POL’s Greatest Chelsea Player: Qualification round voting part 3 (Essien, Poyet, more!)
The qualification round of voting rolls on as we ask the readers to crown the greatest player in Chelsea history. Today sees the likes of Michael Essien and Gus Poyet do battle.
The Pride Of London is looking to name the greatest player in the history of Chelsea FC, as decided by the readers. This is a bracket-style tournament and today sees the penultimate batch of qualifying matches open for voting.
Make sure you check out the other articles to cast your votes in earlier contests (if you haven’t already).
Qualification 1 and tournament rules
Qualification 2
Today sees some real heavyweights step into the fray. Read the brief previews and scroll to the bottom to cast your votes! Click on the player’s name for full bios; the seedings are shown in parenthesis.
Michael Essien (24) v Terry Venables (41)
Michael Essien came closest to sufficiently filling the gaping hole that Claude Makelele left when he departed. Although the latter part of his Chelsea career was injury-affected, he still has two Premier League titles, one League Cup, four FA Cups and the Champions League to his name.
Terry Venables is perhaps best known for his exploits off the pitch. Nevertheless, he forged a career as one of Chelsea’s finest. Venables made nearly 250 competitive appearances for the Blues, lifting the League Cup in 1965.
Dan Petrescu (25) v Mark Hughes (40)
With over 200 Chelsea appearances under his belt, Dan Petrescu was integral to the teams that enjoyed much success near the turn of the millennium. Alongside a wealth of classy continental talent, he helped Chelsea win the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup. A Super Cup was also added to his cabinet.
Mark Hughes played for the Blues in the same era and was equally as important. The Welshman stepped up to the plate when it matters, a sentiment reflected in his cup record. He scored 13 goals in 27 appearances to contribute to the same three major cup triumphs.
Frank Leboeuf (26) v Charlie Cooke (39)
Frank Leboeuf brought some class to the backline as he was a mainstay of the Chelsea defence throughout his five years with the club. His trophy record reads exactly the same as Dan Petrescu’s, but he was the rock in the centre. Victories at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros were just reward on the international scene.
Charlie Cooke was one of Chelsea’s great players during the 1960s and 70s. His stay was divided into two stints, but he was important to the club in both. Having won the FA Cup in 1970, he returned to Stamford Bridge to help them earn promotion back to the First Division in 1977.
Gus Poyet (27) v Tore Andre Flo (38)
Gus Poyet was another key in figure as Chelsea turned their fortunes around heading into the 21st century. A Uruguayan with plenty of passion, he scored 36 goals in 105 league games from midfield. Poyet helped Chelsea to a FA Cup, a Cup Winners’ Cup and a Super Cup.
Tore Andre Flo appeared in all three of the finals that saw Chelsea win the League Cup, FA Cup and (again) the Cup Winners’ Cup. His £12 million transfer fee upon his departure proved how talented a player he was. A record of 50 Chelsea goals in three and a half seasons is supporting evidence.
Now it’s time to cast your votes! Make sure you subscribe to our mailing list and join us on Twitter and Facebook as well!
Who did you vote for? Let us know in the comments below!