The 44 Best Chelsea Players of All Time

Rank the all-time greats of Chelsea FC, from 1970s legends to the Premier League and Champions League winners.

1. 1
   Gianfranco Zola

   Italian magician who is widely regarded as Chelsea's greatest-ever player, dazzling Stamford Bridge with exquisite skill and goals during the late 1990s.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Mason Mount

   Academy midfielder who set up Kai Havertz's winner in the 2021 Champions League final and was twice voted the club's Player of the Year.
   969pts
3. 3
   Frank Lampard

   Chelsea's all-time leading scorer with 211 goals from midfield, winning three Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League across 13 legendary seasons.
   935pts
4. 4
   Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

   Dutch striker who was the Premier League's most feared finisher for three seasons at Chelsea, firing 87 goals in 177 appearances with remarkable power and technique.
   856pts
5. 5
   Marcel Desailly

   French World Cup winner who brought class to the back line from 1998 to 2004, captaining the side and lifting the 2000 FA Cup.
   828pts
6. 6
   César Azpilicueta

   Spanish defender who made 508 appearances from 2012 to 2023 and captained Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League, winning every major club trophy.
   810pts
7. 7
   Jorginho

   Italian playmaker who won the 2019 Europa League and the 2021 Champions League, a reliable penalty taker during five seasons at the club.
   785pts
8. 8
   Reece James

   Academy right-back and club captain who won the 2021 Champions League and is prized for his power, crossing and versatility.
   785pts
9. 9
   Steve Clarke

   Scottish right-back who made 421 appearances from 1987 to 1998, ending his playing days with the 1997 FA Cup and 1998 Cup Winners' Cup.
   759pts
10. 10
    Eddie McCreadie

    Scottish left-back who played over 400 games from 1962 to 1974, winning the 1965 League Cup and the 1970 FA Cup before managing the club.
    738pts
11. 11
    Ruud Gullit

    Dutch star who joined in 1995 and, as player-manager, led Chelsea to the 1997 FA Cup, their first major trophy in 26 years.
    738pts
12. 12
    Nicolas Anelka

    French striker who won the 2008–09 Premier League Golden Boot and was part of the 2010 double-winning side during four seasons at the club.
    685pts
13. 13
    Joe Cole

    England playmaker who spent seven seasons at Stamford Bridge from 2003, winning three Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
    627pts
14. 14
    Eden Hazard

    Belgian playmaker who was the Premier League's most unplayable attacker during his seven seasons at Chelsea, winning two league titles before his dream move to Real Madrid.
    627pts
15. 15
    Ron Harris

    Ferocious defender nicknamed 'Chopper' who made a club-record 795 appearances for Chelsea and captained the 1970 FA Cup-winning side.
    627pts
16. 16
    John Terry

    Academy centre-back and long-serving captain who made 717 appearances, lifting five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League.
    627pts
17. 17
    Gianluca Vialli

    Italian striker who won the 1997 FA Cup as a player, then as player-manager lifted the League Cup and the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup.
    627pts
18. 18
    Jimmy Greaves

    Prolific teenage striker who scored 132 goals in 169 games from 1957 to 1961, including a club-record 41 league goals in his final season.
    561pts
19. 19
    N'Golo Kanté

    French midfielder who won the 2017 Premier League, the 2018 FA Cup and the 2021 Champions League, named man of the match in the Porto final.
    561pts
20. 20
    Willian

    Brazilian winger who spent seven seasons from 2013, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and the 2019 Europa League.
    561pts
21. 21
    Frank Leboeuf

    French centre-back who won two FA Cups, the League Cup and the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup between 1996 and 2001.
    486pts
22. 22
    Juan Mata

    Spanish playmaker who won the 2012 Champions League and FA Cup, and was voted the club's Player of the Year in both of his full seasons.
    486pts
23. 23
    Diego Costa

    Fiery striker who scored 59 goals in three seasons and fired Chelsea to Premier League titles in 2014–15 and 2016–17.
    486pts
24. 24
    Thiago Silva

    Brazilian centre-back who joined at 35 in 2020 and won the Champions League and Club World Cup in four commanding seasons.
    486pts
25. 25
    Arjen Robben

    Dutch winger who tore through defences between 2004 and 2007, winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
    486pts
26. 26
    Ray Wilkins

    Academy midfielder made captain at just 18 in 1975, who led the team back to the First Division in 1977 and later returned as assistant coach.
    486pts
27. 27
    Cole Palmer

    Attacking midfielder signed from Manchester City in 2023 who scored twice and set up the third as Chelsea beat PSG in the 2025 Club World Cup final.
    401pts
28. 28
    Peter Bonetti

    Agile goalkeeper nicknamed 'The Cat' who made a then-record 729 Chelsea appearances across two decades of loyal service.
    401pts
29. 29
    Didier Drogba

    Ivorian striker whose strength and match-winning mentality define Chelsea's modern identity, including the iconic equalizer and penalty in the 2012 Champions League final.
    401pts
30. 30
    Ashley Cole

    Left-back who won the 2010 Premier League, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League, scoring in the final shoot-out in Munich during eight seasons at the club.
    401pts
31. 31
    Branislav Ivanović

    Serbian defender who made 377 appearances from 2008 to 2017, won the 2012 Champions League and headed the winner in the 2013 Europa League final.
    401pts
32. 32
    Damien Duff

    Irish winger signed in 2003 who supplied the width for José Mourinho's first two title-winning sides in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
    302pts
33. 33
    Peter Osgood

    Cavalier centre-forward known as 'The King of Stamford Bridge' who spearheaded Chelsea's first great team, winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1971.
    302pts
34. 34
    Dennis Wise

    Tenacious captain through the 1990s who lifted Chelsea from mid-table mediocrity and led them to their first FA Cup in 27 years in 1997.
    302pts
35. 35
    Pat Nevin

    Scottish winger who dazzled Stamford Bridge from 1983 to 1988, twice voted the club's Player of the Year and a hero of the 1984 promotion side.
    302pts
36. 36
    Graeme Le Saux

    England left-back who served two spells and won the 1998 League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup during Chelsea's late-1990s revival.
    302pts
37. 37
    Charlie Cooke

    Scottish winger famed for his dribbling who helped win the 1970 FA Cup and the 1971 Cup Winners' Cup across two spells at the club.
    302pts
38. 38
    Michael Ballack

    German midfielder who joined in 2006 and won the 2010 Premier League and three FA Cups during four seasons at Stamford Bridge.
    302pts
39. 39
    Antonio Rüdiger

    German centre-back who became a cornerstone under Thomas Tuchel and won the 2021 Champions League before leaving for Real Madrid in 2022.
    302pts
40. 40
    Michael Essien

    Ghanaian powerhouse midfielder signed in 2005 who won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League across nine seasons.
    187pts
41. 41
    Petr Čech

    Czech goalkeeper who holds the Premier League clean-sheet record and was the irreplaceable last line of Chelsea's three title-winning defences under Mourinho and Ancelotti.
    187pts
42. 42
    Ricardo Carvalho

    Portuguese centre-back who partnered John Terry for six seasons from 2004, winning three Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
    0pts
43. 43
    Roberto Di Matteo

    Italian midfielder who scored after 42 seconds of the 1997 FA Cup final and the 2000 final winner, then as caretaker manager won the 2012 Champions League.
    0pts
44. 44
    Claude Makélélé

    French holding midfielder whose role became so defining it was named after him, the shield behind José Mourinho's back-to-back title winners of 2005 and 2006.
    0pts

Comments