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8.6k voters

The Best Chelsea Players Of All Time

Updated September 26, 2020 84.6k votes 8.6k voters 111.2k views292 items

List RulesVote up your favorite Chelsea players ever.

Though they've been around since 1905, Chelsea only has risen to prominence since the dawn of the 21st century. When Roman Abramovich purchased the club in 2003, Chelsea experienced a rise unlike any other to that point, but ended up becoming the innovator in player acquisitions. Fueled by Abramovich's billions, Chelsea has bought some of the best players in the world since he's owned the club. That's not to discount the business the club did before the new owner rolled into West London. In 1998, John Terry made his debut after getting called up from the youth ranks and in 2001, Chelsea acquired its greatest player when it forked over 11 pounds to West Ham to acquire midfielder Frank Lampard. All he's done since moving across town is become the leading scorer in club history.

Who are the greatest Chelsea player ever? While many will point to the success of the above players, including Didier Drogba, but there were more players that rest in Chelsea folklore. Giancarlo Zola, Peter Osgood and Ruud Gullit are among the most popular and famous players who resonate with Chelsea fans due to their penchant for success during their tenure with the club.

This is the list of the best Chelsea players in club history, whether you're talking about strikers and forwards or midfielders and defenders. Take a look at this list and if you notice someone is missing, feel free to add him to this list. Vote or re-rank this list according to who you think is the greatest Chelsea player ever, then head over and check out the best Chelsea keepers ever.

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1
4,740
869
Frank Lampard
Midfielder
Birthplace: Romford, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
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2
4,596
850
Didier Drogba
Forward
Birthplace: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Nationality: France, Côte d’Ivoire
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#406 of 439 Famous Men You'd Want to Have a Beer With#127 of 149 The Best Soccer Players from Germany
3
2,586
483
Petr Čech
Forward, Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Pilsen, Czech Republic
Nationality: Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia
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#7 of 188 The Best Soccer Goalies of All Time#65 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time
4
3,974
840
Eden Hazard
Midfielder
Birthplace: La Louvière, Belgium
Nationality: Belgium
5
3,335
782
John Terry
Defender
Birthplace: Barking, London, England
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
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#122 of 164 Who's the Best Player in the Premier League?#140 of 200 The Best Soccer Players from United Kingdom
6
2,232
528
Gianfranco Zola
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Oliena, Italy
Nationality: Italy
7
1,859
448
Ashley Cole
Defender
Birthplace: Stepney, East London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
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#30 of 50 The Best LA Galaxy Players In MLS History#19 of 26 26 Athletes Who Quit Smoking
8
1,670
320
N'Golo Kanté
Midfielder
9
1,615
535
Claude Makélélé
Midfielder
Birthplace: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Nationality: France, Democratic Republic of the Congo
10
1,256
305
Michael Essien
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Nationality: Ghana
11
1,017
376
César Azpilicueta
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Pamplona, Spain
Nationality: Spain
12
944
372
Marcel Desailly
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Nationality: France, Ghana
13
792
270
Cesc Fàbregas
Midfielder
Birthplace: Arenys de Mar, Spain
Nationality: Spain
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#25 of 114 The Best FC Barcelona Players Of All Time, Ranked#16 of 117 The Best Arsenal Players Of All Time

14
1,320
536
Michael Ballack
Midfielder
Birthplace: Görlitz, Germany
Nationality: Germany, German Democratic Republic
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#111 of 1,294 The Best Soccer Players of All Time#1168 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time
15
730
279
Ricardo Carvalho
Defender
Birthplace: Amarante, Portugal, Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
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#96 of 452 The Best Soccer Defenders of All Time#7 of 147 The Best Soccer Players from Portugal
16
788
319
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Forward
Birthplace: Paramaribo, Suriname
Nationality: Suriname, Netherlands
17
1,109
452
Ruud Gullit
Defender, Forward
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
18
944
363
Willian Borges da Silva
Midfielder
Birthplace: Ribeirão Pires, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
More
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19
811
321
Joe Cole
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Paddington, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
20
947
365
Diego Costa
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Lagarto, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
21
1,139
500
Branislav Ivanović
Defender
Birthplace: Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia
Nationality: Serbia
22
914
393
Peter Osgood
Forward
Birthplace: Windsor, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
23
662
244
Ramires
Midfielder
Birthplace: Barra do Piraí, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil

24
608
243
Jimmy Greaves
Forward
Birthplace: Manor Park, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
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#354 of 356 The Best Current Soccer Players#103 of 103 Coolest Soccer Players
25
729
329
Roberto Di Matteo
Midfielder
Birthplace: Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Nationality: Switzerland, Italy

N'Golo Kanté

Willian Borges da Silva