1000 games of Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea empire and more to come
By Travis Tyler
Roman Abramovich will have owned Chelsea for 1000 games after Sunday’s match. The greatest owner in world football has more to give yet.
1000 of anything in the game is a massive, nearly unattainable accomplishment. It is a number that has rarely come up for Chelsea. While it might be easier for an owner to reach that number, it is no less significant. Especially when discussing the greatest owner in the game: Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich is approaching his 1000 game as the owner of Chelsea. Poetically, it will be against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur managed by Jose Mourinho. Mourinho was not there at the start of Abramovich’s reign, but he has surely been second only to the man himself in how it has been shaped over the last 999 games. Perhaps even better is Frank Lampard, one of the most important players in that 999, is managing the Blues himself now.
In a way, this season and last were a bit of a gift to himself and Chelsea fans. One of their own had become manager. The academy, which Abramovich had put so much into, had finally yielded several key figures for the squad. And then there was a summer splurge not seen since he first took over with Edouard Mendy, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech joining in the summer among others.
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Abramovich will not be there, unfortunately, but his fingerprints will be. It would be wrong to say Chelsea would not have been anything without Abramovich’s influence, but it would also be wrong to deny just how much he has done for the team. He took a side roughly equivalent to Everton nowadays and turned them into a world juggernaut. That has ebbed and flowed over time, but the Blues still remain one of the world’s biggest and most influential clubs.
It won’t end there. The most recent spending spree is likely only a precursor to Abramovich’s plans. The new stadium project might be on hold, but it is only a matter of time before it is picked back up once again. Meanwhile, on the pitch, Chelsea is taking the slow burner approach to building a lasting legacy in the game once again. It may be impossible to fully shoot up like the Blues did in Abramovich’s first two years of ownership, but the foundation is being laid to recreate that legacy as lasting.
Abramovich is doing all of this despite not really being allowed to watch his team in country. Reports of him growing board with the club over the last few years or becoming less involved have consistently been proven as baseless. Any rumor of a sale has been mostly laughed off because to Abramovich, the club is priceless.
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Abramovich has been the owner for 1000 games spread over 17 years. He easily has 1000 more and another 17 years in him and more. Abramovich is the best owner in the game not just because of the resources he has put into the club, but because of the affection he has done so with. Chelsea isn’t just a business for him. It’s his legacy.