The football club Chelsea currently competes in the England top flights League known as the Premier League and this club have always been among the top English football clubs due to their numerous achievements and honors both in England and in international competitions.
Chelsea so far in the History of the club, they have won, 6 Premier League titles, 8 FA Cups and 5 EFL Cup at the national level then at the international level, the club has won 2 Champions League, 2 European Cups, 1 European Super League cup and 2 Europa League titles.
The main logo of the club is the Lion symbol, and this club actually stands as the fifth most stable English football team.
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Greatest Chelsea Defenders of All Time
In this article, you will see a review of the all time best defenders in the history of Chelsea football club so let us take a look a these great players that graced the pitch of Chelsea.
Gary Cahill
Gary James Cahill was born in Dronfield, England on 19 December 1985,and he played as a centre back during his career at Chelsea football club. He is an English professional footballer who currently plays as s centre back for the Premier League club Crystal Palace.
In the year 2012, Gary Cahill joined Chelsea football club for a fee of 8.4 million Euros from Bolton Wanderers where he had already himself as a big defender. In his debut season with Chelsea, he went on to win the most important trophy in the history of Chelsea which is the UEFA Champions League in 2012. He also won the English FA Cup that same year.
Gary Cahill due to his great performances and intelligence at the back of the club, he went on to play a vital role in Chelsea winning 2 more Premier League titles in the year 2015 and 2017, 2 Europa League, and 1 English League Cup in the year 2015.
Gary Cahill made a total of 290 appearances for Chelsea and even though he played as a centre back, he found the way to the net 25 times.
As individual honors, Cahill has been named in the " Professional footballers Association Team of the year" 3 time in the years 2014, 2015, and 2017, 2 of these came in when Chelsea won the Premier League title at the end of the season.
In the year 2010, Gary Cahill made his international debut for England and he represented the 3 Lions 61 times, featuring in 2 World Cups in the years 2014 and 2018, as well as in the Euro 2016.
Looking at all these achievements, it is of no doubt that Gary Cahill is widely regarded as one of the best Chelsea defenders of all time.
Branislav Ivanovic
Branislav Ivanovic is a Serbian professional footballer who was born on 22 February 1984 and he played as defender for the English Premier League club Chelsea. Ivanovic is versatile defender who played also as a right back for Chelsea but he was mostly used as a centre back during his time with the West London club.
Branislav Ivanovic joined the English club in the year 2008 for a fee of 12 million euros and he represented the club for a long period of 9 years establishing himself as one of the greatest ever Chelsea defenders in the history of the club.
During his 9 years spend at Chelsea, Ivanovic made a total of 377 appearances, scoring 34 goals which is the second most number of goals by a defender for the Chelsea football club behind John Terry. He also provided a total of 34 assists most of which came in anytime he was used as a right back.
Ivanovic is one of the only 5 players that have represented the Blues in more than 300 games, and in those 300 games, he has helped Chelsea win 11 trophies including 3 Premier League titles, 1 Champions League, 3 English FA Cups, 1 Europa League, 2 English Super Cups and 1 English League Cup.
As individual honors, the Serbian international has featured in the PFA Premier League team of the year twice and also he is the most capped player in the history of his national team with 105 matches and scoring 13 goals for his national team.
Ivanovic was a scary opponent for the Premier attackers and he stood out for his great strength, ability in wining aerial duels and also his expertise in finishing even though he was a center back.
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is an English former football professional who was born on 20 December 1980 in Stepney, England and he played as a left back for Chelsea during his career as a footballer at the club. But he played mostly for 2 Premier League clubs which are Chelsea and Arsenal.
The English left back is widely known as one of the best defenders in the history of the blues. He started his professional career with Arsenal, where he established himself as one of the best left backs for the club as he made a total of 228 appearances in 7 years and won 9 trophies with the Gunners, also being part of the legendary invincible team of the 2003-2004 season who won the English Premier League without loosing a single game.
He joined Chelsea in the year 2006 but this led some people being fined to court including himself and Jose Mourinho who was Chelsea's manager by then.
When he joined Chelsea, he also helped the club claim 10 major titles including a Premier League title in the year 2010, 4 English FA Cups, 2 English Super Cups, 1 English League Cup, 1 UEFA Europa League in the year 2013 and above all 1 UEFA Champions League in the year 2012.
Ashley Cole made a total of 338 appearances for Chelsea and scored 7 goals, providing 38 assists. Also his style of play and his goal line clearances which saved his clubs many times and during the climax of his career, he was regarded as one of the best left backs in the world.
Ashley Cole has participated in 3 World Cups as well as 2 Euro, making a total of 107 appearances for the England national team which is the highest so far for an England left back.
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a former professional footballer who was born on 7th September 1968 in Accra Ghana and played as a center back or defensive midfielder but was mostly used as a center back at Chelsea.
His club career lasted from the year 1986 to 2006, winning many titles including the UEFA Champions League medals with both the French club Olympique Marseille and the Italian club Milan, he also played for Nantes and Chelsea with many other clubs.
Marcel Desailly aside from being one of the best Chelsea defenders of all time, he is also regarded as one of the greatest French footballers in history. He joined the Premier League club Chelsea in the year 1998 where he played for 6 years and established himself as one of the best Chelsea defenders of all time.
He was Captain at Chelsea and he led to winning 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 English Super Cups and 1 English FA Cup with the blues.
Desailly achieved most of his career honors with the French club Marseille , AC Milan and the French national team where he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France.
John Terry
John George Terry is a an English professional footballer who was born on the 7th December 1980 in Chelsea and he also played of his town club for the major part of his career. During his career, he was captain at Chelsea, the England national team and also Aston Villa. It is of no doubt that he is actually among the best Chelsea defenders of all time.
He was nicknamed the eternal Captain of Chelsea and is also the most decorated Chelsea captain ever in the history of the club as he won a total of 17 trophies with the Blues. Among these trophies was 5 Premier League titles, and he became the first Captain to lift the Premier League trophy 5 times when he did it for the fifth time in 2017. Further to that, John Terry has won 5 English FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 3 English Super Cups and most especially a Champions League in 2012.
John Terry actually holds the record of the third most capped player in the history of the club with 717 matches played after Ron Harrison with 795 and Peter Bonetti with 729 matches played for Chelsea.
As individual honors, John Terry was named for FIFPro World XI for 5 times in a row that is from the year 2005 to the year 2009, he was also named as the UEFA Club defender of the year 3 times.
Final Thoughts On Best Chelsea Defenders of All Time
These are just a few of the outstanding defenders who have represented Chelsea over the years. Each player brought their unique qualities and contributed to the success of the club.
Remember, this is just my opinion based on the history of Chelsea defenders. There are also other great defenders who have donned the Chelsea shirt, so it's always subjective to some extent.
If you need more specific information or have any other questions, feel free to ask!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best defender in Chelsea history?
The best defender in the history of Chelsea is the legendary John Terry.
Who is the greatest Chelsea player of all time?
It is quite difficult to determine exactly who is the greatest Chelsea Player of all time but here are some talented players who played for the club. John Terry (1998-2017), Frank Lampard (2001-14), Peter Osgood (1964-74), Didier Drogba (2004-12, 2014-15), Petr Cech (2004-15).
Who is the best defender in the Premier League history?
John Terry Despite his career's controversies, Terry's consistency and performances cement his place as the Premier League's greatest defender.