Chelsea’s top Portuguese players (and one manager) of all time
By George Perry
Portugal faces France in the Euro 2016 final. Since no Chelsea players will have a role in the title game, here is a look back at Chelsea’s all-time top players (and one manager) from Portugal.
Only eleven Portuguese players have played for Chelsea in the Premier League era, in addition to one Special One on the touchline. Most of the Portugal internationals to play at Stamford Bridge came by way of FC Porto, with Jose Mourinho having a significant role in their arrival (and, in some cases, their departure).
Given the importance of parking the bus to Mourinho’s success, most of Chelsea’s Portuguese players – and all of the ones to make this list – are defenders. In addition to winning consecutive Premier League titles and other domestic hardware, this group also carried the team to a series of defensive records in Mourinho’s first two years at Chelsea.
As Petr Cech’s last line of defense, the Portuguese-dominated backline set records for clean sheets in a season, fewest goals conceded in a season and longest streak without conceding a goal. The players in this group combined for only 22 goals in their Chelsea tenure, but the record-low 15 they conceded in 2004/05 clinches their place in history.
Player data and statistics from thechels.info.
Next: Jose Bosingwa