_The greatest players in the club’s history, in one team. Formation: 4-2-3-1._
Chelsea’s history divides sharply into pre-2003 and post-2003, and the trophy count makes the modern era hard to argue with. But the King’s Road sides of the 1960s and 70s produced players who would walk into any Chelsea team ever assembled.
**The Starting XI**
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**Goalkeeper: Petr Cech (2004-2015).** Four Premier League titles, a Champions League, and 228 clean sheets. The 2004-05 season, when he conceded 15 league goals all year, is the best individual goalkeeping campaign in Premier League history.
**Right-back: Cesar Azpilicueta (2012-2023).** Played every defensive position at a high level, captained the club, and won every major honour available. Relentlessly reliable for a decade.
**Centre-back: John Terry (1998-2017).** The club’s most decorated captain and the defensive foundation of the Abramovich era. Five league titles and the leader of the 2012 Champions League run.
**Centre-back: Marcel Desailly (1998-2004).** A World Cup and Champions League winner who brought genuine elite-level defending to Stamford Bridge before the money arrived.
**Left-back: Ashley Cole (2006-2014).** Won the Champions League, the Europa League and the Premier League at Chelsea, and was still the best left-back in England for most of it.
**Central midfield: N’Golo Kante (2016-2023).** One of the best defensive midfielders of his generation. If you need any more evidence of Kante’s greatness, look at his back to back Premier League wins with Leicester and Chelsea.
**Central midfield: Frank Lampard (2001-2014).** The club’s record scorer with 211 goals from midfield, a figure that remains barely believable. Thirteen years of arriving in the box at exactly the right moment.
**Right wing: Gianfranco Zola (1996-2003).** Voted the club’s greatest ever player by the fans and the man who made Chelsea attractive to watch. Technically one of the finest footballers to wear the shirt.
**Attacking midfield: Peter Osgood (1964-1974, 1978-1979).** The King of Stamford Bridge. Scored in every round of the 1970 FA Cup run and remains the club’s fourth-highest scorer.
**Left wing: Eden Hazard (2012-2019).** Two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues and seven seasons of being the most dangerous ball carrier in the division.
**Centre-forward: Didier Drogba (2004-2012, 2014-2015).** Scored in four separate cup finals and then the equaliser and winning penalty in Munich. The definitive big-game centre-forward.
**Unlucky to Miss Out**
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Makelele is perhaps the unluckiest but his tenure simply wasn’t long enough. Bobby Tambling held the scoring record for 43 years. Also unlucky: Dennis Wise, Kerry Dixon, Michael Essien, Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Branislav Ivanovic, Jimmy Greaves and Gianluca Vialli.
FAQs
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### Who is the greatest Chelsea player of all time?
Frank Lampard has the strongest claim, combining record-breaking goals, longevity and trophies.
### Who is Chelsea’s greatest ever striker?
Didier Drogba is the standout, particularly for his performances in the biggest games.
### Who is Chelsea’s greatest ever defender?
John Terry. The legendary captain won virtually everything with Chelsea and remains the club’s defensive icon.
### Who is Chelsea’s greatest ever goalkeeper?
Petr Čech is the obvious choice, keeping 228 clean sheets for Chelsea.
### Who is Chelsea’s greatest ever midfielder?
Frank Lampard gets the nod, although N’Golo Kanté, Claude Makélélé and Michael Essien all have strong claims.
### Is Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s all-time XI?
Yes. His peak was extraordinary and he was one of the Premier League’s best players during his Chelsea career.
### Is N’Golo Kanté one of Chelsea’s greatest players?
Absolutely. His Champions League-winning 2020/21 season in particular was one of the greatest individual campaigns by a Chelsea midfielder.
### Where does Peter Osgood rank among Chelsea legends?
Extremely highly. Osgood is arguably Chelsea’s greatest pre-Abramovich-era icon and is known as the King of Stamford Bridge.
### Who is Chelsea’s all-time top scorer?
Frank Lampard, with 211 goals for the club.
### Who are Chelsea’s biggest legends?
Lampard, Terry, Drogba, Čech, Osgood, Hazard, Ron Harris and Gianfranco Zola are among the strongest candidates.
**Check out our [Feature Articles](https://ingenuityfantasy.com/feature-articles/) section for mroe All-Time XI’s.**