Chelsea supporters once made some very interesting decisions when voting for the club’s team of the decade for the 2010s.
Throughout Chelsea’s history, the 2010s must go down as one of the most successful decades of the club’s existence.
The Blues kickstarted the decade with a Premier League and FA Cup double. Of course, the 2010s also included the famous night when Chelsea lifted their first-ever Champions League trophy by beating Bayern Munich in 2012.
Competition Total Years
Champions League 1 2012
Premier League 3 2010, 2015, 2017
FA Cup 3 2010, 2012, 2018
League Cup 1 2015
Europa League 2 2013, 2019
Chelsea trophies during the 2010s
It’s quite telling that incredible players such as Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata and Diego Costa didn’t get enough votes to make Chelsea’s team of the 2010s.
As for the manager’s dugout, the decade started with Carlo Ancelotti in charge and ended with Frank Lampard. There were some iconic names, such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, in between, too.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea’s team of the 2010s voted for by fans
Back in December 2019, Chelsea supporters voted on the team of the decade for the 2010s.
Here is a look at the final results published via Chelsea’s official website…
Petr Cech
Like many individuals in this side, Petr Cech’s success spanned across both the 2000s and the 2010s. While his peak form may have been earlier in his career, he pulled out a stunning individual performance in Munich during the Champions League final. Incidentally, Jordan Pickford massively rates Cech because he recently named him the best goalkeeper in Premier League history.
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Branislav Ivanovic
Branislav Ivanovic was outstanding during a nine-year spell as a Chelsea player, with most of that spanning across the 2010s. He was included at right-back in the team of the decade, but he was equally formidable as a central defender as well.
Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill’s stellar Chelsea career, which took place from 2012-2019, earned him the vote of the fanbase in the team. Even though John Terry was still at the club, Cahill filled in as the captain and played a major role in Conte’s title-winning side in the 2016/17 campaign.
John Terry
Blues legend John Terry won five Premier Leagues during an illustrious career, including three in this decade. It’s a testament to his longevity that he captained the club to their first Premier League in 2005 as a key player and replicated that 10 years later.
Ashley Cole
On the list of Chelsea’s greatest ever bargains, Ashley Cole sits third spot as £5m and Williams Gallas was enough to sign him from Arsenal in 2006. The iconic left-back played for the Blues up until 2014, which earned him the vote in this side. If you’re talking strictly the 2010s, versatile defender Azpilicueta may be a tad unfortunate to miss out.
Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Michael Essien
Michael Essien, nicknamed ‘The Bison’ by supporters, was voted as the first of three central midfielders. He was perhaps a tad fortunate as most of his best work came in the decade before, whereas someone like Fabregas was instrumental in this period.
N’Golo Kante
It’s no surprise that N’Golo Kante was voted into the team of the decade because he was outrageous in midfield after joining from Leicester City in 2015. Conte named Kante as his favourite Chelsea player after coaching a successful team with him at the heart of it in central midfield.
Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard, a true fan favourite and legendary figure, starred for Chelsea from 2001-2014. If he’s available to pick in any side, Blues supporters are going to do it. In fairness, he did score 73 of his 211 Chelsea goals during the 2010s decade.
Willian
Even though Willian is so regularly underrated, he got the recognition that he deserved with a spot in the fans’ Chelsea team of the decade. The Brazilian winger was so consistent during a Blues career that went on during 2013-2020.
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba started the decade as a key player in Ancelotti’s title-winning side, which he followed up by scoring the winning penalty when the club won the Champions League two years later. Remarkably, the centre-forward left and then came back for a second spell, winning another Premier League when he returned.
Eden Hazard
If one Chelsea player epitomises the 2010s decade, Eden Hazard is probably that individual. He was truly magical on the football pitch for the Blues between 2012-2019 before his exit to join Real Madrid in 2019. In 352 appearances for the London club, he scored 110 goals and created 85 assists to go along with all the trophies.
Chelsea’s standout players from the 2020s so far
Chelsea’s trophy cabinet hasn’t been filled up quite as much yet during the 2020s, but hopefully the Blues ownership will soon get its reward.
In this current decade, the club did start it well by winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup in 2021. The fanbase are now patiently waiting for this young group to start winning silverware again.
It’s too early to create the 2020s team of the decade, but there are certainly a few standout individuals that spring to mind when looking back at the previous five years.
Thiago Silva
Mason Mount
Cole Palmer
Even though Palmer is the obvious shining light in the current Enzo Maresca side, he’s surrounded by so much exciting young talent around him. We’ll see in the next few years if they can gel into a team that wins trophies on a regular basis.