Before I get down to the business of the day, permit me to wet the ground a little, as we take a walk down memory lane a bit. I bet; you'll find it insightful.
Did you know that; the Football Association Premier League Limited in England was founded on 20th February 1992? Meaning that the popular, highly competitive, and widely streamed football league showdown, is 29 years old only. Yet, it has produced many histories, football stars, and legends.
Just in case you are lost, I'm referring to the English Premier League. The English Premier League as it is commonly known, has its legal name to be the "Football Association Premier League Limited." Did you know that or not? If you did, bravo but if you didn't, I'm happy to bring it to your notice.
Today isn't for the history behind the premier league so, I'll pause there to be continued some other time. Now, let's get down to the actual discussion.
Leggo!
As aforementioned, the English Premier League has seen many great and talented players come and go. Naturally, not all of us today were born when many football clubs were founded in the EPL. Hence, we were inopportune to know and/or watch some players play. Interestingly, this post series will open us to some outstanding players that once made an impact in our favourite football clubs.
Players Behind The Shirt: Chelsea - No.9
The Chelsea Football Club is commonly called by fans as "The Blues" but, before the Blues, it had the name - The Pensioners. Chelsea Football Club is 116+ years old being that, it was founded on the 10th of March 1905. Such a long time ago. Many players must have donned the No.9 shirt which we will find out as we proceed.
No doubt, Chelsea FC is one of the most successful football clubs in the English Premier League. This Roman Abramovich's club has won many trophies over the years, with the most recent being the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The FIFA Club World Cup has been one trophy the club lacked in its storehouse but it's a different story now. Overall, the club has bagged over thirty trophies.
More so, Chelsea FC has recorded more achievements in the last 25 years of the club's existence. During this period, the Blues have won 5 Premier League titles, 7 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Europa League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. Although I'm not the Blues' fan, this is quite impressive and applaudable.
The No.9 shirt is an important one for certain clubs. Meaning, not just any person can take on the number. For Chelsea, the No.9 squad number isn't a very important one compared to some other clubs. Over the years, Chelsea has had a few persons wear this shirt number. While some were successful, some were not. Precisely, only 15 different players have put on the No.9 shirt for the Blues so far. Remember, the English Premier League officially introduced squad numbers in 1993. Hence, we'll be considering from 1993 till date.
Let's get to know some of these players.
Tony Cascarino
Following the introduction of squad numbers in the EPL, the retired and former Ireland International was the first to don the No.9 shirt for Chelsea FC. Tony was born on September 1, 1962, and he played as a centre-forward in the clubs he played for.
He joined the Chelsea side in 1991/1992 (January 1992) football season and he stayed at the club till 1994, when he departed to Olympique Marseille. Before taking on the No.9 number for Chelsea in 1993, he wore other numbers including 14, 12 and 10.
Tony Cascarino isn't much of a Chelsea FC legend, as he made little or no impact during his days. He played only 29 Premier League games for scoring and was able to net only 6 goals. His only major achievement at Chelsea (since 1993) was an English FA Cup runner-up in 1994.
Mark Stein
This was the next man that stepped into the shoe. He joined Chelsea in 1993 but only began wearing the shirt in 1994 and wore till 1995 when he left the club. Unlike Tony Cascarino, the English man did impress the fans and also created a good record for himself. He netted 25 times in 63 appearances for the club. His outstanding EPL record is scoring in seven consecutive games.
Gianluca Vialli
He was an icon at Stamford Bridge in the 1990s because of top performances. He joined the club in 1996 from Juventus and left at the end of 1998/1999 football season. Not only was he a player at Chelsea, he served as a coach as well. In 78 appearances, he scored 40 goals and also won several medals. As a player, he won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. As a manager, he won another FA Cup and a Charity Shield.
Speak of the Blues legends and you'll find Gianluca Vialli. He represented the No.9 outstandingly.
Chris Sutton
His days with the shirt was indeed short as he spent only a season at the club. He joined n Chelsea in 1999 and was sold to Celtic at the end of the season. To think that he scored only one goal as a centre-forward showed how floppy he was. Not a worthy Vialli successor, if you ask me. Nonetheless, Sutton had better times with other clubs. Maybe the bridge wasn't his place.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
This name should ring a bell because Floyd is perhaps the most outstanding player to don the No.9 Chelsea shirt. He joined the club in 2000 and left in 2004. Within four years, he netted 70 Premier League goals in just 136 appearances. In all competitions, he scored 88 goals for the Blues. Now, here's another Chelsea legend.
Mateja Kezman
Here's another player that didn't impress the Blues fans. He joined the squad in 2004 and also left at the end of the 2004/2005 season. Fortunately, he won the Premier League in 2004 with Chelsea but scored only 4 goals.
HernƔn Crespo
Next on the line was the Italian. Though short-lived at Chelsea, he did make a mark at the club scoring 25 goals in 73 appearances. It appeared that fans admired him. Crespo was only available at Stamford Bridge in the 2005/2006 campaign. He won the league title as well.
Khalid Boulahrouz
A center-back wears the shirt; quite unusual. He came into the picture in the 2006/2007 football season. Not much is there to be said about this No.9 shirt wearer as he was a center-back. The only reason he wore the shirt was because it was vacant.
Steve Sidwell
Again, Chelsea had another one-season man (2007/2008). He was far from what a No.9 wearer should be. During his one-year spell, he made 25 appearances only in all competitions but was mostly coming from the bench. Equally, Sidwell played more in the midfield than an actual No.9, who should be a center-forward.
Franco Di Santo (2008/2009 - 2009/2010)
Yet another player who didn't represent what he wore. Many would say he lacked experience because of his age (19 as of then). But whatever the case, he didn't deliver as a center-forward. In all his 16 appearances, he was always a substitute and he scored no goal.
Fernando Torres (2010/2011 - 2014/2015)
Boom! A huge amount of dignity was restored to Chelsea's No.9 shirt when the Spaniard came into the picture. He made outstanding and unforgettable impacts at the club. However, Torres didn't deliver as expected.
Torres is actually one of my favourite players. Well, my liking for him was when he played for Liverpool and not Chelseaš. At Liverpool, he played better than at Chelsea. Although, he got more trophies with the Blues.
It was an exciting 5 years at Stamford Bridge after he left Anfield. He joined Chelsea in 2010 and lasted till 2015. During his stay, he scored only 45 goals in 172 appearances. He helped Chelsea win their first-ever Champions League trophy in 2011/2012. Also, he won the Europa League and FA Cup trophy.
He was the admired flop.
Radamel Falcao (2015/2016)
Nothing much to say, other than the fact that, he flopped big time in his loan deal. Hence, the club had to ship him back to Monaco. He netted only once in the Premier League in 12 appearances.
Ćlvaro Morata (2017/2018)
Yet again, another No.9 wearer who disappointed greatly at Stamford Bridge. Funny thing is, high expectations were placed on him. He scored about five goals only in the one season experiment he had at Chelsea.
Gonzalo HiguaĆn (2018/2019)
The Argentine took the shirt in January 2019 courtesy of his loan from AC Milan. Being advanced in age, worries were that he won't meet up with the heat of the EPL. It turned out true as he scored only 5 times in 18 appearances. Chelsea couldn't retain him so, he returned to Italy.
Tammy Abraham (2019/2020 - 2021/2022)
This Chelsea academy graduate did better than many experienced players that wore the No.9 shirt. He got the chance to perform during the reign of Frank Lampard in 2019. When Thomas Tuchel took over, he found no favour so, he left for Roma in 2021. On the whole, Abraham 30 goals only in 82 appearances.
Romelu Lukaku (2021 - present)
Currently, the baton is in the hands of the Belgian. The Blues had desperately been searching for a No.9 and they finally got their man in Lukaku. He's not at his best but so far, he's scored 10 in 27 appearances.
The "No.9" doesn't seem to a very iconic number in the Blues' squad. Some people have been forced to label it a cursed number. Being that, most of the players who wear the Chelsea No.9 shirt end up flopping. Very few performed up to expectations.