JOHN MIKEL OBI

JOHN MIKEL OBI

JOHN MIKEL OBI

JOHN MIKEL OBI

A powerfully-built young man, with exceptional ball skills, his standing as one of the brightest young talents in the game had been confirmed at the African Cup of Nations earlier that year, his senior international debut having come in August 2005.

Previously Mikel had starred in the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Youth Championships where he was voted the tournament's second best player as Nigeria made the final. The player trained with Chelsea for one week in the winter of 2004 and José Mourinho had seen enough to wish to sign him.

Following on from the transfer of Kalou the same summer, the arrival of Mikel confirmed Chelsea's determination to add exciting young talent as well as established stars to the squad.

Having smoothed out some rough edges both on and off the pitch, Chelsea increasingly used Mikel's talent in the holding midfield role, especially when requiring a long range of passing.

Named Chelsea Young Player of the Year, he survived an injury scare the week before to play the whole of the 2007 FA Cup Final win.

JOE COLE

JOE COLE

JOE COLE

The best season of Joe's Chelsea career was followed by his most frustrating as two spells of lengthy injury ate away the months during 2006/7.

Yet his return for the final two months came as the quadruple was still being chased and he played the first-half of the Wembley FA Cup win over Man United.

Joe had turned his long admired potential into genuine achievement during the previous two seasons at Chelsea. Regularly played on the left or right of an attacking three, he weighed in with crucial goals and assists.

A born Londoner, Joe watched Chelsea from the stands as a boy but it was to West Ham he went as a junior where the spotlight found him at a ridiculously early age.

His dazzling goal on back-to-back championship-winning day versus Man United was his favourite for the club so far and signed-off an excellent season in the perfect way. He had played 26+8 of the 38 Premiership games, scoring eight times.

JOE COLE

HENRIQUE HILARIO

HENRIQUE HILARIO

HENRIQUE HILARIO

A new third choice keeper was needed when young Lenny Pidgeley moved on in the summer of 2006. Experience was chosen.

Hilário, 30-years-old, agreed to join the Portuguese contingent at Stamford Bridge as a support player, having come to the end of a contract at Nacional, a top flight club in his homeland.

Previously, the former Under 21 international played two spells at Porto where he was a part of domestic league and cup wins. The second spell was under José Mourinho before leaving for Nacional to gain more first team games.

Neither could have guessed what awaited so early in the keeper's first Chelsea year. Head injures to Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini in the same game meant Hilário's Chelsea debut came in the Champions League against European champions Barcelona. He kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.

By the end of the campaign, Hilário had played 18 games and fulfilled all that was expected of a number three choice thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight.

HENRIQUE HILARIO

HENRIQUE HILARIO

FRANK LAMPARD

FRANK LAMPARD

FRANK LAMPARD

Eyebrows raised over an original £11 million transfer fee paid six years ago have long been forgotten now Frank has an impressive collection of winners' medals; is Chelsea's top scoring midfield player ever; is the club's tenth highest scorer of all-time and is only the second player to win 50 international caps while a Chelsea player.

Last season, his 62 games was the highest total by any Chelsea player in a single campaign as Frank continued to drive Chelsea on from midfield game after game after game. No-one of his age has enjoyed more Premiership soccer and no-one plays more at Chelsea.

In December 2005, he finally missed a game with a virus and so brought to an end a new Premiership record of 164 consecutive appearances.

The performances continued to come, as did the goals, Frank's powerful shooting firing Chelsea to the 2004/5 Championship as he top-scored from midfield with 13 in the League and 19 overall.

He created more goals than any Chelsea player in recent memory and there was no-one more appropriate to score the magical goals at Bolton to clinch the title.

FRANK LAMPARD

FRANK LAMPARD

DIDIER DROGBA

DIDIER DROGBA

DIDIER DROGBA

Pace allied to strength and aerial power made Didier the type of forward not seen at Stamford Bridge for quite a while on his arrival and the ingredients all came together to create a memorable 2006/7 season.

His 33 goals, containing many Goal of the Season contenders, made him Chelsea's highest scorer since Kerry Dixon in the 1984/85 season. His 20 in the league won the Premiership Golden Boot. His 60 games tally was the second highest appearances in a season in the club's history.

He delivered on the big occasions, scoring both goals in the 2-1 Carling Cup Final defeat over Arsenal, netting home and away against Barcelona, and becoming the first African to score in an FA Cup Final with his extra-time winner over Man United.

Didier was signed in the summer of 2004 from Marseille where he had been named France's Player of the Year. A reported fee of £24 million was paid.

Didier captained Ivory Coast in their maiden World Cup Finals in 2006 and as the African Player of the Year, he has become Chelsea's all-time highest scoring international. Last season he signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2010.

DIDIER DROGBA

DIDIER DROGBA

CLAUDIO PIZARRO

CLAUDIO PIZARRO

CLAUDIO PIZARRO

The signing of the Peruvian international in the summer of 2007 increases the number in the squad accustomed to playing as a central striker; important ahead of a campaign that will see Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou attend the African Cup of Nations in January and February.

The 28-year-old is a physically imposing player who moved from South America to play in Germany in 1999, first at Werder Bremen for two seasons where he scored 28 goals in 76 appearances.

His past six seasons have been spent at Bayern Munich where he three times won the league and cup double, in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Michael Ballack was a team-mate in all three seasons.


Before that in 2001, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup was won. Out-of-contract, Pizarro left the Bavarian club on a free transfer having found the net 101 times in 254 appearances.

He missed the start of this campaign's pre-season training due to involvement in the Copa America where his aerial strength was on display with two goals before Peru succumbed to Argentina in the quarter-finals.

CLAUDIO PIZARRO

CLAUDIO PIZARRO

CARLO CUDICINI

CARLO CUDICINI

CARLO CUDICINI

Chelsea's undisputed first choice keeper between 2002 and 2004, Carlo was many people's pick of the Premiership goalies during that time thanks to super-sharp reflexes, speed off his line, ability with his feet and penalty-stopping excellence.

However the arrival of Petr Cech in the summer of 2004 meant stiff competition between the posts and Carlo has become second choice. He was especially unfortunate during last season when his own injury difficulties coincided with much of Cech's three-month absence.

A bargain £160,000 buy by Gianluca Vialli, Carlo built his reputation in England having been knocked back by injury in his homeland.

He was voted Chelsea's Player of the Year for the 2001/2 season and was sorely missed during spells out with injury the following campaign.

It was little wonder then that Chelsea bolstered the goalkeeping stock with Cech in the summer of 2004. But Carlo signed a contract extension to 2009 to stay and fight for his place. Only John Terry has been at Chelsea longer

CARLO CUDICINI

CARLO CUDICINI

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC

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BRANISLAV IVANOVIC

Branislav Ivanovic, signed from Lokomotiv Moscow on a three-and-a-half year contract, became Avram Grant's second January 2008 signing following the arrival of Nicolas Anelka.

The 23-year-old Serbian international is a versatile addition to the squad. He can play right back, centre back or defensive midfield.

Having begun his career in his native Serbia at local club Sremska Mitrovica, he soon moved to the Serbian capital Belgrade to play for OFK Beograd where he remained for three seasons, signing for Lokomotiv in the summer of 2006. He appeared for the Russian side in this season's Uefa Cup.

A star of Serbia's Under 21s in both the 2006 and 2007 European Championships, Ivanovic was voted into last summer's Uefa Team of the Tournament, and has successfully graduated into a regular for the full national side.

He made his Serbia and Montenegro debut in June 2006, and is now a regular in the Serbian line-up alongside Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic.

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC

ASHLEY COLE

ASHLEY COLE

Chelsea's transfer deadline day signing in August 2006 took the total of England internationals in the squad to six and the number of England left-backs to two.

The Blues had lost a world class defender in William Gallas to Arsenal on the same day but made sure that was adequately compensated by the player frequently described as the best in his position.

ASHLEY COLE

ASHLEY COLE

He made his Chelsea debut against Werder Bremen at Stamford Bridge in September. His transfer had involved £5 million plus William Gallas going the other way.

A fabulous athlete who loves to go forward, he admitted at the season's end that Blues fans had yet to see him at his very best, a series of small injures having hindered the settling process. Healthy competition with Wayne Bridge for the Chelsea and England left-back shirt is set to continue

ASHLEY COLE

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

Not since Ruud Gullit in 1995 have Chelsea signed a name so admired throughout the world of soccer. It was a sign of changed times that a player like Andriy could be prised away from a club like AC Milan at his very peak.

The then 29 year-old signed before the 2006 World Cup for an undisclosed Chelsea record fee but the goals did not flow at the rate expected. Andriy ended his first English season with 14 in total, four in the league, although there were some stunners amongst them, not least at White Hart Lane in an FA Cup replay.

The 2005/6 season saw milestones passed. He became Milan's second all-time topscorer and a goal against Lyon in the Champions League quarter-finals made it 52 goals in 90 games in that competition, a record including qualification games.

In total he scored 173 times for Milan in 296 games. The pedigree is unquestioned.

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa

Chelsea's most recent signing joined on the eve of the new Premier League season after three years playing in Holland at PSV Eindhoven. Chelsea held the first option to sign him when he left.

The 25-year-old Brazilian international defender put his signature to a three-year deal and along with Tal Ben-Haim is an important reinforcement in a rearguard that had been holed badly by injuries the previous campaign.

Prior to PSV, Alex played in his homeland at Santos, the São Paulo club made famous around the globe by Pelé.

After moving to Europe, the young player was part of a side that won three consecutive Dutch league titles with a domestic double completed in 2004-5. In the Champions League last season he made the headlines by heading the goal that knocked Arsenal out at the first knockout stage.

Having made his international debut in 2003, he was part of the Brazil side that won the 2007 Copa América in the summer, playing in the 3-0 defeat of Argentina in the Final, his 14th cap. He made his Chelsea debut away to Liverpool in the third game of the season.

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa

Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa