Chelsea All-Time Team for foreign players

Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli winning the Cup Winners' Cup

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 English Players
Chelsea All-Time Team for British Isles (excluding England)

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Chelsea's froeign plaers.  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, and one of four clubs, and the only British club, to have won all three main UEFA club competitions.

Nils Middelboe (Denmark) who was born in Sweden was the first foreign player for Chelsea.  From 1908 to 1922, he played for Chelsea. It was the signing of Ruud Gullit that changed the history of the club.  Under manager Gianluca Vialli, Chelsea
 became the first English side fielded the entire squad of foreigners.

Juan Mata and Ed Hazard

Team

GK: Petr Cech  (the Czech Republic)

Petr Cech is best remembered for being Chelsea's undisputred starting goalkeeper from 2004 to 2014.  He won almost everything in club football.  He is considered among the greatest of his era.  He also played for Sparta Prague, Rennes and Arsenal. For Czech Republic, he is the most capped player in the history of the Czech national team, with 124 caps, and represented the country at the 2006 World Cup, as well as the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 European Championships. 

Petr Cech

GK: Thibaut Courtois (Beglium)

Thibaut Courtois joined Chelsea from Genk in 2011, but he was sent away to Atletico Madrid on loan where he played between 2011 and 2014. He won the Europa League in his first season.  He played for Chelsea between 2014 and 2018.  In 2018, he joined Real Madrid, winning two Champions League. He was the starting keeper for Belgium at World Cup 2014,  2018 and 2022, and Euro 2016 and 2020. Between 2011 and 2013, he had over 101 caps for Belgium.

GK: Carlo Cudicini (Italy)
Cudicini started in Italy, but struggled to start any game. In 1999, he joined Chelsea where he was voted Chelsea's Player of the Year for the 2001–02 season and remained first choice until Petr Čech was signed in 2004. Cudicini joined local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2009. In 2013, Cudicini signed for Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, where he played the final season of his career.

RB: Branislav Ivanović (Serbia)
Ivanović began his career with FK Srem. He later played with OFK Beograd and Lokomotiv Moscow. In January 2008, he joined Chelsea in England.  He won nine major honours with Chelsea, including the Champions League and the Europa League. He is only five foreign players to appear in over 300 matches for the club. He has the most appearances for the Serbian national team in its history, having played 105 matches. He went to 2010 and 2018 World Cup Finals.

Branislav Ivanović 

RB: Dan Petrescu (Romania)
Dan Petrescu is famous for having played for Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 European Cup Final, and winning the Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup with  Chelsea. He also received 95 caps for Romania.  He went to the World Cup team in 1994 and 1998, and European Championship in 1996 and 2000. At the 1998 World Cup Finals, Petrescu raced past his Chelsea teammate Graeme Le Saux and scored the winning goal against England, which put them in the Group standing.

CB: Frank Leboeuf (France)
Frank Leboeuf was a part of the great French team that won the World Cup in 1998 and then European Championship in 2000.  He was mainly a backup behind Laurent Blanc, but played at the WC Final against Brazil. For his club career, his best stint was perhaps with Chelsea. With Chelsea, he won two FA Cups, one League Cup and one Cup Winners' Cup.

CB: Antonio Rudiger (Germany)

Rüdiger began his career at VfB Stuttgart. He played briefly for Roma before joining Chelsea in 2017.   With Chelsea, he won a Champions Leagiue and a Europa League. In 2022, he was signed by Real Madrid, winning a second Champions League title in 2024. He made his international debut for Germany in May 2014.  He was part of the squad that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He went to the 2018 World Cup, and later also took part at UEFA Euro 2020, 2022 World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2024.

CB: Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Ricardo Carvalho was the hero of Porto's Champions' League winning team in 2004.  He then played 6 seasons with Chelsea.  He also played for Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.  Jose Mourinho was his manager at the three clubs. He also played for Monaco and Shanghai SIPG. He was capped 76 times for Portugal. He helped Portugal to reach the Final of Euro 2004 at home and the semifinal of the World Cup Finals in 2006. He was a part of Portugal's Euro 2016 winning team.

Ricardo Carvalho 

CB/DM:  Marcel Desailly (France)
Marcel Desailly was considered to be one of the greatest defensive players during the 1990's.  He played 116 times for France, winning the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.  He was the first player to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs, when he won it with Marseille in 1993 and AC Milan the following year.  He also played for Chelsea between 1998 and 2004.

LB/RB/CB: Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain)
A youth product of Osasuna, he spent three seasons in La Liga before switching to Marseille, winning four major honours with the French club. In the summer of 2012, he moved to Chelsea, winning the Europa League in his first season and a domestic double two years later.  He also won the Champions League.  He moved to Atletico Madrid in 2023. From 2013, he played over 25 times.  He went to 2014 and 2018 World Cup Finals.

DM: N'Golo Kanté (France)
Kante played in France before. he joined Leicester City in 2015 winning the Premier League in his only season there. The following year, he joined Chelsea, winning the league again in his first season. He also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year and became the first outfield player to win back-to-back English league titles with different clubs since Eric Cantona in 1990's. He was a key player as France won the 2018 World Cup Finals.

DM: Claude Makelele (France)
Claude Makelele played for Nantes, Marseille and Celta Vigo before making a big move to Real Madrid in 2000.  Over there, he quickly established as one of the best defensive midfielder in the world.  He won every single club title available.  In 2003, he moved to Roman Abramovich's Chelsea. Between 2008 and 2010, he played for PSG.  He earned 71 caps for France between 1995 and 2008.  He helped France to reach the Final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Claude Makelele 

CM:  Michael Essien (Ghana)
Michael Essien was one of the best central midfielders in the world during his prime. He first became a star while playing for Lyon.  Then, he moved to Chelsea.  Over there, he won a Champions' league, two Premier League titles and four FA Cups.  He also played with Real Madrid, AC Milan and Panathinaikos. Essien earned 58 caps in total.  He had represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Essien has also represented Ghana at the 2006 and 2014 World Cups.

CM: Jorginho (Italy)
Born in Brazil, Jorginho moved to Italy at the age of 15, and began his career with Verona.  From 2014 to 2018, he played for Napoli.  He joined Chelsea in 2018.  He helped the club to win the Europa League in 2019.  And then, he was a part of the team that won the Champions' League in 2021.  Since 2016, he has represented Italy at the senior level.  He is eligible to play for Brazil too. He starred for Italy as they won Euro 2020.

AM/CM: Michael Ballack (Germany)
Born in East Germany, Michael Ballack was the best German player of his generation. He first made his name with Bayer Leverkusen, helping them to the Final of the Champions' League in 2002. On the same summer, he helped Germany reaching the Final of Japan/Korea 2002.  He moved to Bayern Munich after the World Cup Finals.  he also played for Chelsea before his retirement.

CM/AM: Juan Mata (Spain)
Juan Mata was a youth academy player for Real Madrid, but he started with Valencia in 2007.  From 2011 to 2014, he played for Chelsea, where he was a major star for the team.  After a fallout with Jose Mourinho, he moved to Manchester United.  Ironically, they would reunite again at Old Trafford. For Spain, he was a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship two years later.

LWF/FW: Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Eden Hazard has already earned 126 caps and captained Belgium to the semi-final of the World Cup in 2018.  He also won the Silver Bowl.  For his club career, he played for Lille in France for 8 years. He signed with Chelsea in June 2012, where he won two Europa League in 2012 and 2019. He won both FWA and PFA Player of the Year for the 2014-2015 season in England. In 2019, he joined Real Madrid, but his career was injury prone.

Eden Hazard 

FW/LW: Willian (Brazil)
Willian started his career at Corinthians, before joining Shakhtar in August 2007.  He won the UEFA Cup in 2009. In 2013, he briefly signed for Anzhi Makhachkala before joining Chelsea for £30 million, winning the Premier League and League Cup in his second season in England. He made his debut for Brazil in 2011 and represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario.

RW/LW/FW: Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
Arjen Robben was an important player for Bayern Munich's dominance in Europe as they reached three Champions' League Finals in 4 years, winning the one in 2013.  He also played with Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven at the club level.  For Netherlands, he had 96 caps between 2003 and 2017.  He helped Netherlands to reach the Final of the 2010 World Cup Finals and then, four years later the semi-final of the World Cup in Brazil.  

FW: Gianluca Vialli (Italy)
Vialli first made his name with Sampdoria, helping them to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990.  In 1992, he made a world record breaking transfer to Juventus.  In 1996, he helped Juventus to win their first ever Champions' League.  He later played for Chelsea, where he was a player-manager. He went to Euro 1988, where he was named in the team of tournament.  However, at Italia 1990, he lost his starting spot. After the World Cup Finals, he forced him out of the national team. 

AM: Gianfranco Zola (Italy)
Gianfranco Zola played with Diego Maradona at Napoli as a young player. He played for Parma between 1993 and 1996, winning the 1995 UEFA Cup with Tomas Brolin, Fernando Couto, Faustino Asprilla and Stefano Fiore. He moved to Chelsea in 1996 and won the FWA Footballer of the Year.  His transfer to Chelsea started a wave of foreign players heading over to England. For Italy, he only played 35 times for Italy due to overcrowding of attack midfielders during his prime.  He appeared in the 1994 World Cup and 1996 European Championship.

Gianfranco Zola

ST: Diego Costa (Spain)
Until the age of 16, he was not playing for club football.  He joined Atletico Madrid in 2006, but did not become a star until the 2013-2014 season.  In March, 2013, he made his national debut for Brazil.  However, by summer of 2013, he decided to switch his commitment to Spain after becoming Spanish citizens, which caused a controversy in Brazil. He is believed to be the first Brazilian to turn his back against his country.  

ST: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Netherlands)
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was late bloomer where he played with smaller clubs until he moved to Portugal in 1995.  His best stint was probably in England with Leeds United and Chelsea.  He was the Premier League Golden Boot winner in 1998-1999. 2000-2001.  He only played 23 times because of Netherlands loaded with forwards during the peak of his career.

ST: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) 

Didier Drogba was voted African Footballer of the Year twice; 2006 and 2009.  He is probably Ivory Coast's greatest ever player. The best part of his career was spent with Chelsea.  He won the Champions' League for 20011-12. He also finished the top scorer in the Premiership twice.  He also played in France, MLS and China. For his country, he led Ivory Coast to the World Cup Finals in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He was also their all-time leading scorer.

Didier Drogba

Honorable Mention
Petar Borota (Yugoslavia), Ed de Goey (Netherlands), Edouard Mendy (Senegal), Paul Ferreira (Portugal), Albert Ferrer (Spain), William Gallas (France), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Ruud Gullit (Netherlands), David Luiz (Brazil), Celestine Babayaro (Nigeria), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Nemanja Matić (Serbia), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Roberto Di Matteo (Italy), Ramires (Brazil), Nils Middelboe (Denmark), Frank Sinclair (Jamaica),  Pedro (Spain), Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast), Florent Malouda (France), Tore Andre Flo (Norway), Nicolas Anelka (France),  Fernando Torres (Spain),  Gustavo Poyet (Uruguay), Ken Monkou (Netherlands), Eiður Guðjohnsen (Iceland).

 

Squad Explanation
The original team was created in 2019.  I did a review of the team in December, 2024.

-- Petr Cech, Thibaut Courtois, Gianfranco Zola, Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Arjen Robben, Eden Hazard and Marcel Desailly made my All-Time Team for Chelsea.

-- In 2005, The Chelsea Centenary XI was chosen through an online vote on their official website.  The Best XI were as followed: Peter Bonetti, Steve Clarke, Marcel Desailly, John Terry, Graeme Le Saux, Charlie Cooke, Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard, Gianfranco Zola, Peter Osgood and Bobby Tambling. Only two foreign players were selected.

-- In 2024, the website Pride of London revealed Chelsea's Best Ever  XI: Petr Cech, César Azpilicueta, John Terry, Ron Harris, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, N’golo Kante, Cole Palmer, Gianfranco Zola, Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba, alongside Honorable Mentions: Thibaut Courtois, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic, Michael Essien, Claude Makaelele and Diego Costa.  They also came with their 10 Greatest Chelsea player of All-Time.  Four were foreigners: 3) Gianfranco Zola 4) Didier Drogba, 5) Peter Osgood, 6) Petr Cech,

-- In June 2024, Fourfourtwo also ranked the 10 best Chelsea players of all time. Only three were foreigners: 4) Didier Drogba, 6) Gianfranco Zola and 7) Petr Cech.

-- The 90 min also created 25 Best ever Chelsea players of all-time. The foreigners were as followed: 4) Didner Drogba, 5) Petr Cech, 8) Gianfranco Zola, 9) Eden Hazard, 14) Claude Makelele, 15) Ruud Gullit, 17) N'Golo Kante, 18) Cesar Azpilicueta, 20) Ricardo Carvalho, 22) Branislav Ivanovic, 23) Michael Ballack and 25) Marcel Desailly.  

 -- The Chelsea Chronicle has also created their Top 10 Legends of the club, listing them as follows: 3) Gianfranco Zola, 5) Didier Drogba, 6) Eden Hazard and 9) Petr Cech.

-- On Boxing Day 1999, Chelsea made history when manager Gianluca Vialli fielded an entire starting lineup without a Bristish players against Southampton, albeit with four English youngsters on the bench.  The lineup were: Ed De Goey; Albert Ferrer, Celestine Babayaro, Emerson Thome, Frank Leboeuf; Dan Petrescu, Didier Deschamps, Gus Poyet, Robert Di Matteo; Gabrielle Ambrosetti, Tore Andre Flo. Chelsea won 2-1.

Goalkeepers

-- Petr Cech is an obvious choice for the top goalkeeper.  He is the most decorated goalkeeper in Chelsea's history, having secured four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and three League Cups. In European competitions, he triumphed with a Champions League title and a Europa League title.

-- The two backup keepers were between Ed de Goey, Carlo Cudicini, Thibaut Courtois and Edouard Mendy.  In his first season at Chelsea, Ed de Goey was exceptional. His stellar performances played a crucial role in Chelsea's triumphs in both the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup.  However, he was unseated by Carlo Cudicini.  While Cudicini was a valuable asset for Chelsea, he never attained the status of being one of the world's top goalkeepers. Thibaut Courtois, during his tenure at Stamford Bridge, was widely regarded as one of the best in the world, evidenced by his Premier League Golden Glove win in the 2016-2017 season.  He was a starter for 4 seasons, while de Goey spent 6 years at Stamford Bridge, starting for only 3 seasons. Carlo Cudicini, during his 9-year tenure, was also a starter for 3 seasons only.  Edouard Mendy won the 2021 Champions League for Chelsea, being named as the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award for his performance in the campaign.  Mendy was only a starter for two seasons.  Overall, Courtois was also a better goalkeeper than Mendy for the team.  

-- The third goalkeeper went to Cudicini because his name came up frequently during my research.

-- Eddie Niedzwiecki was born in Wales of Polish descent, and he represented Wales in football.

-- Petar Borota was an early foreign player for Chelsea in an era before the influx of foreign players playing in England.   He was known for his flamboyant style.  He frequently ventured beyond his goal line and even outside the penalty box, a practice considered highly unconventional during that period. He was voted Chelsea Player of the Year in 1981.  

Defenders

-- Ricardo Carvalho and Marcel Desailly were on my Chelsea All-Time team.  Desailly led Chelsea as captain for the majority of his tenure at Stamford Bridge. His remarkable performances earned him prestigious honors, including selections for the Overseas Team of the Decade and the Overall Team of the Decade at the Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/93 – 2001/02). Known for his versatility, Desailly could operate as a defensive midfielder, or sweeper.  Carvalho playing alongside with Terry was instrumental in securing Chelsea their first league title in 50 years. During his time at Chelsea, he was widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

-- William Gallas holds the rare distinction of having played for three London rival clubs: Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also openly acknowledged that his most successful spell was with Chelsea, where he was under the management of Jose Mourinho. However, given that loyalty to the club was a consideration for this team, Gallas lost out in the rankings.  I took points away from him for being a "Judas". Meanwhile, David Luiz won six major trophies during his two stints in Stamford Bridge.  Despite his success, he faced consistency issues during his initial tenure at the club. Because of those issues, I put the pair behind Frank Leboeuf or Antonio Rudiger.

-- Leboeuf won both the World Cup and the European Championship while playing for Chelsea. Later, he would go on to partner Marcel Desailly in one of the best defense in the Premier League. While playing for Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger received several prestigious individual awards, including being named in the Champions League Squad of the Season for 2020-21, the Champions League Team of the Season for 2021-22 and 2023-24, the PFA Team of the Year for the 2021-22, and the ESM Team of the Year for 2021-22. He was a key player as Chelsea won the 2021 Champions' League.

Antonio Rudiger 

-- Thiago Silva was 36 years old when he joined Chelsea.  He was not expected to become a star player.  However, he excelled during his time with the club, but I did not have enough space for him.

-- Ruud Gullit received an Honorable Mention for his significant impact on the club, as his signing in 1995 changed the history of Chelsea.  It elevated it to the status of a prominent European club. He opened the door for foreign players at the club. He was best known for playing as a libero for Chelsea, a position where he actually started in his career

-- Most modern polls or lists ranked either Ivanovic or Azpilicueta as Chelsea's greatest rightbacks.  Ivanović played a pivotal role during the club's most successful period, while Azpilicueta enjoyed a long and consistent career.  Ivanovic was ranked by 90min as the 22nd greatest footballer from Chelsea. Originally a right-back, César Azpilicueta's versatility became evident during his time at Chelsea, where he transformed into one of the top left-backs in Europe.  He also played as a central defender for manager Antonio Conte.  He spent 11 seasons with the club, winning the 2021 Champions' League title as their captain. Because of the lack of a great leftback, I put Azpilicueta as my first choice leftback.  So, I needed to find a backup for both rightback and leftback.

-- Dan Petrescu was chosen the "Overseas Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1993 to 2003).  He was the first foreigner player to play 100 games for Chelsea.  He started as a right wingback, who later played as a right wing. For that, I took him over Paul Ferreira and Albert Ferrer.

-- Marco Alonso, Celestine Babayaro and Yuri Zhirkov were some of the foreign leftbacks who played for Chelsea. Celestine Babayaro played regularly for Chelsea during his 7 seasons over here even through his time overlapped with Graeme Le Saux and Wayne Bridge. Filipe Luis, signed from Atletico Madrid was the most famous, but he never settled down in England.   Jose Mourinho used rightback Cesar Azpilicueta on the left side, and he kept Felipe Luis out of the lineup.  I toyed with the idea of using Rudiger as a backup, but I did not think he played leftback.  So, I went with Marco Alonso who was named on the PFA Team of the Year in the 2017-2018 season.

Midfielders

-- N'Golo Kanté had won the PFA and FWA Player of the Year in 2016-2017.  Then, in 2021, he helped Chelsea to win the Champions' League. Claude Makelele narrowly missed out on my Chelsea All-Time XI. Perhaps, it was an oversight not to include him. So, he effortlessly secures a spot on this team.  He was one of Roman Abramovich's first signing, which paved the way for the club for a new era.  It was said that the Chelsea Player of the Year was created to give him an award because his contributions often unrecognised by others.  Michael Essien was another player I overlooked for my Chelsea All-Time team.  He spent around 8 years with the club winning many trophies.  However, his legacy was marred by frequent injuries.

-- Juan Mata helped Chelsea to win the Champions' League, Chelsea's biggest trophy at the time of writing.  He was Chelsea Player of the Year that season and the season after too.  He was named on the PFA Team of the Year for the 2012–13 season after leading the league in assists.  Though Cesc Fàbregas showcased brilliance at Stamford Bridge, his form did not match his performance at Arsenal. While Fàbregas may have been considered a superior player overall, Juan Mata reached a higher peak during his tenure at Chelsea.  So, I took Mata over Fàbregas.

Juan Mata

-- During his brief three-and-a-half seasons at Chelsea, Jorginho emerged as a crucial player in their 2021 Champions League victory. His contributions were further recognized through individual awards such being named in the Europa League Squad of the Season for 2018-19 and making the Champions League Squad of the Season for 2020-21.  He came third in the Ballon d'Or 2021, but it was largely attributed to Italy's triumph in the European Championship. Nevetheless, he won the Champions' League that same year.

-- Frank Sinclair, Nils Middelboe and Roberto Di Matteo made honorable mentions.  Sinclair was born in England, but he represented Jamaica, which made him cap-tied to Jamaica.  Nils Middelboe (Denmark) who was born in Sweden was the first foreign player for Chelsea.  I credited him for the milestone.  I felt Roberto Di Matteo losing out to other more famous players.  

-- Michael Ballack played a key role in Chelsea's 2010 Premier League triumph and winning three FA Cup titles in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Despite these achievements, his aspiration to win the Champions League remained unfulfilled. In 2008, Chelsea suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League final. Additionally, his team finished second in both the League Cup and the Premier League.

-- Arjen Robben played a pivotal role in Chelsea clinching consecutive Premier League titles.  The first league title was Chelsea's first ever league title since the 1950's, marking the club's most significant triumphs for 50 years.  He was injury prone, but when healthy, Robben was considered one of the best players in the Premier League.  He was among Chelsea's best players when they won the back-to-back Premiership. 

-- For 2014-2015 season, Ed Hazard was the best player in the Premiership, winning both FWA and PFA Player of the Year award. Not many Chelsea player could claim that.  Over a span of seven years, Willian didn't score many goals for the club but was renowned for being a top assist provider. In 2019, he led the Europa League in assists when Chelsea clinched the title. Additionally, he was named Chelsea Player of the Year in 2016 and Chelsea Players' Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017–18.  I had no room for Florent Malouda.

Willian

Forwards

-- In early 2003, Gianfranco Zola was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by Chelsea's fans.  Zola's transfer from Italy to Chelsea at the time was uncommon for an Italian player of that calibre to play in England.  Of course, Gianluca Vialli came the reason before, but it was after his prime.  He did score over 40 goals here and became a player-coach. Vialli was the hero of the FA Cup in 1997.  It was Chelsea's first trophy over 25 years.  It was a big moment in the history of the club. Didier Drogba's exceptional legacy at Chelsea is exemplified by the awards and honors he won, including the Premier League Golden Boot in 2006-07 and 2009-10, induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022, and many more.  Notably, he played a pivotal role in securing the club's first Champions League title as a standout performer.

-- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink won the Premier League Golden Boot in his first season, and he followed his successes in his second year by finishing second a goal behind Thierry Henry.  Diego Costa only played 3 seasons, but he won two league titles within that span.  He was also named on the PFA Team of the Year: 2014–15 Premier League.  His name also appeared frequently as one of the greatest forwards ever for Chelsea.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

-- Derek Smethurst was the first South African to win a European trophy when Chelsea won the 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup. However, his time with the club was short.

-- Eiður Guðjohnsen's numbers were below both Hassekbaink and Diego Costa. Gustavo Poyet and Tore Andre Flo also made honorable mentions.  

-- George Weah and Andriy Shevchenko came at the end of their careers.  Weah only played for a season on loan and won a FA Cup, but his career here was too short.   Shevchenko was a shadow of himself in London.  I never seriously looked into them.

Formation