Chelsea FC’s 50 Greatest Players Of All-Time
9. Dennis Wise: 1990-2001
Coming over to Chelsea as a 24-year-old, Dennis Wise was just about to hit the best stretch of his career. He certainly did go on to spend all of his prime at Stamford Bridge as his stay in West London would last an impressive 11 years.
While the Englishman was often surrounded by international superstars such as Gianfranco Zola, Ruud Gullit and the rest of that star-studded late 1990’s squad, Wise was the glue that held the club together. While Frank Lampard and John Terry are considered stalwarts of the modern Chelsea, Wise was one of the pillars holding the Blues up throughout that decade.
The midfielder turned out a whopping 445 times for the Blues, leaving him in 7th place in the all-time appearance list just behind Petr Cech. Despite standing at only 5ft 6in, Wise’s heart and passion more than compensated for his lack of physical presence.
He won two FA Cups, a League Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup during his tenure, but perhaps his most significant achievement was being handed the captaincy as his Blues career came to a close. While he was lining up alongside some of the most experienced stars from around the world, Wise was the one respected enough to lead the team.
A great servant to Chelsea FC and simply one of the best.
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