Roman Abramovich’s arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2003 brought legions of superstars over the next two decades.
The Blues had won just one top division title and three FA Cup crowns before the Russian oligarch took over, but rapid investment in the squad and personnel dramatically changed Chelsea’s fortunes.
A wave of world-class talent ended up residing in west London and the trophy cabinet filled up with each passing year, propelling the Blues into the same stratosphere as their English and European rivals. However, Chelsea’s rapid rise since the early 2000s has not always translated into individual honours.
The Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best male footballer every year since 1956, has frequently eluded Chelsea’s best and brightest, a matter only exacerbated by the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent time
Here are all the Chelsea players who have won Ballon d’Or during his stay at Stamford Bridge.
The hard truth is that no player has ever won the Ballon d’Or while playing Chelsea. While the club has boasted an array of superstars throughout the year, before and after the turn of the century, no individual has ever won the award during their time at Stamford Bridge.
Three former Chelsea players have won football’s biggest individual award, although they all did so during their time in Italy with AC Milan.
Ruud Gullit claimed the award in 1987 as one of Milan’s Dutch superstars, with the former Chelsea manager not moving to England until 1995. The same year Gullit moved to Chelsea, George Weah lifted himself the Ballon d’Or.
Weah became the first non-European to win the award after the Ballon d’Or was opened to players from around the world in 1995, while he remains the only African to claim the award. His time at Chelsea was short-lived as he joined the Blues on loan from Milan in 2000.
Andriy Shevchenko received the award in 2004, shortly before his disappointing move to the English capital less than two years later. The shooter from Milan and Ukraine won Barcelona the duo Deco – who also played for Chelsea – and Ronaldinho received the award.
There have been several calls for Chelsea players and the Ballon d’Or, with club legend Frank Lampard coming closest to being named the best in the world in 2005. Having enjoyed a sensational year in which Chelsea won a first Premier League title under Jose Mourinho, the english the midfielder had to settle for second place.
Lampard finished ahead of fellow international Steven Gerrard, who came third, but neither could topple insatiable Brazilian trickster Ronaldinho. The Barcelona player was a comfortable winner in the final vote with 77 points more than Lampard.
Jorginho was a surprise top three finisher in the 2021 Ballon d’Or voting. The Italian’s presence on the podium was largely due to the team’s achievements, although the midfielder was impressive in a Champions League triumph with Chelsea and Euro 2020 victory with Italy. He was beaten to the award by Messi, who won his seventh of eight crowns that year.
A Women’s Ballon d’Or – the equivalent of the Ballon d’Or a women’s soccer – Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr has finished in the top three on three separate occasions. Third places in 2021 and 2022 were followed by silver in 2023.
All Chelsea players end up on the Ballon d’Or podium
|
year |
player |
placement |
|---|---|---|
|
2005 |
Frank Lampard |
2nd |
|
2021 |
Jorginho |
3rd |
