Chelsea FC’s 50 Greatest Players Of All-Time
15. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: 2000-04
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink joined the Blues in the summer of 2000 for a mega £15 million fee. He had forged a reputation as a prolific striker after 34 league goals in 69 appearances for Leeds United were followed by 24 in 34 for Atletico Madrid. Hasselbaink had returned to English shores after just one season away.
To say that he didn’t justify his transfer fee would be an injustice. The Dutchman hit the back of the net 88 times for Chelsea in 177 competitive games. With a Stamford Bridge career that only spanned four seasons, Hasselbaink featured over 40 times in each campaign as he lead the Blues front line time and again.
The striker brought passion and fire to each one of his displays, using his strength in combination with his undisputed skill to help Chelsea to victory. The greatest travesty of his career is that he never won a trophy with the Blues; his four years coincided with a barren period in Chelsea’s history. He can, though, take credit for being a part of that 2002/03 squad that finished fourth in the Premier League, convincing Roman Abramovich to buy the club.
However, that doesn’t matter to those who saw him play for they know that he is definitely one of Chelsea’s finest.
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