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Ever since Chelsea was formed in 1905, the club has had a number of great players don the blue jersey - Gianfranco Zola, Peter Osgood, Roy Bentley to name a few but the club was not considered as one of England's finest.
However, when Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003, there has been no looking back for the Blues. Chelsea have won 14 trophies since then - five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one UCL and a Europa League.
And there have been various players who have helped the Blues climb up the ladder. Here, we rank the 10 greatest Chelsea players to play in Roman Abramovic's time.
Note: This list is not about players bought under Roman's time, but those who have played during his time.
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#10 Cesar Azpilicueta
"Mr consistent" or "Dave" as most would call him, Cesar Azpilicueta was an absolute steal for just £7 million. Missing just one game over the last two seasons, there is no doubt that the Spaniard is one of the best players to have played for the Blues.
After the departure of John Terry, most of the fans wanted him to be the next captain, but it was the centre-back, Gary Cahill who was bestowed the responsibility. Nonetheless, Dave was made the vice-captain of the club.
The full-back played a crucial part in Chelsea winning the Premier League twice in the last three years. The unsung hero for the Blues, the player has become an integral part of the club.
The Blues might not have made a great start to their campaign, but the fans have a lot of expectations from the 27-year old. The fans would want him to stay at Stamford Bridge for as long as possible and become a club legend.
#9 Nicolas Anelka
Anelka signed for the Blues for £15 million from Bolton Wanderers in 2008 and spent four seasons at Chelsea, scoring 59 goals in the process.
In his first season with the Blues, the 38-year old won the golden boot, scoring 19 goals in 37 appearances. During his time at Chelsea, the striker won the Premier League once, the FA Cup twice and the FA Community Shield once.
Anelka's time in West London was the most settled period of a nomadic and often controversial career. His time at the club came to an end acrimoniously when he fell out with manager Andre Villas-Boas and was frozen out of the first team.
He then left Chelsea to join Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in January 2012 after almost four years at the club.
#8 Branislav Ivanovic
Branislav Ivanovic played a crucial role in the greatest period of the club's history. The Serbian joined Chelsea for £9 million from Lokomotiv Moscow.
Arguably the best right-back in Chelsea's history, the old-fashioned defender thrived in the modern game.
Perhaps his best performance came when Chelsea were facing Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League. A 3-1 first leg deficit was erased in one of the greatest nights at the Bridge with Ivanovic popping up in extra-time to slam home the winner.
3 Premier League, 3 FA Cup, 1 League cup, 1 Community Shield, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League - the right-back won all that was possible.
Ivanovic will be fondly remembered in West London having played an integral role in the most successful period of the club's history, thus becoming a Chelsea legend.
#7 Eden Hazard
If there is one player which the fans love is none other than Eden Hazard. The Belgian is quick on the wings and has an eye for the goal or an assist everytime he is on the field.
The 26-year old has won everything he can at Chelsea except for the Champions League, which is his dream.
Apart from the team trophies, the winger also has a lot of personal accolades to his name; PL player of the season (14-15), PFA Players' Player of the year (14-15), PFA Young Player of the year (13-14), to name a few. He has also been included in the PFA team of the year four times in the last five seasons.
Chelsea's player of the season on three occasions is currently struggling with an injury and is fighting against time to be ready as the club, the manager and the fans are desperately missing his presence on the field.
#6 Ashley Cole
One of the Premier League’s greatest left-backs is undoubtedly England international Ashley Cole. He was an integral part of Arsenal’s invincibles side, putting in some stunning performances for the Gunners.
However, he soon managed to rub Arsenal fans the wrong way when he made a controversial transfer to bitter rivals Chelsea in 2006.
He had some of his best years at Chelsea, playing a pivotal part in the Blues’ successes. Cole has won three Premier League titles in his career, with two coming during his spell in Arsenal and the third one coming with Chelsea when they won the League under Carlo Ancelloti.
#5 Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Carvalho joined his former manager, Jose Mourinho on a 3-year contract at Stamford Bridge for £20 million. The fee was an outlandish sum at that time but he proved his worth over the following seasons.
Playing alongside John Terry, the Portuguese international played a crucial part in helping Chelsea win its first Premier League trophy in 50 years.
The centre-back enjoyed a fantastic career at Stamford Bridge as he went on to win 3 league titles at Chelsea.
#4 Didier Drogba
Arsenal's biggest nightmare, Didier Drogba is arguably the best forward bought in the last decade by the Blues.
Since he departed, the club has tried desperately to fill his hole but has been unable to do so.
Drogba was Chelsea's most expensive signing back then, joining the Blues for £24m from Marseille. While many thought it he was not worth spending so much on, Jose Mourinho wanted the striker and was backed by Roman Abramovic.
The Ivorian has won 4 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 Community Shield and 1 Champions League.
Some of his personal achievements include 2 Premier League Golden Boot, 1 Golden Foot, UEFA Team of The Year, 2 Premier League PFA Team of The Year.
Age is just a number for the 39-year old who is still playing for Montreal Impact and has scored 21 goals in 33 appearances in the last two seasons.
Drogba loved scoring Arsenal and netted 16 goals in as many appearances against them. Just ask any Arsenal fan and they will tell you how the striker would haunt them in their dreams during those times.
#3 Petr Cech
Petr Cech signed for Chelsea from Rennes for £7 million becoming the most expensive keeper in Chelsea's history that time.
It took some time for Cech to get back to his best following the collision in 2005 with Stephan Hunt. It left the Czech international with a fractured skull. The doctors advised him to stay away from football, but he had other plans in mind.
The Czech keeper went on to become a legend for the Blues before making a switch to Arsenal.
Petr Cech went on to win 4 Premier League, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 2 Community Shield, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League while playing for the Blues.
Some of his personal achievements are 4 Premier League Golden Glove, 2 Premier League PFA Team of The Year, 1 Chelsea Player of The Year.
His performance in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich is still rated highly by many fans. Cech might be playing for the Gunners now, but that doesn't stop him from returning back home once he hangs up his gloves.
#2 Frank Lampard
A £11 million signing from West Ham, Frank Lampard proved his class and professionalism over 13 years at Stamford Bridge. Lampard was everything a modern midfielder should be.
The England international comfortably reached double figures in goals scored for 10 seasons on a trout, scoring 20+ in five seasons. This helped him break Bobby Tambling's all-time club record of 202 goals in May 2013.
His career at Stamford Bridge was no short of trophies; 3 Premier League, 4 FA Cup, 1 UCL, 1 Europa League, 2 Community Shield and 2 League Cups.
He also has a lot of individual accolades to his name; FIFA Player of the year (Silver, 2005), Ballon d'Or (Silver, 2005), UEFA Midfielder of the year (2008), to name a few.
The player retired in February this year and has plans to earn his coaching badges.
#1 John Terry
Captain. Leader. Legend. These are the words which first strike the mind when you hear John Terry's name.
Joining Chelsea at a very young age back in 1998, the defender has seen a lot in the past 19 years. Consistency, quality defending, inspirational leadership, goal scoring abilities and distribution skills, Terry had it all. He was a complete package.
One of the most important players in the Mourinho era, Terry was one of the key factors in making Chelsea the European and Premier League superpower it is today. John Terry is one of the finest centre-backs England has ever produced.
He has won a lot of trophies at the club as well. 5 Premier League, 5 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 Community Shield, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League to be precise.
Apart from the trophies, the Englishman has a lot of accolades to his name. Two Chelsea Player of The Year, PFA Team of The Century, 3 UEFA Club Defender of The Year and many more.
Terry's departure to Aston Villa has left Chelsea searching for his replacement and the club believes Andreas Christensen is the man to fill in the gap.
