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Chelsea have been one of the most well-off clubs in the English top-flight for a long time now. The west London club has set high ambitions for itself and regularly invested in quality players and managers to revel in silverware success. Unlike many big clubs, Chelsea are known for signing players who can contribute their best in no time. The room and time provided for adjustment is minimal.
For that very reason, wearing the Blues jersey is not the easiest task. It takes something special to make their fanbase and the board happy. A look into their rich history and you'll find enough examples of great players who showed just how to make their way into fans' hearts.
Many foreign imports became club legends for Chelsea
Some of these players stayed with Chelsea for the better part of their careers. Others, while their spells lasted for a shorter duration, gave their prime years to the Blues. The club were never shy when it came to recruiting proven talent and happily paid a price that was worth the quality.
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In the process, some high-profile names as well as some lesser known talents arrived from foreign lands to the west London club. They were never shy to express themselves on the pitch and are remembered fondly even today. With no further chatter, let's unveil the greatest foreign Chelsea XI of all-time.
GK: Petr Cech
Arguably the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era, Petr Cech was almost impenetrable in his time at Chelsea. Cech was a quality shotstopper and much more. He had everything - great reflexes in open play, instinct while saving the penalty, the ability to distribute from the back, you name it.
He wasn't the most vocal or the maverick type and sometimes people would doubt if he had the tough mentality to stay at the top. But in 2006, a life-threatening tackle in a Premier League game against Reading really tested Cech's mentality and passion for the game.
The Chelsea goalkeeper was operated on for a depressed skull fracture. He returned with that iconic headguard that is a symbol associated with him so often. The Czech international has since gone on an upward trajectory, cementing his status as an all-time great.
During his stint with the Blues, he won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one apiece of Champions League and Europa League trophies. Cech also boasts four Premier League Golden Gloves with a record for maximum clean sheets, a whopping 202.
LB: Eddie McCreadie
Take a detour back to the days when your father probably would have just started watching English football with your grandfather in the '60s and '70s. Eddie McCreadie signed for Chelsea in 1962 from Scottish club East Stirlingshire. On a few occasions his name has been sung at Stamford Bridge and in pubs by Blues fans.
The Scottish international made 350 appearances for Chelsea during his tenure and was a rock-solid left-back in 1960s. His iconic League Cup final goal against Leicester City is a cherished memory. For that, he dribbled almost 80 yards before depositing the ball in goal.
McCreadie won the 1970 FA Cup as a player and then as manager earned Chelsea a promotion to the First Division. A disagreement with chairman Brian Meers in 1977 saw him leave the club on bitter terms. However, the Chelsea legend returned for the first time to Stamford Bridge in May 2017.
CB: Marcel Desailly
Nicknamed 'The Rock' and deservedly so, Marcel Desailly is fondly remembered as the man who mentored John Terry. One look at JT's Chelsea career is enough to see how great a mentor Desailly must have been. But his own exploits in a Blues outfit were nothing short of special and crucial for the team.
In the pre-Roman Abramovich era, the Frenchman was a true statement signing, bought in for a fee of £4.6m in 1998. The World Cup winner had won the Champions League winner twice, once with Marseille and once with AC Milan, in consecutive seasons. He was also a two-time Serie A winner with AC Milan.
Desailly's arrival injected hunger, desire and passion into the Chelsea squad. The team played with a greater purpose and in his presence a winning mentality flourished.
Always ready for a fight, there were few who could outmuscle Desailly and get the better of him in a one-vs-one situation. His aggression and intensity were reserved for on-field action and off-field he was very composed.
During his six-year spell with the Blues, the France international won the FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. However, he did prepare one John Terry to serve at the club for years to come.
CB: Ricardo Carvalho
Well, as is often the case, when one talks about Chelsea defenders it is common to see them wax lyricals about John Terry. Somewhere while talking about his name they digress to his partner Ricardo Carvalho and then get back on Terry. But Carvalho was more than just a sidekick to the Englishman.
To be fair, the Portuguese wasn't the man who wanted to steal the spotlight. Defending was his duty and he did it at the highest-standard without finching once. He wasn't interested in demanding any extra praise for that. But that does not mean one of Chelsea's all-time best centre-backs should be neglected.
You could bank on Carvalho to win any challenge, be it on the ground or in the air. He was perfect when it came to disrupting the flow of opposition in the final third. The Chelsea centre-back's game was highly dependent on his reading of the game and there were hardly any lapses in his judgement.
The Portugal international won three Premier League titles in his six years with Chelsea. He is not talked about as being world-class in the English top-flight because he stayed at the top of his game for four years. But that does not take away from the fact that he was one of the most important players at Chelsea.
RB: Branislav Ivanovic
Upon his arrival and for the initial adjustment period to English football, Branislav Ivanovic was way off his pace and a signing that felt hugely underwhelming. £9 million was a more than decent sum to be spent on the services of a full-back. If things did not work out positively with the Serbian, it would have been seen as a disappointing piece of business.
Getting acquainted with the intensity of the Premier League took its time. But once the Chelsea right-back felt at home, he began showing his real prowess. An explosive right-back who moved forward at every given opportunity, he would stay heavily involved in the final-third.
His aerial ability saw him become a threat in the penalty box from set pieces and otherwise when he galloped towards goal. The Serbian's numbers are proof of his offensive contributions. In 377 appearances over the course of his nine-year association with Chelsea, he contributed with 34 goals and 34 assists.
The Blues right-back won multiple honors during his time at the club. This includes three Premier League titles and one apiece of Champions League and Europa League silverware.
Special Mention: Cesar Azpilicueta
DM: Claude Makelele
Makelele's transfer in 2003 is commonly described as one of the most influential transfers in the history of Chelsea football club. It is one of the most perplexing exits sanctioned by Real Madrid. However, if Claude Makelele had continued in Spain, his legendary status might well have suffered in football.
There were few who initially understood the importance of the Frenchman in the football system. But the more they saw of him in English football, the faster the perception changed. He was the perfect screen to protect the rearguard and became the bedrock on which Chelsea's attack nurtured and flourished.
Makelele's positional awareness and robust tackling were a delight to watch in midfield. Even against the most attacking outfits, the Frenchman did not break a sweat while constantly having to shield and stop the opposition from building momentum. Eventually, the ace immortalized himself in football by leaving his signature forever in what is aptly described as the "Makelele role".
DM: N'Golo Kante
Observe N'Golo Kante for a few minutes and the immediate words that one can describe him by are humble, sweet and friendly. Well, wait until you get a glimpse of him on-field and you'll know that he's a different beast. A technically gifted player, Kante is said to be the closest one has come to Makelele.
The Chelsea ace is often known for recovering balls, relentlessly marking the opposition and sustaining the press. However, he is equally adept at holding the ball and dribbling his way out of tight pockets. The France international signed for Chelsea in 2016 on the back of a Premier League winning season with Leicester City.
He improved the Blues by a big margin in his first season itself, who had finished 10th in the previous campaign and won the league with them. Kante has a great reserve of stamina and until the very last whistle he just goes covering the ground for fun. In his five years at Chelsea, he has won the Champions League, Europa League and the Premier League.
AM: Juan Mata
Juan Mata is mostly serving as furniture, well to put it politely, a rarely used squad member at Manchester United these days. His glorious Chelsea past is edging closer to oblivion. However, don't let the sight of a humble and innocent looking man fool you into thinking that he is what he shows.
Turn back the clock and move back to the days of Mata in a Chelsea shirt. Thrills, creativity, magic and cold-bloodedness are some of the adjectives you'll feel immediately. Two and a half seasons, 135 appearances and a goal contribution every 109 minutes was the Spaniard's strike-rate at Chelsea.
No defensive barrier was good enough to stop Mata, who could play on either wing and behind the striker with his productivity staying intact. He was part-creator, part-finisher and he brought his most dangerous self to west London.
When he left Chelsea in 2014 for Manchester United, he had won two of the most prestigious continental trophies, the Champions League and Europa League. His cultured left-foot and pleasant personality will always be fondly remembered when Blues fans talk about their best foreign imports.
LW: Eden Hazard
It is beyond comprehension how Eden Hazard has fallen from his Chelsea standards since joining his dream side, Real Madrid, in 2019. A vital cog in the Chelsea side for almost a decade is nowhere near a regular starter for Los Blancos. It is natural to see a maligned image of Hazard portrayed in the Spanish media.
However, in a Chelsea shirt he was synonymous with his name, Hazard-ous to the opposition teams. He scored 110 goals and provided 96 assists for the west London club during his seven seasons. His elegance with the ball at his feet, the agile movement, the vision and composure to apply the final touch, made the Belgian a complete package.
Throughout his tenure in England, the speed of thought, the feints with which players bounced off him and his technical ability were a joy to behold. Hazard left Chelsea with two Europa League winners medals, two Premier League titles and one FA Cup.
ST: Didier Drogba
It is only fair that the club's most successful manager went on to sign the most successful striker in Chelsea's history. The manager mentioned is none other than Jose Mourinho and the player, one Didier Drogba. Abramovich was unconvinced to spend £24 million on him, but Mourinho made sure the cash was spent in 2004.
For the next eight years, Drogba made sure Abramovich never had a moment of regret as far as the striker was concerned. In 381 appearances for Chelsea, he got on the scoresheet a total of 164 times and provided 94 assists. When he left, his baggage was full of silverware. Four each of the FA Cup and Premier League trophies, one Champions League and three League Cup titles.
Drogba was a man who created magic on the pitch and made moments memorable. The Ivorian star scored in seven finals across three competitions, leading to seven trophies. Talk about a man for the biggest of occasions.
But arguably his best moment in a Chelsea shirt was when he scripted history with the Blues in the 2012 Champions League final. He scored an equalizer against Bayern Munich that proved extremely vital in the tie. He then went on to score the final penalty for the club's first Champions League triumph in the shootout.
AM/SS: Gianfranco Zola
Gianfanco Zola is a fairytale legend of the club. He is considered by many as a man who ushered in good times and a transition to modernity at Chelsea football club. Voted the greatest Chelsea player of all time, the Italian was the understudy of legend Diego Maradona himself. Like mentor, like disciple.
He was nothing short of a wizard in the Chelsea outfit and to see a man dominate the Premier League aged 30 and above was astonishing. Zola helped the Blues to two FA Cup triumphs, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup trophy and the UEFA Super Cup.
He scored 76 goals for Chelsea in a total of 302 appearances and laid 22 assists for his teammates. His dribbling and passing skills were a sight to behold and as an attacker he was cleverer than he was ferocious. Zola is often seen as the signing that changed everyone's perception of Chelsea as a club.
