Chelsea: Meireles, Cuadrado and Tiago among notable one-season players

7. Raul Meireles, 2011/12: 48 appearances, 6 goals, 6 assists

You’ll have to do quite a bit of digging to find a better coast-to-coast goal than the one Meireles scored against Benfica in the 2012 Champions League quarterfinal. The rather intimidating Portuguese midfielder was a constant presence in Chelsea’s squad that season, helping to drag a generally underwhelming squad to the greatest achievement in the club’s history.

Much like a number of other Chelsea players, Meireles was unable to take part in the final against Bayern Munich, but he played in all but one other match throughout the competition.

He did, however, take the field against Liverpool in the FA Cup final two weeks prior, and ultimately bested his former employers to lift the trophy.

While his statistics aren’t particularly noteworthy, he managed to post a team-high 14 yellow cards without being sent off, proving his value as an enforcer in the Blues’ midfield.

In a campaign that included the mid-season sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, it took some strong characters in the dressing room to still push the team forward. That spirit of grit and determination was rewarded with two of the most storied trophies in football.

Even if his Chelsea career was just one-and-done, you can bet Raul Meireles was one of those crucial characters.