The top 50 Chelsea players of all time

The Times have recently re-published and updated their list of the top 50 Chelsea players of all time, which makes interesting reading over a lunch break. 

You can’t argue too much with their top three, or probably even their top ten (aside from the 22 stone+ Willie ‘Fatty’ Foulke, perhaps), and the article gets a little bit more credibility in my eyes for its description of Lampard (who comes in at number two):

“There is no argument here: Lampard is quite straightforwardly the best midfield player in England and has been since 2003. He has power, he has vision, he all but guarantees 20 goals per season and he is gifted with a copper constitution which means that he is always there. Steven Gerrard would be nearly this good if only he didn't snap something every time he sneezed.” 

It's well worth a read - they have some interesting things to say about some of the players that really help the memories come flooding back, including:

Ruud Gullit (29th): A toss of the dreadlocks, a quick look up and a 45-yard crossfield pass to the feet of a travelling forward, followed by a noise never before heard from a crowd at Stamford Bridge – a kind of low, approving sigh of contentment. The former World Player of the Year was at least 27 times more comfortable around a football than pretty much everyone else in the league. Eventually, as a manager, he was destined to reveal himself to be an insufferable egotist and lose all available plots.

Vialli (25th): The power, the shot, the shaven head, the V-neck sweaters, the smoking – what wasn’t to like? All together: ‘When the ball hits the back/of the Old Trafford net/that’s Vialli.’  

Pat Nevin (22nd): Able to ‘go mazy’ at the first hint of an opportunity. Heroically attempted to travel to home games on the tube until an encounter with a poorly adjusted Spurs fan convinced him that it might be wiser not to.

Ray Wilkins (21st): Classic, poised and intelligent midfielder and also, quite patently, a lovely bloke. Enjoyed going sideways but there’s nothing in the rules that says you can’t. Not only is Wilkins the only former Chelsea player to feature in a Tango ad, he is also one of only a very small number of Chelsea managers who can claim a 100 per cent record. As he would doubtless put it himself, ‘Super.’

Peter 'the cat' Bonetti (15th): The exquisitely agile goalkeeper was...a pioneer among goalkeepers and today’s proponents pretty much owe to Bonetti’s influence a) coming out for crosses, b) bowling the ball out rather than punting it and c) wearing gloves.

Claude Makalele (8th): This was Florentino Perez, the chairman of Real Madrid, when Makelele left for Chelsea in 2003: ‘We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety per cent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makelele to be forgotten.’

Gianfranco Zola (1st): Small but perfectly formed. Clearly a nice man, too. Many nurture a fond dream of Zola, having ironed out the lumps in his coaching style at West Ham, returning in glory to manage Chelsea through a sustained period of unprecedented success during which we are all hugging each other and laughing nearly all the time. But given that 99.9 per cent of managerial careers end in disappointment, perhaps it would be better if he didn’t and we were just left with the memories. Which are great, by the way.

There are a few interesting omissions though. No Frank Leboeuf? No Didier Drogba? Could have considered Poyet and Joe Cole, too. I may have been tempted to shift Gullit, Petrescu and Di Matteo up the list a little… Still, these things are always very subjective, as proved by the comments left by fans, many of whom bemoan the lack of Hughes, Myers, Ambrosetti, Hutchinson, Webb and Venables, among others in the top 50.

Oh, and kudos to the Times’ team for putting Winston Bogarde in at number 50. Nice.

The Times’ top ten Chelsea players:

10) Willie Foulke
9) Roy Bentley
8) Claude Makalele
7) George Hilsdon
6) Ron Harris
5) John Terry
4) Bobby Tambling
3) Peter Osgood
2) Frank Lampard
1) Gianfranco Zola

What do you think? Who would make your top 10? Post a comment…

Comments

[chelsfan]

how about the best Chelsea XI using players from the last 15 years?

i reckon
cech
cole
terry
desailly
petrescu

robben
lampard
makalele
di matteo

drogba
zola

[Chris]

I read this last week, I was surprised to see Vialli when the majority of contribution was from the dugout. I was appaled not to see Tore Andre Flo in the top 20 (don't think he even made the list!). And I know he soured relations at the end, but Willy Gallas was one of the finest defenders the club has ever had, where was he?...

[CFC_KD]

Was pleased to see Robben up there - we miss him loads, and have never really replaced him properly. I'd take him fit for half a season over every other winger we've ever had.

Chelsfan - I agree with you completely on the team: great minds and all that!