Okay, here we go, a list that can never please everyone and is sure to have at least some of you shouting, looking on in wonder or pure disbelief and questioning why your favourite player hasn’t made the grade. If you don’t agree make your own list and then you can pick who you want! In no particular order I give you…
- Frank Lampard – Let’s start with an easy one. Frank has won trophies galore as a Blues player, has scored a club record 205 goals at the time of writing (from midfield!) and has more than 100 caps for England. Legend.
- Petr Cech – Like Frank he has won a huge number of honours and was the best goalkeeper in the world for a couple of seasons when Chelsea were dominating the Premier League. His iconic head gear – donned after a career-threatening head injury – makes him instantly recognisable, but he still dives in where it hurts.
- Ron Harris – Okay, maybe not the best player but he was as hard as nails, a Chelsea youth product and captain who would have done anything for the club. Chopper won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup and made 655 appearances for the Blues. Again: legend.
- Gianfranco Zola – About as far from Harris as you could get, Zola was one of the first foreign imports to the Premier League and remains one of the finest to have graced these fair shores. A gentleman with unrivalled vision and awareness and also a role model for Blues youngsters.
- Didier Drogba – A forward of a totally different stature and nature to Zola but none the worse for it, Drogba was a beast and was genuinely world class at his best. Power, pace, great finishing and that amazing knack of scoring goals when it really, really mattered (nine goals in nine finals says it all).
- Peter Osgood – Another striker and another in a different mould, Ozzy also had the ability to score in the big games, including three consecutive cup finals, the 1970 FA Cup, 1971 Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1972 League Cup (which Chelsea lost!). More than 100 goals for the Blues, he is sadly missed.
- Peter Bonetti – Probably controversial to include two keepers but there you go… my list! Bonetti, AKA, The Cat, made 729 appearances for Chelsea and although he has a World Cup medal he would have had a hell of a lot more England caps (he won seven) had it not been for the brilliance of Gordon Banks.
- Bobby Tambling – Chelsea’s top scorer until Lampard overtook him, Tambling notched 202 goals for the Pensioners and remains the top league goal-getter.
- Jose Mourinho – Let the shouting REALLY begin. Mourinho isn’t a player. Even when he played he wasn’t really a player but he certainly never played for the Blues. Winning the league after a 50 year wait got him near the list, winning it again the following year and throwing in a few cups got him on it. He’s done more than most Chelsea players to bring success to the club, so let’s just say he is an honorary player for the purposes of this list.
- Roy Bentley – Bentley was the first Chelsea skipper to hold the league championship trophy over his head. Eight years at the club, top scorer in every one of them and nine goals in 12 for England. And a very nice chap too.