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Chelsea have always had influential full-backs over the last 19 years. Whether it be Ashley Cole or Reece James, they have been crucial to the way the team play.
Over the course of the last 19 years, Chelsea have played several different variations of the full-back role. They have been played as wing-backs and played in both defensive and possession-based systems.
As we approach the final game of the Abramovich era, let's look at the top five players to have played the position for the club. These players are up-and-comers, legends of the game, and some have won it all with the club.
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#5 Chelsea's future - Reece James
Reece James made his debut for Chelsea in 2019 and is already one of the most influential figures in the team. He is the only one on this list who is an academy graduate, having come through the ranks at Cobham. The 22-year-old is naturally a right-back but plays as a wing-back and is versatile enough to play in midfield.
James has made 121 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing 17 assists. He is a complete full-back. With pace, strength, and a wand of a right foot, it is a joy to watch him play for the team.
The player is already a Champions League winner with the club, and there is plenty more to come from someone who could be a future captain.
#4 Specialist wing-back - Marcos Alonso
Marcos Alonso signed for Chelsea in 2016 from Fiorentina, and little was known about him. By the end of that season, Alonso was a Premier League winner and one of the best wing-backs in Europe. Marcos Alonso has scored 25 goals in the Premier League since 2016. That is the most by a defender in that period.
Alonso's left foot is magical, and some would even say he is the best finisher at the club. So many great goals, late goals, and brilliant free-kicks! Alonso has won everything at the club bar, the Carabao Cup.
The Spaniard isn't the best defensively and his pace has caused him problems, but there is no doubting his talent going forward. He has been one of the best to play the position.
#3 Serbian tank - Branislav Ivanović
Branislav Ivanović signed for Chelsea in 2008 and became a mainstay at right-back. Ivanović made 377 appearances for the club, across competitions, scoring 34 goals and providing 34 assists.
The Serb won everything with the club bar a Super Cup and Club World Cup. Ivanović, much like Reece James, was raw power and pace with an eye for scoring and assisting goals.
Chelsea lacked consistency at right-back until Ivanović signed for the club. Players like Paulo Ferreira and Khalid Boulahrouz, among others, played the position but never fully impressed.
Ivanović nailed down his spot and never looked back. He began to lose his pace as he got older and eventually was phased out, but he was one of the best.
#2 Dave - Cesar Azpilicueta
A name so hard to pronounce that the fans affectionately called him Dave. Cesar Azpilicueta signed for the club in 2012 and is the only player to win it all with the club - all three domestic titles, all three European titles, and a Club World Cup. Azpilicueta has not been the flashiest defender at the club but has been reliable.
In 2014, Jose Mourinho famously said that "a team with 11 Azpilicuetas could win the Champions League." Signed as a right-back, he thrived as a left-back under Mourinho.
He was then switched to right centre-back under Antonio Conte. Under Maurizio Sarri, he played at right-back, and under Thomas Tuchel, he has played as a wing-back.
Dave had a run of 74 consecutive 90-minute games for the club. Also, in his pomp, he was unbeatable in 1v1 situations and a player rarely dribbled past him.
He was able to deliver the odd assist and goal as well. As with all players, age is never kind, and after a decade at the club, he might call it quits. He will leave a legend and one of the best captains the club has ever seen.
#1 The best ever - Ashley Cole
If Cristiano Ronaldo says that a player is the toughest he has faced, then you take him seriously. Ashley Cole signed for the club from rivals Arsenal in 2006 when he was already one of the best left-backs in world football. But with the Blues, he became the best left-back in the Premier League era.
Cole made 338 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals and providing 38 assists. The team struggled to find someone as adept at defending as him after he left in 2014. Ben Chilwell's signing in 2020 is the closest anyone has come to replacing him.
At his peak, Ashley Cole oozed quality and was a joy to watch. He thrived under Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian gave him the independence to use his pace and quality in attack.
Cole's signing for the club was a power move by Abramovich, and it turned out to be one of the best signings the club ever made. A legend not just for Chelsea but for football.
