repaid the Blues when he left 11 years later with 445 appearances and 76 goals for the Blues under his name.
#7 RM - Dan Petrescu
The legendary Romanian midfielder signed for Chelsea from Sheffield Wednesday in 1994 and went on to establish himself as a Blues great in his next 5 seasons at the club.
Under manager Glen Hoddle, Petrescu thrived on the right flank for Chelsea, linking up well with Roberto Di Matteo where the duo caused nightmares for defenders on numerous occasions. He went on to make over 150 appearances for Chelsea during his tenure there before being sold to Bradford in 2000.
#8 CF - Gianfranco Zola
The “Little Magician” arrived at Chelsea in 1996 from Parma for £4.5 million. Many questioned Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit’s decision on spending so much on an attacker who was on the wrong side of 30. Zola, however, went on to answer his critics in a fashion that nobody expected.
Such was his impact at Chelsea that he was voted their “Best Player Ever” in 2003 and Chelsea have now retired the number 25 jersey in honour of him. In 312 appearances, he scored over 80 goals and terrorised defences with his trickery and deadly free-kicks. The little Italian was so impressive that even the tight-lipped Alex Ferguson notoriously known for his tightfistedness in dealing out compliments described the Italian magician as "clever little so-and-so “ and “one of the few players I regret not signing.”
#9 LM - Roberto Di Matteo
While Di Matteo’s greatest success at Chelsea was his capture of the elusive Champions League trophy in 2012 as caretaker manager, he enjoyed a very successful playing career at Chelsea as well.
A proficient long range shooter of the ball, Di Matteo was an instant hit with Chelsea fans after his transfer from Lazio for a then club record fee of £4.9 million. Di Matteo managed to link up well with his teammate on the opposite flank – Dan Petrescu well alongside providing vital balls for Gianfranco Zola to latch onto in the final third.
He went on to make 119 appearances for The Blues during his six-year stay there where he won 6 trophies and establish himself as one of the Chelsea faithful’s favourite players.
#10 ST - Roy Bentley
Roy Bentley will forever be remembered in the hearts and minds of Chelsea fans all over for leading them to their first piece of silverware ever – the 1954/55 League Division title. It was through his goal scoring ability where he scored 21 goals that season and finished as top Scorer for the Blues and his leadership on the pitch, that Chelsea were able to do the impossible and go on to win the title after languishing in the bottom half of the table for most of the first half of the season.
Bentley also remains one of Chelsea’s all-time leading goal scorers with 128 League goals in 324 appearances for the Blues in his 8 year career at Stamford Bridge.
#11 ST - Peter Osgood
Peter Osgood goes down as probably Chelsea’s first ever wonder-kid. When he was just 17, Osgood was promoted from the youth academy at Chelsea into their reserve squad where he managed to notch up a remarkable 30 goals in 20 games and then went on to establish himself as a first-team regular.
His mazy runs and trickery with the ball led the Chelsea faithful to assign him with the nickname of “The Wizard of Os”. He thrived under Dave Sexton’s regime at Chelsea and went on to win the League Cup in 1965 and the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1971 as Chelsea managed to beat a star-studded Real Madrid team 2-1.
His greatest achievement, however, was during Chelsea’s 1970 FA Cup run where his gaols led Chelsea to winning the trophy. Osgood managed to score in each round – he still remains the last player to accomplish this feat.
Naturally, he is regarded as one of the all-time Chelsea greats and his status at Stamford Bridge is second to none. In 2010 to honour him, Chelsea unveiled a statue of Osgood outside the West Stand – a testament to the impact he had on The Blues.
