With Cole Palmer following in the footsteps of some of Chelsea's greatest ever players in taking the famed No.10 shirt from next season, we take a look at some of the Blues stars who have worn that number with distinction during the Premier League era.
The likes of Chelsea legends Bobby Tambling, Jimmy Greaves, Charlie Cooke, Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson, Ray Wilkins and Kerry Dixon have all worn the No.10 shirt over the years - alongside other numbers they are maybe more famed for - so with such a long list of players to choose from, we decided to limited our selection to the Premier League era.
Cole will become the 14th player to wear the Chelsea No.10 since the Premier League was formed in 1992 so, again, we will only run through half of those players as I'm sure you also want time to hear from Chelsea's new No.9 Liam Delap!
So here are some of the fans' favourites who have worn the number 10 shirt over the last two decades or so...
Gavin Peacock
It was only in the 1993/94 season that squad numbers were formally allocated in the Premier League. Gavin Peacock became the first Chelsea player to use it on a full-time basis - after Blues legend Eddie Newton had worn it for much of the maiden Premier League campaign in 1992/93.
Peacock excelled with the number on his back, scoring in 1-0 wins at home and away against Manchester United in the league, and netting six goals in the FA Cup as we reached the final for the first time in 24 years.
Two seasons later in February 1996, Peacock became the first Chelsea player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a 5-0 trouncing of Middlesbrough.
Mark Hughes
Having used No.8 after joining the Blues in 1995, Mark Hughes switched to No.10 after Peacock left a year later and enjoyed a tremendous campaign in 1996/97 when he was named our Player of the Year.
The Welsh forward struck up a great partnership with Gianfranco Zola and scored 14 goals, including five in the FA Cup as we lifted the famous trophy for the first time in 27 years.
He added another 12 goals the following year, including crucial strikes in semi-final victories over Arsenal in the League Cup and Vicenza in the Cup Winners’ Cup as we went on to win both competitions.
Joe Cole
Joe Cole snapped up the No.10 shirt when he joined Chelsea from West Ham United in 2003 and the mercurial midfielder went on to enjoy a magnificent seven-season spell with the Blues in which he scored 39 goals in 282 appearances.
He helped us win FA Cups and League Cups and three Premier League titles. Versatile and technically gifted, Cole was at his magnificent best in the 2007/08 campaign when his inspirational displays earned him the club’s Player of the Year award as we reached the Champions League final for the first time, and narrowly missed out on the Premier League title.
Juan Mata
Juan Mata donned the No.10 after his arrival from Valencia in 2011 and the Spanish midfielder was an influential figure for the Blues as we won the Champions League in his first season in England, setting up Didier Drogba’s late equaliser against Bayern Munich in the final.
He also played a key role for the Blues as we lifted the Europa League the following year and was so popular with Chelsea fans, he was twice voted our Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013.
Eden Hazard
Following Mata’s departure, Eden Hazard switched shirt numbers from 17 to 10 before the 2014/15 season and produced a stellar campaign as the Blues regained the Premier League title and also lifted the League Cup.
The Belgian also captured several individual accolades that season. He became the first Chelsea player to win both the Footballer of the Year and PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the same year.
The forward will go down as one of our greatest ever players and produced some of his best work in the famed No.10 jersey.
Willian
After Hazard signed off from the Blues with a two-goal performance in our 2019 Europa League final victory over Arsenal, his No.10 shirt was passed on to another of the club’s attacking geniuses, Willian.
The Brazilian’s lone season with the number may not have resulted in any trophies but he assumed a leadership role in Frank Lampard’s youthful side, netting 11 goals and becoming the first player to score a Premier League goal in every month of the year.
Now is the turn of Cole Palmer and you can grab yourPalmer 10 Chelsea shirt by clicking here.