Top 10 Chelsea Women players of the Emma Hayes era

1. Ji So-Yun

When South Korean international Ji So-Yun departed the club this past summer, it felt like Chelsa Women was losing a piece of its heart. The midfielder began it all. When Ji signed for the Blues in January of 2014 from INAC Kobe Leonessa, Chelsea Women had finished seventh in the Women’s Super League. For Hayes to be able to sign one of the world’s best players in the middle of the pitch at that moment set a domino effect in motion.

She was the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year nominee in 2010, and for her to commit to a club that was still trying to find its footing was a massive deal. Ji made the game look easy, and in nine years in blue, the South Korean left a six-time WSL champion, four-time FA Cup winner, and a two-time League Cup victor.

During her eight seasons in London, Ji was not only a world-class player that is celebrated for her goals in the clutch but an individual that brought joy off the pitch. She was a part of all 11 of the Blues’ trophies so far in the WSL era, featuring 209 times in blue, netting 68 goals in all competitions.

Whether it was her final goal in a Chelsea shirt against Arsenal or her back-to-back goals against Manchester City during the 2018/19 campaign to snatch a point away from the home side, Ji may have not been known for her goals, but she delivered without question when it mattered. Hayes’ 2021/22 squad would not be in the position it is in during the second half of the season without what Ji was able to do during her eight seasons.

Her presence and success with the team set the standard for CFC going forward as the club attempted to discover European progress with the South Korean wizard in the middle of the park. Sophie Ingle, Erin Cuthbert, and a few others including Jelena Cankovic have kept the midfield running for the Blues, but there is no replacement for Ji.

Many said that Japanese top-flight to the WSL was too large of a jump for Ji, but she quickly squashed that acquisition. She is a player that often flies under the radar when speaking about CFC due to the number of quality players that have come through the club over the last 10 years, but when talking about Chelsea Women, and WSL legends, Ji has to be one of the first names in the conversation.

The emotion when she decided to depart the club tells the entire story. Ji is a player that transcends generations. The South Korean was truly a one-of-a-kind player that lifted a football club to new heights it could have only dreamed of at the time.