The best Brazilian players to play for Chelsea

In the football world, Brazil is the nation which is looked at with the most admiration. After all, the country has produced some of the best talents in the world throughout history and they continue to do so. Therefore, it is no surprise that the South American country sees hundreds of its players tear up the European ranks. One club who have certainly benefited from Brazilian players is Chelsea.

As one of the biggest clubs in the world, Chelsea have a pretty incredible Brazilian archive. Brazilian players of the far past and the recent past have been proud to don the Chelsea jersey, becoming fan favourites.

Looking through the history archives, here are the best Brazilian players to play for Chelsea.

* An honourable mention must go to Diego Costa, who would certainly make this list. However, this list consists of Chelsea players who represented Brazil at international level. Instead, Costa represented Spain, despite being born in Brazil.

The best Brazilian players to play for Chelsea

6. Alex

One of the many great players to be signed by Jose Mourinho, Alex made a name for himself when he eventually joined Chelsea (there was a hiccup on the club's behalf of getting him a work permit originally). Alex signed for Chelsea in 2004 but didn't play until 2007. In total, he made 134 appearances and won the Premier League once and the FA Cup twice, including a double in 2010.

5. Oscar

Oscar was signed by Chelsea as a young player, with not many people knowing what he was truly capable of. However, the Brazilian midfielder showed the world exactly what he was capable of when he was given his debut, replacing fellow debutant Eden Hazard. He instantly impressed, making several great touches on his debut.

Oscar represented Chelsea between 2012-2017, making 2013 appearances and winning the Premier League twice, alongside the Europa League.

4. Ramires

Ramires is one of the most underrated Chelsea players of all time. The workhorse midfielder was key to the Chelsea side but did not get the praise his solid performances deserved. As a player who could do it all, Ramires really was here, there and everywhere on the pitch.

He played 251 matches for Chelsea, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League. Eventually, though, he was fizzled out of the team by Jose Mourinho and this, combined with his infrequent positional changes, meant that he couldn't break into the top three. A great player when he was at the height of his form, though.

3. Thiago Silva

You know it's a great list of players when Thiago Silva, one of the best defenders of all time, only just breaks the top three.

Thiago Silva surprised the world at Chelsea, partly because many thought his best days were behind him. In many ways, though, Silva exceeded expectations and spent four years with Chelsea, making 155 appearances and winning the Champions League.

2. Willian

Willian may have went onto play for Arsenal and Fulham in London, but he remains a Chelsea legend. In fact, it was with Chelsea where the Brazilian played his best football.

Providing plenty of Brazilian flair to the wide channels, Willian is the leading Brazilian appearance-maker at Chelsea, playing in 339 matches. He won the Premier League twice, FA Cup once and the Europa League once at Stamford Bridge.

1. David Luiz

David Luiz is one of the best Chelsea defenders of all time. He has played for many clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Arsenal. However, it is with Chelsea where he arguably spent his best days. He actually represented Chelsea on two occasions, firstly between 2011-2014 and secondly between 2016-2019.

In his first stint, Luiz won the Champions League once, Europa League once and the FA Cup once. Then, after his return to Chelsea, Luiz won the Premier League once, FA Cup once and the Europa League once for good measure. He was the definition of a serial winner.