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#3 Steven Gerrard
The keywords "Gerrard" and "Chelsea" often bring about a rather painful memory for Liverpool fans - his infamous slip on the ball at Anfield, which Chelsea striker Demba Ba collected and put away. However, fans from both sides seem to have forgotten the transfer saga in 2005, when Gerrard was ready to make the switch to Stamford Bridge. The English midfielder, fresh from leading his side to European glory against AC Milan in Istanbul, handed in a transfer request to join Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Had the transfer gone through, the Gerrard vs Lampard debate would have had an entirely different outlook today!
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The dream of watching Gerrard and Lampard together in a Chelsea kit was closer to becoming a reality than most people realize, with the boyhood Liverpool fan getting infuriated over the club's stagnation.
When the news of his transfer request became public, the red half of Merseyside was enraged - death threats, shirts being burnt, protests outside Melwood - you name it.
In what was a 'rollercoaster of emotions' as described by Gerrard himself in his autobiography, the midfielder decided to commit his stay at Anfield longer, which earned him laurels for his loyalty. The cost of this, however, was that his dream of a league title with the Reds never came to fruition, while Chelsea went on to win the league the following season.
#2 Neymar
Long before Neymar became the most expensive transfer of all time, Chelsea were reportedly very interested in acquiring the young Brazilian sensation's services. Wagner Ribeiro, who was the agent of Neymar at the time, has revealed that Chelsea were heavily scouting his client. The club were so serious that they sent out representatives to meet with Neymar's entourage during his first ever appearance for his national side, all the way back in 2010. Chelsea were also reportedly ready to pay a hefty fee to his parent club Santos.
However, Neymar rejected the London side's approach as he did not want to stay so far away from his mother and sister. He eventually joined Barcelona in 2013, before PSG paid out his enormous release clause in 2017 which made him the most expensive player of all time.
#1 Ronaldinho
For anyone who started following football in 2000s, Ronaldinho is a household name. Before the magic of Messi graced Camp Nou, the responsibility of lifting fans out of their seats was of the Brazilian attacking midfielder Ronaldinho. His tricks and flicks were known world over, and the ex-Barcelona player was widely regarded as one of the most gifted players of his generation.
However, come the summer of 2008, Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed 'a new challenge' to revive his career, which was plagued by injuries.
Although Ronaldinho opted to join Italian giants AC Milan, he had an offer on the table from the elite sides in the Premier League, with Chelsea being one of them. The west London outfit were also interested in signing him in 2007, and Roman Abramovich was also willing to pay his massive release clause, but Barcelona were not interested in selling.
