21 March 1992 - Vinnie Jones's Cautionary Tale

On 21 March 1992, Chelsea midfielder Vinnie Jones set an English football record by getting a yellow card after only three seconds against Sheffield United.

Jones had previously established a reputation for aggressive play and a casual attitude toward the rules of the game, most notably during a three-year spell with Wimbledon's FA Cup-winning "Crazy Gang." But he left there in 1989 and spent a season with Leeds where his disciplinary record improved--he got only three yellows all season long.

In 1990, he moved to Sheffield United, then moved again a year later, joining Chelsea in 1991. While there, he continued to toe the line, but slipped up in a home match against his former club, Sheffield United, to earn the record-setting caution. To make matters worse, United went on to win, 1-2.

Jones returned to Wimbledon, playing there from 1992 to 1998, then retired in 1999 after a season with Queens Park Rangers. Afterward, he took up acting, usually in roles complemented by his playing reputation.

11 March 1978 - Drogba Rising

On 11 March 1978, Didier Drogba was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He went on to become one of the world's dominant strikers.

Growing up, he spent many years living in France and it was there he started his professional career, joining the youth program at Levallois in 1996, then moving to Le Mans in 1997. In 1998, he signed a professional contract with Le Mans and played there for three and a half years, scoring a total of only 15 goals in 75 appearances before moving to Guingamp for £80,000 in the winter transfer window.

The move sparked his career. In his first full season there, he scored 21 goals, attracting the interest of Marseille who signed him for £3.3M in the summer 2003. After only one remarkable season at Marseille, in which he scored 32 goals across all competitions and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, he moved again, this time to Chelsea who paid £24M.

In eight seasons with Chelsea, he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances, making him the fourth-highest goalscorer in club history. He also collected a massive haul of silverware, including three league titles, four FA Cups, and one Champions League trophy.

Along the way, he also captained the Côte d'Ivoire national team and is their all-time leading scorer with 65 goals in 104 appearances.

After leaving Chelsea at the end of his contract in 2012, he spent time with Shanghai Shenhua (2012-13) and Galatasaray (2013-14) before returning to Chelsea for the 2014-15 season. He then played for the Montreal Impact (2015-16) before joining his current club, Phoenix Rising, as player-owner in 2017. 

18 February 1973 - The Role Came A Little Bit Later

On 18 February 1973, Claude Makélélé, who redefined the modern defensive midfielder position, was born in Kinshasa, Zaire.

He moved to France when he was four and spent the first several years of his career there, first with Stade Brestois (1990-91), then with Nantes (1991-97) and later Marseille (1997-98). In 1998, he left for Spain, playing two seasons for Celta de Vigo and three for Real Madrid.

At Madrid, he was an integral member of the Galacticos side assembled by club president Florentino Pérez, including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. Although not regarded as highly (or paid as much) as some of the others, Makélélé drove the side by operating less like a traditional defensive midfielder and more like a deep-lying playmaker.

When he left for Chelsea in 2003, a bitter Pérez tried to minimize the loss, downplaying Makélélé's contribution to the team. But after winning two league titles (and the Champions League) with him, Real Madrid did not win La Liga again until 2007.

Makélélé, meanwhile, flourished at Chelsea, winning two league titles and one FA Cup before moving back to France in 2008, joining Paris Saint-Germain. He ended his career there, retiring in 2011. 

23 January 2002 - Where The Special One Became Special

On 23 January 2002, José Mourinho took charge of Porto, where he would establish his reputation as the "Special One."

Just three days short of his 39th birthday at the time, Mourinho had already briefly managed Benfica (2000) and Leiria (2001-02), where his analytical approach to training and success on the pitch attracted the attention of Porto. They had been the league's most successful club throughout the 1990s with eight top-flight titles during the decade, but had fallen off a bit, finishing as runners-up in 2000 and 2001. By the time Mourinho arrived, they had slipped to fifth in the table after a loss to Boavista on 20 January.

In their first match under Mourinho, at home to Maritimo in the league on 26 January, Porto won 2-1, then followed that with  five more wins out of their next six league matches to climb into third, which is where they finished the season.

In 2002-03, Mourinho's first full season at Porto, they reclaimed the league title and won the UEFA Cup with a 3-2 win over Celtic in the final, then repeated as league champions in 2004 while winning the Champions League over Monaco, 3-0.

That performance led to his move to Chelsea, where he earned the nickname The Special One after telling the English press "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."

He left Chelsea in 2007 and spent subsequent spells with Inter (2008-10), Real Madrid (2010-13), and Chelsea again (2013-15) before joining his current club, Manchester United, in 2016.

26 December 1999 - Chelsea Flows Over Southampton

On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first British team to field an all-foreign starting XI. And it worked out pretty well for them.

The occasion was a Premier League match against Southampton at the Dell. The line-up decision was not entirely in the hands of manager Gianluca Vialli, as a breakout of the flu deprived him of several regular selections, including striker Chris Sutton and midfielder Dennis Wise, both of whom were English internationals (Wise was the club's player of the year in 1998).

To fill in the gaps, Vialli fielded a starting eleven that consisted of Ed De Goey (Netherlands), Albert Ferrer (Spain), Frank Leboeuf (France), Emerson Thome (Brazil), Dan Petrescu (Romania), Celestine Babyaro (Nigeria), Gus Poyet (Uruguay), Didier Deschamps (France), Roberto Di Matteo (Italy), Gabriele Ambrosetti (Italy), and Tore André Flo (Norway). It was the the first time in the history of British football that a team put out a starting line-up without a single British player.

Chelsea went on to win 1-2, with Flo (pictured) scoring both of their goals (18', 43'), while Southampton's goal was an 80th-minute consolation strike from Kevin Davies. 

The all-international eleven ended in the 74th minute, when Vialli brought Englishman Jon Harley on for Ambrosetti (and then Jody Morris, another Englishman, came on for Petrescu in the 87th minute).

24 October 1966 - He Came, He Saw, He Conquered

On 24 October 1966, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was born in the city of Saratov in southern Russia. Currently one of the richest men in the world, he has spurred Chelsea to a massive haul of silverware including multiple league titles and the Champions League trophy.

Abramovich accumulated his wealth quickly, though he has been accused of using methods of questionable legality. For example, while still serving in the Soviet Army, he made money by selling allegedly stolen gasoline. By 1995, however, he, along with a partner, had acquired a controlling interest in a large Russsian oil company, paying $100 million.

In 2003, he bought Chelsea from then-owner Ken Bates. He paid £140 million for the club, who at the time were saddled with debt, and quickly steered them to back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006--their first league titles since 1955.

Chelsea have had twelve different (non-caretaker) managers under Abramovich, including Claudio Ranieri, José Mourinho (twice), Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, and current boss Antonio Conte. Throughout, Chelsea have won five league titles (2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, and 2017), four FA Cups (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), and the Champions League (2012).

14 October 2006 - Terry Takes A Turn In Goal

On 14 October 2006, Chelsea needed three goalkeepers to get through their match against Reading, with captain John Terry pulling on the gloves for a bit.

Playing in a league game at Reading's Madjeski Stadium, Chelsea lost starting goalkeeper Petr Cech after just 20 seconds. Diving to make a save at the feet of Reading's Stephen Hunt, Cech took a blow to the head that fractured his skull. He left the pitch on a stretcher and was replaced by substitute keeper Carlo Cudicini.

Reading tested Cuducini, but it was Chelsea who took the lead after Reading defender Ivar Ingemarsson put the ball in his net off a Frank Lampard free kick in the 45th minute.

In the second half, both teams went down to 10 men as Chelsea's John Obi Mikel (in the 62nd minute) and Reading substitute André Bikey (in the 83rd) both received second yellow cards and were sent off. Then, shortly before the final whistle, Cuducini collided with Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko and lost consciousness. Having already used all three substitutes, manager José Mourinho sent John Terry into goal.

With only moments left, Terry had little to do to see out the 0-1 win.

29 September 1971 - Chelsea Cooks Up A Baker's Dozen

On 29 September 1971, Chelsea recorded their widest margin of victory, beating Jeunesse Hautcharage 13-0 in the second leg of their first-round meeting in the Cup Winners' Cup.

The tie was effectively over after the first leg, with Chelsea beating Hautcharage, an amateur side, 0-8 in Luxembourg. But the 27,621 people who turned up at Stamford Bridge for the second leg were treated to a match of historic proportions.

Striker Peter Osgood (pictured) started the scoring deluge, providing the opening goal in the fourth minute, then adding another two minutes later. By halftime, the Blues were leading 6-0 with additional goals from Alan Hudson (11'), John Hollins (13', pen.), David Webb (23'), and Ron Harris (44').

In the second half, Hautcharage successfully defended their goal until the 61st minute, when Tommy Baldwin increased the lead to 7-0. More goals soon followed, including two more from Baldwin (68', 90'), a second-half hat-trick from Osgood (63', 80', 88'), and one from Peter Houseman (77').

The final score of 13-0 set a single-game Chelsea record and, with a combined score of 21, also beat the previous European aggregate record of eighteen.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, their scoring fortune ended in the next round, where they lost to Swedish side Atvidaberg on away goals, 1-1.

31 January 2011 - All Those Pounds Brought A Lot Of Pressure

On 31 January 2011, the last day of the British transfer window saw a flurry of activity that resulted in two records being broken for the sales of strikers Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll.

The transfer domino was started by Chelsea, who bought Spanish striker Fernando Torres (center) from Liverpool. Torres, who joined Liverpool in 2007, had scored 65 goals in 102 league appearances for the Merseysiders. His performance drew the attention of defending league champions Chelsea, who made a bid of £35M which Liverpool rejected, even though Torres had submitted a transfer request. But faced with an impending release clause due to be triggered in the summer, they eventually accepted Chelsea's second bid, reported to be approximately £40M--a record amount paid by a British club.

In order to fill the void left by the departure of Torres, Liverpool acted quickly to sign strikers Andy Carroll (right) from Newcastle for £35M and Luis Suárez (left) from Ajax for £22.7M, to reach a grand total of £94.7 spent on the three players. Carroll's fee was the highest ever paid for a British player.

But although Torres and Carroll set the records, Suárez turned out to be the best purchase of the trio, going on to star for Liverpool while the other two struggled at their clubs.

16 January 2002 - Zola's Magical Mystery Goal

On 16 January 2002, Gianfranco Zola scored a remarkable back-heeled goal as Chelsea rolled over Norwich City in the FA Cup, 4-0.

The Third Round match was a replay, with the two sides having drawn 0-0 at Norwich's Carrow Road ground 11 days earlier. Back at Stamford Bridge, the hosts wasted little time, taking the lead in the 11th minute with a header from Mario Stanić. Norwich tried to rally with a strong push around both sides of halftime, but Chelsea weathered the challenge, then extended their lead with a goal from Frank Lampard (56').

Zola's moment of brilliance arrived in the 63rd minute, as he met a corner from teammate Graeme Le Saux. As the ball dropped outside the near post, the 35-year old striker met it in midair with his right foot and back-heeled it behind his body. It skimmed just inside the post past the outstretched arms of Norwich keeper Rob Green. Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri later described the goal as "fantasy" and "magic," while referring to Zola as a "wizard." Zola himself said "Don't ask me how I did it, because I don't know."

Chelsea proceeded to win the match 4-0 with the last goal coming from Mikael Forssell (89') and eventually reached the FA Cup Final where they lost to Arsenal.

7 January 1991 - The Entrance of Eden

On 7 January 1991, Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard was born in La Louvière, Belgium. 

The son of two footballing parents, Hazard joined Lille in 2005 as a 14-year old youth player, then signed a professional contract with them in 2007. He made his first appearance for the first team that November in a friendly.

An attacking midfielder/winger, he secured a spot in the senior team for the 2008-09 season and became the youngest goalscorer in club history when he netted the equalizer in Lille's 3-2 league win over Auxerre on 20 September. He went on to contribute six goals and three assists in 35 appearances that season, a performance that won him the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award. He won the award for a second time after the 2009-10 season with 10 goals and nine assists in 52 appearances.

Hazard continued to improve in 2010-11, scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists as Lille won their first league title in over 50 years. And they won it comfortably, eight points clear of second-place finishers Marseille. It was part of a double, as Lille also won the Coupe de France that year. For his role, Hazard was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and was included in the league's Team of the Year. He repeated as Player of the Year in 2012.

In 2012, he moved to Chelsea for a transfer fee of £32 million. There, he continued his impressive run of form, culminating in the 2014-15 season where he scored 19 goals across all competitions and led the club to the league title. He accumulated several individual accolades, including Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year.

Aftter a slump in 2015-16, he is back on form as Chelsea currently top the table.

5 January 1963 - The FA Cup Gets Put On Ice

On 5 January 1963, the longest round in FA Cup history kicked off, as severe winter weather forced postponements that stretched out into the middle of March.

Britain's coldest winter since 1740 delivered a combination of snow and ice, sending the country into what commentators called "the Big Freeze." Consequently, all of the FA Cup matches scheduled for that Saturday were postponed except for three--two in the North West (Sunderland's 1-4 win at Preston North End and Tranmere Rovers' 2-2 draw with Chelsea) and one in the South West (West Brom's 1-5 win at Plymouth).

Some matches were played a few days later while others suffered repeated postponements. Birmingham City's contest against Bury included a replay, one match that had to be abandoned, and a total of 14 postponements before Bury claimed a 2-0 victory on 7 March. In all, there were 261 postponements over the course of three weeks.

The round finally ended on 11 March when Middlesbrough beat Blackburn in a replay.

24 November 2008 - An Exercise In Delaying The Inevitable

On 24 November 2008, Arsenal made Cesc Fabregas their captain, replacing defender William Gallas.

Gallas, a center back who joined the Gunners from Chelsea in September 2006, had held the captaincy for just over a year, but it was a year shadowed by controversy. In particular, he drew fierce criticism from supporters and commentators alike for losing his composure in a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City in February 2008--the same match in which teammate Eduardo suffered a broken leg.

The situation grew dimmer for the French international in the 2008-09 season as, fourteen games into the season, Arsenal had lost three of their last four to drop into 5th place. After the third loss, a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City, manager Arsène Wenger announced that the 21-year old Fabregas would permanently replace Gallas.

The switch sparked rumors that Wenger had given the armband to Fabregas in attempt to keep him out of the clutches of Barcelona, who were engaged in a highly public pursuit of the Spanish international midfielder (who began his career in the Barça youth academy). Whatever the reason, it yielded immediate results as Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-2 in Fabregas' first match as captain.

Injuries limited Fabregas' time on the pitch, however, and Arsenal limped to a fourth-place finish in 2009 and a third-place finish in 2010. In the summer of 2011, Fabregas finally made the switch to his Barcelona for a transfer fee of £29 million plus incentives.

15 November 1913 - Chelsea Gets Some International Flavor

On 15 November 1913, Denmark's Nils Middelboe became the first non-British player to make an appearance for Chelsea.

It wasn't the first "first" for Middelboe, who scored Denmark's first-ever goal in the opening match of the 1908 Summer Olympics. He helped Denmark to the silver medal that year, then again in 1912. By the latter, he had become the captain of the national team.

In 1913, he moved to Chelsea from Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, where he had spent the previous ten years. Reportedly, he originally intended to sign with Newcastle, but switched to Chelsea at the last minute. Upon arriving at Stamford Bridge, he received the captain's armband and led the team to a 2-1 victory over Derby County in his first match.

While at Chelsea, he maintained his amateur status, keeping another job at a London bank. In order to accommodate his other career, Chelsea did not require him to travel for away matches.

Middelboe remained with Chelsea for ten years (but only five seasons, thanks to the suspension of league play for World War I) and made a total of 46 appearances in all competitions. Afterward, he played for a couple of amateur sides, then became a director of Clapham Orient in 1929. In 1936, he returned to Denmark as coach of Kjøbenhavns Boldklub.

13 September 2006 - A Big Bid For A Bit Of Best

On 13 September 2006, a shirt worn by George Best in a record-breaking performance sold at auction for £24,000.

The shirt in question was the one worn by Best for Manchester United in a Fifth Round FA Cup match against Northampton Town on 7 February 1970. United won 2-8 with Best providing six of the goals, a record haul for the competition at the time. In 1996, a participant in a newspaper competition won the shirt as a prize, then held on to it for 10 years before putting it up for auction at Christie's, where it was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000. Several bidders attempted to claim it and it eventually went to an anonymous buyer.

The auction included other football memorabilia, including the Fulham shirt worn by Bobby Moore in his last English league match (£3,600) and the 1970 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Chelsea captain Ron Harris (£13,200). The day's biggest disappointment was the shirt worn by Brazilian midfielder Rivelino in the 1970 World Cup. Although Christie's expected the shirt to go for somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it failed to find a buyer.

27 August 1977 - Deco Is Delivered

On 27 August 1977, Anderson Luís de Souza, better known as Deco, was born in São Bernando do Campo, Brazil. A star for Porto, Barcelona, Chelsea, and the Portuguese national team, the midfielder was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 2003-04 season. 

He started his professional career in 1996 with Brazilian club Corinthians, but did not stay long, moving to Portugal in 1997. He signed with Benfica, but went out on loan immediately to Alverca (1997-98) and Salgueiros (1998-99) before finally settling with Porto in 1999. He stayed there for five a half seasons, winning three league titles (1999, 2003, 2004), three Portuguese Cups (2000, 2001, 2003), the 2003 UEFA Cup, and the 2004 Champions League. 

His time in Portugal led him to become a citizen and play for the Portuguese national team after he was not selected for Brazil. He went on to make 75 appearances for Portugal between 2003 and 2010. 

When Porto manager José Mourinho left for Chelsea in 2004, Deco was rumored to follow him, but instead signed a four-year deal with Barcelona. There, he continued his winning ways, adding two La Liga titles (2005, 2006) and another Champions League trophy to his silverware collection. 

In 2008, he finally moved to Chelsea to play for new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. Although the club was successful, winning two FA Cups (2009, 2010) and the Premier League (2010), Deco was unsettled and unhappy in London. In 2010, he moved back to Brazil to play for Fluminense where he remained until his retirement in 2013. 

27 July 2007 - Clearly, I Am In The Wrong Business

On 27 July 2007, Chelsea captain John Terry became the highest-paid player in Premier League history. For a while, anyway.

The Blues had just completed a three-year run in which they won the league twice (2005, 2006), then finished as runners-up to Manchester United (2007). They also won the FA Cup and the League Cup in 2007. Terry, who was also the England captain at the time, had two years remaining on his existing contract that paid him a reported £67,000 per week, well behind teammates Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko, who were both earning close to £120,000.

Terry's contract negotiations dragged out over a couple of months, but the defender maintained throughout that he had no intention of leaving the club. In July, Chelsea rewarded his loyalty with a new five-year deal that paid him close to £135,000 per week to surpass the record previously held by Ballack and Shevchenko. But Terry's status as the league's best-paid player did not last long. In August 2008, Chelsea signed midfielder Frank Lampard to a new deal worth £140,000 per week (which triggered an increase in Terry's pay to the same level). 


Currently, Wayne Rooney is the Premier League's highest player with a deal worth a reported £260,000 per week.

19 April 1957 - Chelsea Hits New Heights

On 19 April 1957, Chelsea set an English record by becoming the first team to travel by plane for a domestic away match.

The decision was one of necessity, not extravagance. The Blues played that day against Newcastle, whose St. James Park is just over 280 miles away from Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won that match, then needed to return home to host Everton the very next day.

While Chelsea would ordinarily return by bus, the club decided that time was more important than money and chartered a flight back to London. The plan worked, as they defeated Everton 5-1.

14 March 1979 - Introducing The Incredible Sulk

On 14 March 1979, striker Nicolas Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, France. He went on to become the world's most expensive footballer, raising almost £85M in transfer fees over the course of his career.

That career started with Paris Saint-Germain in 1996, but he made only 12 appearances for them before moving to Arsenal for a fee of £500,000 in 1997. In London, he was part of the Double-winning side of 1997-98, then contributed 18 goals in the 1998-99 season and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. But he grew discontent with his role and his salary, earning the nickname "Le Sulk," and moved to Real Madrid that summer for £22.3M.

Additional moves followed in short order, with Anelka rarely staying long in one place. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000, he returned to PSG later that year (transfer fee: £20M), then spent time with Manchester City (£12M), Fenerbahçe (£7M), Bolton (£8M), and Chelsea (£15M). His transfer fees to that point totaled £84.8M, which was a record until Cristiano Ronaldo's £80M move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 put his total over £92M.

Anelka won another Premier League title with Chelsea, along with two more FA Cups. He also won the league's Golden Boot after scoring 19 league goals for them in the 2008-09 season. But he fell out of favor in the ensuing seasons and moved to Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer in January 2012. He then spent time with Juventus and West Brom before joining Mumbai City, his current club, in 2014.

10 March 1905 - Turns Out, They've Got Quite A Bit Of History

On 10 March 1905, Chelsea FC were founded at the Rising Sun pub in Fulham. They've since become one of England's most successful clubs.

The club's story starts with Gus Mears. In 1904, he purchased the Stamford Bridge ground in Fulham which was, to that point, the home of the London Athletics Club. Mears planned to redevelop the ground into a state-of-the art football facility, with the intent of hosting the area's existing local team, Fulham FC. But Fulham were not interested, so Mears decided to start his own club instead. Meeting at the pub across from the grounds entrance, he chose the name Chelsea after the neighboring borough.

The new club joined the Football League's Second Division that first year, then went on to win their first promotion two years later. They took their first major honor in 1955, winning the league. They added several other trophies through the latter part of the 20th century, including three FA Cups (1970, 1997, 2000), two League Cups (1965, 1998) and two Cup Winners' Cups (1971, 1998).

But their most successful period to date started with 2003-04 season after their acquisition by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Since then, they have finished as league champions four times (2005, 2006, 2010, 2015). They've also won four more FA Cups (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), three more League Cups (2005, 2007, 2015), and won the Champions League (2012).