As Chelsea continue to celebrate their 120th birthday, the Blues have been recognising some of the greatest players to ever do it in West London.
Thiago Silva sent an emotional message to the club on their anniversary day, with plenty of celebrations for the success they have undergone, particularly in the 21st century.
The Blues have won every trophy available to them in the modern era, with many of these being delivered when John Terry was captaining the club.
It is perhaps no surprise that the Englishman was one of the first names on the teamsheet for a greatest Chelsea side of all time, as well as many members of the spine of the side who were extremely successful under Jose Mourinho.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea’s greatest ever team revealed
Terry is joined in the side by Chelsea legend Petr Cech, who was a pretty easy shout for goalkeeper after his heroics in the 2012 Champions League final.
The defense has a modern theme to it around Terry, with his centre-back partner being Silva, who didn’t join the club until 2020.
The full-backs are Cesar Azpilicueta and Ashley Cole, with the former described by Eden Hazard as Antonio Conte’s teacher’s pet in the league-winning campaign of 2016/17.
In midfield, Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer Frank Lampard was arguably the easiest contender to make the side, and he has plenty of defensive reinforcements behind him in N’golo Kante and Claude Makelele.
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Both players are seen as inspirations to Moises Caicedo, who is currently one of the best players in the current side at Stamford Bridge.
In attack, Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard flank Didier Drogba, a player certainly seen as one of the biggest bargains in Chelsea history.
Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Notable omissions from Chelsea’s greatest ever team
There will be much debate around the defenders voted into the greatest ever Chelsea team, with a number of big names missing out.
Branislav Ivanovic was key for the Blues at both centre-back and right-back during his Blues career, while Gary Cahill lifted the Premier League trophy after taking the captain’s armband from Terry.
In midfield, bustling stars such as John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien were overlooked, with plenty of quality options available.
As for attackers, it is still early in Cole Palmer’s career, but if his numbers carry on the way he is going then he will certainly be in for a shout for these sides in the future.
There is also no place for the likes of Diego Costa, Willian and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.