Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time

Midfielders are positioned between defenders and strikers. Some of them are defensive midfielders whose main task is to protect the defense, some others are attacking midfielders who play more in attacking roles, while central midfielders' role is divided equally between attack and defense.

Who are the All-time Best Chelsea Midfielders? 

In this article, we are going to have a review of the

Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time

. It has to be stated that there is no particular order in this list.

Arjen Robben

One of the footballers in the list of Best

Midfielders of all time is Arjan Robben. He was born in 1984 in Netherland. He started football at an early age. Robben's skill in ball control and his speed made him a valuable player. He signed by regional club FC Groningen. He transferred to PSV and then joined Chelsea. Robben's final appearance for the club came against

in the 2007 FA Cup Final.

Robben only played two seasons however and was sold to

. It’s believed he was sold due to Robben’s constant injuries. Robben retained his key role in the Real Madrid midfield during the 2008–09 season, playing 35 times and scoring 8 goals.

In 2009, Robben moved to

. He finished the 2018–19 season with six goals in 19 appearances. In 201 Bundesliga matches, he scored 99 goals. In July 2019, Robben announced his decision to retire from football. But On 27 June 2020, he announced his return to the game, signing with FC Groningen, the club he started his career with, in an effort to help the team recover from COVID-19 setbacks. He scored his first goal for Groningen in a pre-season friendly against Arminia Bielefeld.

On 13 September 2020, he made his league debut for Groningen against PSV, but he was substituted after only 28 minutes due to injury.

Florent Malouda

The next football player on the list of

All-time Best Midfielders at Chelsea

is Florent Malouda. This French football coach and former professional player was born on 13 June 1980 in Cayenne, French Guiana.Malouda who plays as a left-winger, spent most of his career at Lyon and Chelsea, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with Lyon and the UEFA Champions League in 2012 with Chelsea. 

When during the 2002–03 season, Lyon decided to sign Malouda, his performance was so great that finally earned him a call-up to the France national team.He was very effective in linking up with Lampard and Drogba as Chelsea went on to score 104 goals in the league in 2009-10 and by no doubt, he is one of the Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time. 

Malouda later became a coach at Swiss club FC Zurich, but his contract was canceled in April 2019 after less than 2 months.Malouda's younger brother, Lesly, also played professional football, including for Ligue 2 team Dijon FCO.

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Damien Duff

Damien Anthony Duff, born on 2 March 1979 is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a winger and is a former first-team coach at Celtic. He is another soccer on the list of

All-time Best Chelsea Midfielders

. He started his professional playing with

and in 2003 signed by Chelsea.Duff was a natural left-footer but often played on the right-wing as an inverted winger to accommodate Arjen Robben into the team.

Then he joined Stamford Bridge and after four seasons at Stamford Bridge, he left for Newcastle United and then moved on to Fulham He ended his career with brief spells in the A-League with Melbourne City and the League of Ireland with Shamrock Rovers before retiring in December 2015.

In total, Duff spent three seasons at Chelsea between 2003 to 2006. He appeared in 125 matches in the Blues shirt and scored 19 goals. In the process, Duff won two Premier League titles and the League Cup.

Joe Cole

Joe Cole is the next name in the list of the Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time.Joseph John Cole is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the

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Ligue 1

, and United Soccer League.He was born on 8 November 1981 in Paddington, London, England. He lived there till 6 and then moved to Somers Town. He was adopted by a family and grew up with a brother and a sister.

Cole first started his career with

in 1999, then he moved to Chelsea in 2003. On 17 August, he played his first Premier League game for the club. He scored his first goal on 29 October in the League Cup against Notts County,In January 2007, Cole underwent surgery for a stress fracture on his foot he suffered in late 2006.

He made his return for Chelsea in the first leg of Chelsea's 1–1 draw in the Champions League quarter-final tie against Valencia. Cole did not play for Chelsea in the 2009–10 pre-season due to cruciate ligament damage in his knee, suffered in January 2009. He made a return to the starting line-up in Chelsea's League Cup match against

on 23 September 2009 in which he was also handed the captain's armband. Described as a "clever flick", his goal helped Chelsea win and overtake Manchester United at the top of the league as they were at the end of the season. He came on as a substitute as Chelsea won the 2010 FA Cup Final, his second appearance in an FA Cup Final for Chelsea.

His contract with Chelsea expired on 30 June 2010, making him a free agent. Cole ended his career at Chelsea having won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and a League Cup.

Charlie Cooke

Charlie Cooke who was born in 1942 is a Scottish former footballer.Cooke started his professional career with Aberdeen in 1960 and joined Chelsea in 1966 from Scottish club Dundee. In the early 1970s, Cooke was one of the star players in a flamboyant Chelsea side, alongside Peter Bonetti, Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, and Ian Hutchinson. He played there as a winger. Cooke left Chelsea after 6 years in 1972 and joined Crystal Palace but returned to Chelsea a year later and stayed there till 1978.

He totally played 10 years for left Chelsea, during which, he made 373 appearances and scoring 30 goals.

The other teams Cooke played for include Aberdeen, Dundee, Los Angeles Aztecs, Memphis Rogues, etc.In 1980, he started his work as a manager but his last appearance as a player was in the 1985–86 season for the Dallas Sidekicks.Cooke is regarded as one of the All-time Best Midfielders at Chelsea.

Pat Nevin

The other name in the list of the

Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time

belongs to Pat Nevin.Patrick Kevin Francis Michael Nevin was born in September 1963 in Glasgow, Scotland. Nevin is the cousin of the retired English footballer Terry Butcher. He started his professional career in 1981 with Clyde. He joined Chelsea in 1983 and stayed there for 6 years. He played as a winger. In 1986-87 he became Chelsea player of the year. Nevin was short and small and was nicknamed “Wee Pat” by fans and his teammates for his small stature at five foot six. 

Throughout the years in Chelsea, he made 193 appearances and scored a decent 36 goals in the league. In 1988 he was sold to

. The next clubs for which he played were: Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock, Motherwell.

He also played in the Scotland National team and made his final appearance for Scotland in 1996. After retiring as a player, he became chief executive of Motherwell. Now Nevin lives in Duns, Scottish Borders, a small town in the Scottish Borders with his wife and two children.

N’Golo Kante 

N'Golo Kanté is not only one of the Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time, but he is possibly the best defensive midfielder in the world at the moment.   

Kante was born in March 1991 in Paris, France. He began his career at the age of eight at JS Suresnes. From 2012 till 2016 he played for Boulogne, Caen, and

. After winning the Premier League title at Leicester City, Kante moved to Chelsea in 2016 for £30 million. He signed for Chelsea a five-year contract about it he explained: "I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s a dream come true for me."

Kante plays in a central midfielder position. Up to now he has made 131 appearances and scored 9 goals. 

His honors with Chelsea including:

• Premier League: 2016–17

• FA Cup: 2017-18, runner-up: 2016–17, 2019-20

• UEFA Europa League: 2018-19

• EFL Cup runner- up: 2018-19

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Michael Essien 

The next player in the list of Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time is Michael Essien. His strength and defensive qualities named him as one of the

Greatest Chelsea Midfielders of all time

. 

He was born on 3 December 1982 in Accra, Ghana. He began his professional career with Liberty Professionals in Ghana. In 2000 he joined Bastia and stayed there till 2003. Then he joined

and during 3 years, he made 71 appearances with 7 goals. Essien signed for Chelsea in 2005 for a hefty £24.4 million fee. He helped Chelsea to win multiple titles including the Premier League, FA Cups, one League Cup, UEFA Champions League in 2012. He also won the Chelsea Goal of the Season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons.

Unfortunately, he had severe knee injuries after which he couldn’t be the same as before. Totally, Essen played from 2005 to 2014. He made 256 appearances and scored 25 goals.

Now who do you think will be the next one in the list of Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time?

Terry Venables

Venables is another individual in the list of the Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time. Terence Frederick Venables often referred to as "El Tel", is an English former football player and manager. He was born on 6 January 1943 in Dagenham, Essex, England. When he was 13 his grandparents fostered his love of football.

He played for different clubs including Chelsea,

, and Queens Park Rangers, and also gained two caps for England. Venables left school in 1958 and signed for Chelsea as an apprentice at the age of 15. He spent seven seasons at Chelsea from 1959 to 1966. He made 237 appearances and scored 31 goals. He helped Chelsea through some hard times and was surely one of the

Best Chelsea Midfielders of all time

. 

Venables became the manager of Australia in November 1996. In the 1997 Confederations Cup, he led Australia to the final before defeating from Brazil. Since 2007, he has been linked in the media with many managerial vacancies. In 2012, he was hired by the non-League club Wembley as a technical adviser. 

In 2014, together with his wife, Venables opened a boutique hotel and restaurant in Penàguila, Spain. It was sold in early 2019 when they decided to retire.

Frank Lampard 

Our list ends with the one and only Frank Lampard as Best Chelsea Midfielders ever. The former footballer and the present coach is not only among the

Best ever Chelsea Midfielders

, but he’s also possibly the best ever central midfielder the Premier League has ever had.

Frank Lampard was born on 20 June 1978 and started his football career in 1994 in West ham United- his father's former club. His great performances in West ham led him towards Chelsea and in 2001 by an £11 million contract he had been transferred to Chelsea. Lampard made his debut for Chelsea in a draw game against

on 19 August 2001.

From 2001 until 2014 he had 468 appearances in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League, Community Shield, and scored 211 goals.Lampard is known for his attacking abilities and goal scoring but he could also put in a defensive shift and with these records he becomes the number one in

Best Chelsea Midfielders ever.

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