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| Joe Cole, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard |
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton,
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest,
Leeds United, Leicester City.
Chelsea All-Time Team for British Isles (Excluding England)
Chelsea All-Time Team for Foreign Players
This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Chelsea's English players. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
Chelsea had their first major success in 1955, when they won the league championship. They then won various cup competitions between 1965 and 1996. The club's greatest period of success has come during the last two decades; winning 17 major trophies, and 21 in total, since 1997. Chelsea have won five national league titles, seven FA Cups, five League Cups and four FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Super Cup. Chelsea are the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League,[6] and one of four clubs, and the only British club, to have won all three main UEFA club competitions.
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| Ron Harris and Peter Osgood |
Team
GK: Peter Bonetti
Nicknamed as "the Cat", Bonetti was a legend at Chelsea. His finest moment came in the Final of the FA Cup in 1970 where his heroic play helped Chelsea to win the FA Cup. He was the FWA Player of the Year runner-up that year. However, he only earned 7 caps for England. his career was limited by playing with Gordon Banks at the same time. He was Banks' backup in the World Cup 1966.
Woodley signed for Chelsea in 1931, making his debut the same year. Woodley was a member of the glamorous Chelsea side of the 1930s, playing alongside the likes of Hughie Gallacher, Alex Jackson and Alec Cheyne. Woodley won nineteen caps for England - all consecutive, a record at the time - and in an era when there was stiff competition from Harry Hibbs, George Tweedy and Frank Swift.
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| Vic Woodley |
Hitchcock joined Nottingham Forest in 1983, but spent time on loan to Mansfield Tow, helping the club to promotion from the Fourth Division in 1986. He joined Chelsea in 1988. He remained at Chelsea until 2001. Bad luck with injuries left him stuck behind numerous other goalkeepers in the pecking order which was one of the main reasons for him making so few appearances in all that time at the club.
RB: Peter Sillett
Peter Sillet was the son of Charlie Sillett, a fullback who also played for Southampton. He played with Southampton until 1953 when he joined Chelsea along with his brother John. He was the club's highest scoring defender until John Terry broke the record. He won the League title in the 1954-1955 season. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1958.
RB: David Webb
Webb played for Leyton Orient, Southampton, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City, Derby County, A.F.C. Bournemouth and Torquay UnitedIt was with Chelsea that Webb really made his name in football, in particular for his role in Chelsea's win in the 1970 FA Cup final against Leeds United and the European Cup Winners Cup.
CB: Gary Cahill
Cahill joined Burnley on a season-long loan, where he performed well before returning to make his Aston Villa debut. He played with Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers before Cahill signed for Chelsea in 2012. He won the UEFA Champions League in his debut season. Cahill is an England international with over 60 caps and went the World Cups of 2014 and 2018, and the European Championship in 2012 and 2014.
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| Gary Cahill |
Pates began his career with Chelsea, making his debut as an 18-year-old in 1979. He remained with Chelsea through the turbulent early 1980s and as club captain led the side to promotion in 1983–84. He was surprisingly sold to Charlton Athletic in 1988. He later played with Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion.
CB: Ron Harris
Known by the nickname "Chopper", he played for Chelsea between 1961 and 1980. Harris is widely regarded as one of the toughest defenders of his era. He captained Chelsea as it won the FA Cup in 1970. Then, he helped Chelsea to win the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later in 1971, Chelsea's first ever trophy in Europe. He finally left Chelsea in 1980 to become a player-coach at Brentford.
CB: John Terry
John Terry is a top centre-back of his generation and was the captain for Chelsea during most of his Chelsea's rise to the top of English football starting in the season 2004-2005. He won 4 Premiership titles and the Champions League in 2012. Terry was named PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005. For England, he earned 78 caps for England. However, his career was overshadowed by several controversies.
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| John Terry |
Ashley Cole was considered one of the finest leftbacks of his generation. He was voted the England Player of the Year in 2010. He played in 3 World Cup Finals. He is also England's most-capped full-back in history. He played with Arsenal, but moved to its rival Chelsea in 2006. In 2014, he moved to AS Roma in Italy. He won the Champions' League in 2012 with Chelsea.
LB: Graeme Le Saux
Le Sauxmoved to England and debuted for Chelsea in 1989. He left joined Blackburn Rovers in 1993 and was part of their 1994–95 Premier League winning team. His return to Chelsea in 1997 in a £5 million transfer made him the most expensive defender in English football. He then played for Southampton. He played 36 times for England, starting all four England games at the 1998 World Cup Finals.
DM: Dennis Wise
In a career spanning over 20 years, Wise played for Wimbledon, Leicester City, Millwall, Southampton, Coventry City and, most notably, Chelsea. He was known as the most successful captain at Chelsea before the emerge of John Terry. He captained Chelsea as they won two FA Cups, two League Cups and an UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Despite his successes at club level, he only earned 21 caps for England.
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| Denis Wise |
His father, grandfather and three brothers were all professional footballers as well. His brother Dave, played international football for Wales. From 1963 to 1975, he played for Chelsea. He later played for Arsenal. He made 714 First Division appearances, an English top division record for an outfield player and second only to goalkeeper Peter Shilton. He was only capped once.
CM: Terry Venables
From 1960 to 1966, Vernables played for Chelsea. He then moved to Tottenham Hotspurs and later, Queens Park Rangers. Venables held the distinction of being the only footballer to play for England at schoolboy, youth, amateur, Under-23, and for the full international team. He only played twice for the senior side in 1964. He was named a list of 33 players for the 1966 World Cup.
CM: Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins enjoyed success at various clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Milan, Queens Park Rangers, and Rangers. He was remembered for winning the FA Cup in 1983 for Manchester United. From 1976 to 1986, he was an important player for England, earning 84 caps. He played in both 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.
CM: Frank Lampard
Lampard was the all-time leading scorer for Chelsea. he started his career with West Ham before joining Chelsea in 2001. He won the Champions' League in 2012 and 3 Preimership with Chelsea. He was runner-up at FIFA Player of the Year in 2015. In 2014, he made a controversial move to Manchester City through a loan deal from NY City FC. For England, he was a key player from 1999 and 2014. The Lampard-Gerrard debate was a hot topic throughout his career with England.
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| Frank Lampard |
Walker began his career with Chelsea, playing in the same side as the likes of Ray Wilkins. He mainly played in the Second Division for most of his time there. In 1979, Chelsea sent him on loan to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League. He also played for Chelsea, Sunderland, Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion.
RW/LW: Joe Cole
Cole started his career with West Ham United. He later spent seven seasons at Chelsea. In 2010, he joined Liverpool, who a year later loaned him to Lille. After a season in France, he returned to Liverpool before re-joining West Ham in 2013. He also played for Aston Villa and Coventry City. Cole played 56 times for England. He was selected for England at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups and Euro 2004.
LW: Frank Blunstone
Blunestone signed professional terms with hometown Crewe in early 1952. He was signed by Chelsea manager Ted Drake for £7,500 a year later while still doing national service. He helped Chelsea to win the 1954–55 First Division title, though he continued to juggle appearances for Chelsea with his national service. He was capped 5 times.
FW/CB: Roy Bentley
Started with Newcastle United, Roy Bentley joined Chelsea in 1948. He played 367 games for Chelsea and captained the club to their first League Championship in the 1954-55 season. He also won 12 caps for the England national side. He played at the World Cup Finals in 1950, including the 1-0 loss against the United States.
ST/SS: Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves was the top scorer in the English league for 6 seasons. He started his career with Chelsea, but alo played with AC Milan and spent 9 seasons with Tottenham Hotspurs. With them, he won the FA Cup in 1962 and 1967, and the UEFA Cup in 1963. He was a member of the World Cup winning team in 1966. However, he lost his starting position after suffering an injury against France. Geoff Hurst replaced him.
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| Jimmy Greaves |
He was Chelsea's all-time top scorer for 47 years, with 202 goals in all competitions until Frank Lampard surpassed this total on 11 May 2013. Tambling remains Chelsea's all-time top scorer in league competition with 164 goals. After enjoying a successful career in the Football League during the 1960s and early 1970s, Tambling moved to Ireland. He subsequently played for several Irish clubs. Capped 3 times.
ST: George Hilsdon
In 1906, Hilsdon joined Chelsea on £4 a week wages. He scored six goals in an FA Cup tie with Worksop Town, a club record which remains unequalled. He was the first Chelsea player to score 100 goals, and ended his time there with 108 from 164 games. He is currently the club's 9th highest goal scorer of all time. He also played for West Ham.
ST: Peter Osgood
Osgood was a legend with Chelsea. He helped them to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. Despite his successes with Chelsea, he only earned 4 caps. Sir Ramsey is rumoured to dislike him for his playboy lifestyle. He was a member of the 1970 World Cup squad, making two appearances against Czechoslovakia and Romania as a substitute. Near the end of his career, he played for Southampton, Norwich, Philadelphia Fury and a return to Chelsea.
After spells with Chesham United, Dunstable and Reading in the lower division, he signed with Chelsea in 1983, which was then in the 2nd division. He led them to first division in his first season. For Chelsea, his 193 goals across all competitions made him their third-highest goalscorer of all time. Dixon scored four goals in eight international appearances for England and represented the nation at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
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| Kerry Dixon |
Honorable Mention
Ken Armstrong, William Foulke, Jack Harrow, Marvin Hinton, Micky Droy, John Bumstead, Jimmy Windridge, Peter Houseman, Alan Hudson, Dick Spence, Eric Parsons, George Mills, Ian Hutchisson, Ken Shellito, Gary Locke, Tony Dorigo, Stan Willemse, Tommy Lawton, Daniel Sturridge, Glen Johnson.
Squad Explaination
-- John Terry, Kerry Dixion, Peter Osgood, Ron Harris, Jimmy Greaves, Roy Bentley, Frank Lampard, Dennis Wise, Ashley Cole Peter Sillett and Peter Bonetti are on my All-Time Team for Chelsea.
-- Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard played on the team that won the Champions' League in 2012.
-- Dennis Wise captained Chelsea in winning the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He is the only player selected here.
-- The 1971 Cup Winners' Team had a much stronger English presense. Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, John Hollins, David Webb and Peter Osgood played in the Final.
-- Alan Hudson was also on that 1971 team. The emerge of Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard and Ray Wilkins took him out of this team. He was probably the best player left off the squad.
-- John Hollins could play in muilti positions. I was choosing between him and Venables.
-- Apart from Peter Bonetti, the other English keepers are not so well-known. All the starters during the Premiership era were foreigners. I took Vic Woodley who held an early record for the English national team. A British newspaper also voted him as Chelsea's greatest English keeper ahead of Bonetti. He also kept Scotland's John Jackson from starting in Chelsea.
-- Goalkeeper Kevin Hitchcock had a lengthy career with Chelsea, but mainly spent on the bench due to injuries. Dave Beasant was well-known due to Wimbledon's 1988 shock FA Cup victory and playing for England.
-- William Foulke only played a short time at the club, but was more known as a crowd puller, but he was the club's first ever keeper so I gave him the third spot.
-- Ashley Cole and Graeme Le Saux are easy choice for leftbacks. Australian-born Tony Dorigo and Stan Willemse made honorable mention.
--David Webb edged out Glen Johnson, Ken Shellito and Gary Locke. Injuries derailed Shellito's career. He was playing in the lower division. John Hollins also played rightback.
-- Ken Armstrong made honorable mention. He played for England before playing for New Zealand, which made him eligible for this team.
-- I marked down Dick Spence and Eric Parsons to be included in the team, but in the end, I had no space.
-- George Hilsdon is the first Chelsea player to score over 100 goals for the club.
-- Chelsea spent a lot of money on Tommy Lawton, but while his output was good, Chelsea did not do well with him and he only stayed a short time. He only made honorable mention.
-- Daniel Sturridge departed to Liverpool too early.
Formation
Joe Cole or Jimmy Greaves should also start. The back four is the same as my All-Time Team for Chelsea.
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