Chelsea Football Club have become one of the most successful English teams in recent history, winning a wide variety of trophies that have helped earn them recognition and new supporters from all around the globe.
Whether you have been a dedicated supporter for years or are just starting to find out more about the team, here is all you need to know about Chelsea FC.
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WHERE DO CHELSEA PLAY?
Chelsea play their home matches at Stamford Bridge, the 11th largest football stadium in England with a capacity of 40,343.
Often referred to as ‘The Bridge’, it has been Chelsea’s home ever since they were founded in 1905, although it has undergone plenty of major changes over the years.
WHEN WERE CHELSEA FOUNDED?
Chelsea were founded when Gus Mears acquired Stamford Bridge athletics stadium with the aim of turning it into a football stadium. After being turned down by Fulham, Mears decided to make his own club to make use of the stadium, and so Chelsea were founded on 10 March 1905.
HOW MANY ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE TITLES HAVE CHELSEA WON?
Chelsea have been one of the most successful teams in the Premier League era, winning five Premier League trophies since its introduction.
They claimed their first in 2004/05, putting an end to 50 years without a league title, and went on to win the following campaign as well. Their last title came in 2016-17, leaving them on their longest stretch without a Premier League title since winning their first 20 years ago.
WHAT ARE CHELSEA’S MAJOR HONOURS AND TROPHIES?
Chelsea’s trophy cabinet is full of a variety of trophies, a large majority of which have come in the modern era.
They have six English league titles to their name, eight FA Cups, five EFL Cups, four Community Sheilds, two Champions Leagues and two Europa Leagues, as well as many others.
WHO IS CHELSEA’S ALL-TIME TOP SCORER?
Rather unbelievably, Chelsea’s all-time top scorer is not a striker, but rather a midfielder with Frank Lampard taking the crown.
Lampard scored an outstanding 211 goals in 648 games for the club between 2001 and his eventual departure in 2014, passing the longstanding record of Bobby Tambling’s 202 just prior to leaving in May 2013.
WHAT IS CHELSEA’S BIGGEST-EVER VICTORY?
Chelsea’s biggest-ever victory came in the second leg of their Cup Winners’ Cup match-up against Jeunesse Hautcharage in September 1971. The club had already beaten them 8-0 in the first leg before smashing them 13-0 in the second, recording not only their biggest-ever victory but also creating a record victory in European competition with a 21-0 aggregate scoreline.
WHO ARE CHELSEA’S BIGGEST RIVALS?
Chelsea have a number of long-standing rivalries with a variety of clubs, many due to their location in London. Their largest rivalries are against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, while they also consider Brentford, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers as rivals.
Liverpool and Leeds United have also developed rivalries with Chelsea throughout their history due to multiple heated clashes, while Manchester United similarly created a rivalry during the Premier League era where they fought head-to-head with Chelsea for several years.
HOW DID CHELSEA BECOME KNOWN AS ‘THE BLUES’?
Throughout their history Chelsea have consistently worn a type of blue on their home kits, but the nickname ‘The Blues’ was only introduced in the 1960’s. Manager Ted Drake, who led the club to their first league championship, changed the identity of the club from wearing ‘Eton Blue’ and being called ‘The Pensioners’ to wearing ‘Royal Blue’, which eventually earned the nickname ‘The Blues’.
WHAT IS THE CHELSEA ACADEMY KNOWN FOR?
Chelsea’s academy is one of the most successful in English football, with all of their development teams winning a vast number of trophies and dominating the academy leagues and competitions.
They have produced a number of phenomenal players throughout history, especially in modern times, from Ray Wilkins, Graeme Le Saux, Terry Venables, Jimmy Greaves, John Terry, Mason Mount and Reece James.
WHO IS CHELSEA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGER?
Legendary Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho is Chelsea’s most successful manager, winning at least three more trophies than any other person at the club.
Mourinho served two spells at Chelsea, winning two Premier League titles in an ultra-successful first stint before returning later in his career to pick up another Premier League title. Overall, Mourinho won eight trophies with Chelsea, all being in domestic competitions.
WHAT IS CHELSEA’S STYLE OF PLAY?
Chelsea have become widely known for sacking and changing their managers on an extremely frequent basis, especially in the Premier League era. That constant change has meant the club has deployed a wide variety of tactics throughout their history, from solid defensive football to high pressing and possession-based football.
WHAT ARE CHELSEA’S MOST FAMOUS RECORDS?
Chelsea’s most famous record came under the guidance of Mourinho in his first season at the club, going on to lift the Premier League trophy with a defensive record that will likely never be beaten.
The club conceded just 15 goals in 38 league matches en route to winning the league title, losing just once all season, and no other club has even got close to this record ever since.
WHO IS CHELSEA’S CURRENT MANAGER?
Chelsea sacked Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the last campaign despite the club surging up the table in the closing stages of the season, instead opting to bring in the largely inexperienced Enzo Maresca.
Maresca led Leicester City to promotion from the EFL Championship in 2023-24 in just his second-ever job as a senior team manager, and Chelsea have put their faith in the Italian to lead them into the new campaign.
CHELSEA CURRENT SQUAD
Here is the Chelsea squad with their respective numbers, organised by position:
Manager: Enzo Maresca (Italy)
Goalkeepers:
1. Robert Sanchez (Spain)
12. Filip Jorgensen (Denmark)
13. Marcus Bettinelli (England)
28. Djordje Petrovic (Serbia)
47. Lucas Bergstrom (Finland)
50. Eddie Beach (Wales)
TBC. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Spain)
Defenders:
2. Axel Disasi (France)
3. Marc Cucurella (Spain)
4. Tosin Adarabioyo (England)
5. Benoit Badiashile (France)
6. Levi Colwill (England)
14. Trevoh Chalobah (England)
21. Ben Chilwell (England)
24. Reece James (England)
27. Malo Gusto (France)
29. Wesley Fofana (France)
34. Josh Acheampong (England)
42. Alfie Gilchrist (England)
Midfielders:
8. Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
16. Lesley Ugochukwu (France)
17. Carney Chukwuemeka (England)
22. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (England)
23. Conor Gallagher (England)
25. Moises Caicedo (Ecuador)
31. Cesare Casadei (Italy)
37. Omari Kellyman (England)
40. Renato Veiga (Portugal)
45. Romeo Lavia (Belgium)
Forwards:
7. Raheem Sterling (England)
10. Mykhailo Mudryk (Ukraine)
11. Noni Madueke (England)
15. Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
18. Christopher Nkunku (France)
19. Armando Broja (Albania)
20. Cole Palmer (England)
32. Tyrique George (England)
36. Deivid Washington (Brazil)
38. Marc Guiu (Spain)
41. Angelo Gabriel (Brazil)
TBC. David Fofana (Ivory Coast)
TBC. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
