Goalkeepers

Petr Cech (Czech Republic)
Hilario (Portugal)
Ross Turnball (England)

Defenders

John Terry © (England)
Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Ashley Cole (England)
Paulo Ferreira (Portugal)
Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia and Montenegro)
Jose Bosingwa (Portugal)
Alex (Brazil)

Midfielders

Joe Cole (England)
Michael Ballack (Germany)
Michael Essien (Ghana)
Frank Lampard (England)
John Obi-Mikel (Nigeria)
Florent Malouda (France)
Deco (Portugal)
Yuri Zhirkov (Russia)

Strikers

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast)
Nicolas Anelka (France)
Daniel Sturridge (England)

Goalkeepers and Defenders


Petr Cech

Player Info
Squad Number: 1
Date of Birth: 20 May 1982
Height: 6 5
Career
Signed: 01 Jul 2004
Previous clubs: Rennes


A new arrival two summers ago who cost more than all the past goalkeepers in Chelsea history combined, Petr is widely regarded as the best young keeper in the world. For many, he is simply the best full-stop.



Very tall and not shy to leave his goal-line, Petr was bought to provide serious and healthy competition to Carlo Cudicini and began has Chelsea career as José Mourinho’s first choice.



A precocious talent, he built his reputation at Sparta Prague where at the age of 19 he broke the national record for the longest spell without conceding a goal. Equally hard to beat in the Champions League, over one thousand minutes in all competitions passed without a goal.



That earned Petr a move to Rennes in France where midway through his second season he agreed to join Chelsea for the next campaign on a five-year contract.



At Under 21 international level he was a major factor in the crowning of the Czech Republic as 2002 European Champions while at senior level, Euro 2004 brought five clean sheets, a semi-final and a place in UEFA’s all-star squad of the tournament.



The clean-sheet laden first season at Stamford Bridge was statistically the most accomplished by any Chelsea keeper. A run of 1024 minutes without conceding a goal between December and March set a new English top flight record.



By the end of that season he had his first championship medal plus records for the fewest goals conceded and most clean sheets in an English top flight season. It was recognised with the award of the Barclays Golden Gloves for '04/'05.



2005/6 has continued in much the same vein.

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Henrique Hilario

Player Info
Squad Number: 40
Date of Birth: 21 Oct 1975
Height: 6 4
Career
Signed: 01 Jul 2006
Previous clubs: CD Nacional


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Ricardo Carvalho

Player Info
Squad Number: 6
Date of Birth: 18 May 1978
Height: 6
Career
Signed: 27 Jul 2004
Previous clubs: FC Porto


Portugal’s replacement of Italy as the number one foreign influence on Chelsea was further cemented with the recruitment that completed José Mourinho’s squad for the 2004/5 season. A central defender was needed to takeover from the departing Marcel Desailly and the new Chelsea manager went for what he trusted.



With Ricardo having played a key part in Porto’s remarkable two years packed with domestic and European honours, Desailly’s place has been taken by another proven winner who was tempting other big name clubs, including Real Madrid.



His reputation as a complete central defender, dominant with both feet and head, was enhanced at Euro 2004 where he was an undisputed selection for UEFA’s all-star squad of the tournament. His anticipation and interception skills are especially admired.



Ricardo’s playing days began at Leca before joining Porto as a teenager although after one appearance he was off to Vitoria Setubal and then Alverca on loan.



However when the long-established Jorge Costa left Porto on loan to Charlton, Ricardo’s door to trophy success and international recognition had opened. He played every minute of Porto’s Champions League-winning campaign and took Fernando Couto’s place in Portugal’s Euro 2004 team after an opening defeat by Greece.



A remarkable 2004 was capped by winning UEFA's European Football Award for Best Defender. The manner in which he adapted instantly to the demands of the Premiership and became an important part of Chelsea’s rock-solid season confirmed that status.



A broken toe brought a two-month interruption in winter of the 2004/5 season but Ricardo returned for the climax. Chelsea's championship made it three domestic titles in a row in two different countries.



The 2005/6 season began with the player speaking to the media when he failed to make the early team selections. Mourinho reacted publicly and strongly. Lessons were learnt and Ricardo continues on as a regular choice in Chelsea's regularly inpenetrable defence.

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Paulo Ferreira

Player Info
Squad Number: 20
Date of Birth: 18 Jan 1979
Height: 5 11
Career
Signed: 01 Jul 2004
Previous clubs: FC Porto

A personally disappointing Euro 2004 would have raised a few question marks over Chelsea’s willingness to pay a British record fee for a full-back had José Mourinho not known his compatriot inside-out.



The pair walked the road to Champions League glory together at Porto where they had previously accumulated the League, the Cup and the UEFA Cup. A remarkably consistent and solid defender who is a regular supplier of dangerous crosses, he became a Portuguese international within six months of signing from lower table side Vitoria Setubal.



His nation’s big party in the summer of Euro 2004 fell rather flat for Paulo when he was dropped after a mistake in the opening game, only returning midway through Portugal’s last game.



However he was voted the best right-back in Europe the previous season and immediately became first choice on arriving at The Bridge and one of the major reasons why the Chelsea defence suffocated so many attacks. That was until a broken foot suffered on international duty in March 2005 removed him from the action but by then he had already won the Carling Cup and done his bit in sending us on route to the Premiership and a record breaking defensive season.



The 2005/6 season has seen Paulo a less frequent selection that previously. He has never scored during his professional career.

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John Terry ©

Player Info
Squad Number: 26
Date of Birth: 07 Dec 1980
Height: 6 1
Weight: 13st 12lb
Career
Debut: 28/10/98 v Aston Villa (H)


Chelsea to the core and a true hero to the fans, John has graduated from being a great prospect to a fully-fledged star as he commands the defence from his position as captain having also made his mark at international level.



Any perceived deficiency in pace is more than compensated by a superb reading of the game while his sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders’ defender.



Born in east London, John has been with Chelsea since the age of 14 when he was initially a medium-build midfielder. Filling in as youth team centre-back one day due to a lack of fit alternatives, he has never looked back, aided by a rapid growth in physical stature.



A short and successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest helped the maturing process and having taken on board lessons first hand from the likes of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf, he was voted Chelsea Player of the Year just two seasons after his debut.



After putting a short spell of off-field problems firmly behind him, John refocused on his game sufficiently to be handed his England debut in June 2003. He looks set to be a first choice for his country at the 2006 World Cup.



His most disappointing Chelsea moment to date was illness on the morning of the losing 2002 FA Cup Final and subsequent omission from the starting XI. His proudest is taking on the captaincy he had understudied from Marcel Desailly and leading the club to the elusive title in the very first year with the armband.



With the Carling Cup also lifted previously, John is one of only four Chelsea captains to lead the club to major honours and he more than played his part on the pitch in 2004/5 with a succession of world class displays and eight crucial goals.



He was voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals, the first Chelsea winner of the accolade and John's incredible consistency has seen José Mourinho dub him 'the best centre-back in the world'.

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Ashley Cole

Player Info
Squad Number: 3
Date of Birth: 20 December 1980
Height: 172cm
Career
Signed: Aug 2006
Previous clubs: Crystal Palace, Arsenal

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Branislav Ivanovic

Player Info
Squad Number:
Date of Birth: 22 February 1984
Height: 182cm
Career
Signed: January 2008
Previous clubs: Lokomotiv Moscow

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Jose Bosingwa

Player Info
Squad Number:
Date of Birth:
Height:
Career
Signed: May 2008
Previous clubs: Boavista, Porto

Midfielders and Strikers

Joe Cole

Player Info
Squad Number: 10
Date of Birth: 08 Nov 1981
Height: 5 9
Weight: 11st 13lb
Career
Signed: 06 Aug 2003
Previous clubs: West Ham United
Debut: MSK Zilina (A) 13 Aug 2003

One of Chelsea’s six current England internationals, Joe's second season at Stamford Bridge was one of major progress and genuine achievement.



His first had seen a healthy run of games out wide but it remained unclear what his best position was or how his tricky ball-skills could be used to dangerous effect without harming the team's overall shape. A year later the answers were a lot more clear.



A born Londoner, he watched Chelsea as a boy from the stands but it was to West Ham he went as a junior where the spotlight found him at a ridiculously early age. This was due in part to his showings for England youth but also had much to do with a reported interest from a Alex Ferguson.



However Joe remained at Upton Park where his much awaited career began gently before it was halted altogether by a broken leg. On his return he progressed steadily to become a club regular and an occasional face for England.



A determined attitude won him the West Ham captaincy in the ‘02/’03 season but his spirit was not enough to prevent relegation — making a transfer away inevitable for the good of his career and the Hammers' finances. Chelsea paid £6.6 million.



Joe was part of the England squad for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 and on his return from the latter he was given a run of games by José Mourinho as part of an attacking three. With the return to fitness of Damien Duff and Arjen Robben, his chances became more limited and mostly from the bench but he weighed in with some crucial, match-winning goals as Chelsea's championship season grew in momentum.



A fresh opportunity presented itself when Robben was further injured and Joe grabbed it with the best form of his career, employing his skills intelligently. He was named Premiership Player of the Month for March 2005 and drew special praise for the way he had matured from England manager Sven Goran Eriksson. At international level, Joe has become the favoured answer to the perennial left-side question.



The 2005 Carling Cup Final brought his first senior winners' medal before the Premiership title was added. Mourinho had instructed and Joe had listened well. The 2005/6 season continues with goals and more managerial praise. Joe has developed into a key Chelsea player.

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Michael Ballack

Player Info
Squad Number: 13
Born: 26/09/76 in Gorlitz (former East Germany)
Height: 6ft 2in (189 cm)
Weight: 12 stone 8lbs (80 kg/176.3 pounds)

Michael and partner Simone have three children - Louis (b. August 16, 2001), Emilio (b. September 19, 2002) and Jordi (b. March 17, 2005)

CAREER HISTORY:

Chelsea Football Club 2006 -

Bayern Munich FC, 2002-2006:
44 goals; 107 games.
2006 Bundesliga Champion
2006 German FA Cup winner
2005 Bundesliga Champion
2005 German FA Cup winner
2004 German League Cup winner
2003 Bundesliga Champion
2003 German FA Cup winner

Bayer Leverkusen, 1999-2002:
27 goals; 79 games.
2002 Champions League Finalist

FC Kaiserslautern, 1997-1999:
4 goals; 46 games.
1998 Bundesliga Champions

Chemnitz FC, 1995-1997:
10 goals; 49 games.

Bundesliga Debut: September 19, 1997, v Karlsruhe
First Bundesliga Goal: October 30, 1998, v Hansa Rostock

German Footballer of the Year three times (2005, 2003, 2002)

UEFA best midfield player in Europe (2002)

INTERNATIONAL CAREER:
International Debut: April 28, 1999, v Scotland
First International Goal: March 28, 2001, v Greece
International Appearances: 63
International Goals: 30

World Cup runner-up (2002)

Michael has been captain of Germany since 2004

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John Obi Mikel

Player Info
Squad Number: 12
Date of Birth: 22 Apr 1987
Height: 5 11
Career
Signed: 03 Jun 2006
Previous clubs: Lyn
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Michael Essien

Player Info
Squad Number: 5
Date of Birth: 03 Dec 1982
Height: 6 0
Career
Signed: 19 Aug 2005
Previous clubs: Bastia, Lyon


A protracted transfer that dragged on almost as long as the 2005 close season finally came to an end when Michael’s former club Lyon accepted a Chelsea record fee for their star midfielder.

The 22 year-old had grown to become one of hottest properties in Europe in his two years playing in France’s second city. His dominant performances as the team won back-to-back league titles and twice reached the Champions League quarter-final (losing to Mourinho’s Porto on the first occasion) saw to that.



A powerhouse player who finds no difficulty in getting around the pitch, he earned the nickname ‘The Bison’. Capable of playing deep in midfield (a much needed understudy to Claude Makelele), Michael has also taken up more attacking positions in France and likes to try his luck shooting from distance. José Mourinho has described the player as ‘multifunctional’. The reported £24.4 million price tag reflects this.



Michael grew up Accra, capital of his homeland Ghana, and the city that also gave the world Marcel Desailly. Unlike the our former captain, Michael remained in Africa into adulthood, playing for his country at junior levels and beginning his club football at Liberty Professionals.



His profile was raised by a third place finish for Ghana in the Under 17s World Cup which led to a trial at Man United. But it was to Corsica he went, signing to play in the French league with Bastia. At first he was used to fill a variety of positions across the defence but could not hold down a regular place. Then injury left a vacancy in midfield and Michael would never look back.



Bastia reached the French Cup Final in 2002 and the following summer Michael made the move to league champions Lyon for 7.8 million euros. Last season he was voted Player of the Year in France before making no secret of his desire to move to the Premiership with Chelsea where he made his debut as a sub against Arsenal just two days after signing. He is the most expensive African footballer in the world.

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Frank Lampard

Player Info
Squad Number: 8
Date of Birth: 20 Jun 1978
Height: 6 0
Weight: 13st 12lb
Career
Signed: 15 Jun 2001
Previous clubs: West Ham United
Debut: 19/08/2001 v Newcastle (h)

Scorn was raised at his original £11 million transfer fee four years ago - but who's laughing now?



Frank is the man who drives Chelsea on from midfield game after game after game. No-one of his age has enjoyed more Premiership football and no-one plays more at Chelsea. In December 2005, he finally missed a game with a virus and so brought to an end a new Premiership record of 164 consecutive appearances.



Ironically, Frank’s ever-present habit was one of the reasons why he was under-appreciated by some at the club that nurtured him. With Frank’s father the West Ham first team coach, sections of the support there cried nepotism.



Despite that, he was ever-present in the Hammers side that finished fifth in ‘98/’99 and was capped for England the next season. When manager Harry Redknapp and Frank senior were sacked from Upton Park, it was time for our Frank to move on.



After a quiet start at the Bridge, he has bloomed into one of Europe's finest and in 2003/4, Frank’s phenomenal form was only beaten by Thierry Henry when the individual awards were handed out and he was well worthy of his place in England’s Euro 2004 team.



The performances continued to come as did goals, Frank firing Chelsea to the Championship as he top-scored from midfield with 13 in the League and 19 overall. He created more goals than any Chelsea player in recent memory and there was no-one more appropriate to score the magical goals at Bolton to clinch the title.



The Sportswriters' Footballer of the Year (only the second Chelsea winner in over 50 years) and runner-up in the European and World Player of the Year voting for 2005, vice-captain Frank is as close to indispensable as you’ll find in modern squad-based football.

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Florent Malouda

Player Info
Squad Number: 15
Date of Birth: 13 June 1980
Height: 181cm
Weight: 73kg
Career
Signed: Summer 2007
Previous clubs: Lyon, Guingamp

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Deco

Player Info
Squad Number: ?
Date of Birth: August 1977
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Career
Signed: June 30, 2008
Previous clubs: Corinthians, Benfica, SC Salgueiros, FC Porto, Barcelona


Midfielder Anderson Luis de Souza, or Deco, as most fans will know him joins us from Barcelona where he had spent the past four seasons. It is a move that reunites him with his international coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The pair worked together for the past five years with the Portuguese national team, yet Deco's greatest achievements have come in club football.

In his time with the Catalan club, the intelligent playmaker, who has a fantastic eye for a pass, as well as the ability to score goals, won a host of silverware, including two La Liga titles and a second Champions League to follow up the one he won at Porto in 2004.

The Portuguese appeared over 100 times in Barça colours, including each of the six European matches we played against them between 2004 and 2006. He scored the opening goal in the 2-2 draw in the Nou Camp in 2006/7.

His first season in Spain saw him lift the league title, a trophy that had been missing since 1999, and this was retained in 2006, securing a famous 'double' to go with the 2-1 victory over Arsenal in Paris, in which Deco played a key part.

Deco was a part of the Porto exodus after the club's Champions League success in 2004, following Chelsea-bound manager José Mourinho and defenders Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho out of the door.

He had joined Porto in the 1998/99 season after impressing for city rivals SC Salgueiros, and over the next five years established himself as one of the most accomplished midfielders in Europe.

Three league titles and a UEFA Cup win against Celtic in 2003, in which the Brazilian-born star was man of the match, preceded an unlikely Champions League success a year later.

Deco was again inspirational, stroking home the second goals in his side's 3-0 win over Monaco in the Final.

Born in Sao Bernardo in August 1977, Deco began his professional career with Corinthians before deciding to head to Europe for a brief spell with Benfica in 1997.

This meant that after spending more than five years in the country, the diminutive Deco was eligible for Portuguese citizenship, which he duly took up before making his debut against his native country in March 2003, under the eyes of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Since then he has been a key member of the side, reaching the final of Euro 2004 and the semi-finals of the World Cup two years later. He now has over 50 caps for his adopted country, and was a goal scorer at Euro 2008, beating new team-mate Petr Cech during Portugal's 3-1 win over the Czech Republic.


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Didier Drogba

Player Info
Squad Number: 11
Date of Birth: 11 Mar 1978
Career
Signed: 20 Jul 2004
Previous clubs: Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille


After a gentle-paced start to his career in France, Didier hit full sprint after his move to the big time at Marseille where his stunning form and goalscoring helped his club to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final and himself to the France Footballer of the Year Award.



And sprinting plays a big part in the big man’s armoury; his pace allied to strength making Didier the type of forward not seen at Stamford Bridge for a long, long time. He also possesses aerial power in front of goal that at times borders on awesome.



Signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2004, Didier’s transfer fee makes him the second most expensive striker in British football history, only surpassed by the money paid by Man United for Wayne Rooney.



The man who has spearhead the Ivory Coast to a first World Cup Finals moved from Africa to live in France as a young child and played his early junior football at right-back. He dabbled with various small clubs and even turned down the chance of a trial at Paris Saint-Germain, preferring to learn his trade before attempting the big time.



He did that at Second Division Le Mans before moving up a division to Guingamp whom injury had prevented him joining some years earlier. It was during this spell in Brittany that Didier first came to the attention of José Mourinho but after scoring 17 goals in 2002/3 and becoming an international, he had moved out of Porto’s price range. Olympique Marseille swooped and they did not regret their move.



Two seasons ago, Didier’s second at l’OM, he netted 18 times in 35 league games and six times in the UEFA Cup including braces against Liverpool and Newcastle. FIFA recognised the achievements with a nomination for World Player of the Year.



A groin operation forced him out for most of October and November of his first season at Chelsea and it took some time for him to reach full power again. But Didier scored in the Carling Cup Final and the man asked to fill the central position in the front three netted ten times in the Championship winning campaign and 16 times in all competitions.

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Salomon Kalou

Player Info
Squad number: 21
Date of Birth: 05 Aug 1985
Height: 184cm
Weight: 77kg
Career
Signed: 30 May 2006
Previous clubs: Feyenoord


An undisclosed transfer fee was paid to Feyenoord in the summer of 2006 for the 20 year-old striker who signed a three-year contract.

A regular scorer, Kalou had performed in the Dutch league for three seasons.

In 2003/4 the speedy striker made two appearances for Feyenoord but played the bulk of the season on loan at another Rotterdam club, second division Excelsior, where he scored four goals in 11 appearances.

In the past two seasons at Feyenoord he found the net 35 times in 60 top flight starts and seven sub appearances. He has also scored four goals in 6+1 UEFA Cup games.

His 20 goals last season made him second top scorer in the Dutch top division and he was selected as the winner of the 2005 Johan Cruyff Award for Young Talent playing in Holland.

His time in Holland showed him to be a flexible attacker, capable of playing on the right or left of a front three, or as the support striker in an attacking pair.

Having failed in an attempt to gain Dutch citizenship when at Feyenoord, he has now declared he will play for the country of his birth, Ivory Coast.

He will therefore team up with Didier Drogba for both club and country.

Kalou made his Chelsea debut in the Community Shield against Liverpool in August and scored his first goal in a Carling Cup tie away at Blackburn in October 2006.



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Nicolas Anelka

Player Info
Squad Number: 39
Date of Birth: 14 March 1979
Height: 185cm
Weight: 77kg
Career
Signed: 11 January 2008
Other clubs: Bolton, Fenerbahce, Manchester City, Liverpool, PSG, Real Madrid, Arsenal