Chelsea Football Club are one of England’s most storied teams. Their history includes golden eras and patches of dominance, though the club have also had their fair share of struggles. In the 1980s especially, Chelsea had a noticeable financial struggle, with their fears never truly alleviating until the 2003 takeover of Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich’s arrival and Chelsea’s turn of fortunes were hardly coincidental. The Russian spent hundreds of millions in investment over the years, turning the Blues into a superpower within English and European football. Since Abramovich’s takeover, Chelsea have won their first Premier League, with several thereafter, as well as their two and so far only Champions League’s.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea have had some players of true quality represent them over the years, but which five players have been the greatest to ever turn out at Stamford Bridge?

Despite only being 22 years old when he moved to Chelsea in 2004, Petr Cech had already garnered five years and over 100 appearances worth of experience. As such, the £7 million signing took little time to settle in, taking over from Carlo Cudicini after he suffered a pre-season injury to become Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Cech would spend 11 years at Stamford Bridge, becoming not only one of Chelsea’s best-ever players but one of the Premier League’s finest-ever shot-stoppers. No keeper has reached 100 clean sheets in the Premier League as quickly as Cech, who also has the most clean sheets in league history.

With the ability of Cech and his teammates came glory. The Czech international was key in winning four Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League across his stint with the Blues. Cech, who earned praise from many players and managers, past and present, was sold to Arsenal in 2015, with Chelsea remarkably making a profit on a player who had served them valiantly for over a decade.

Drogba began his senior career in France and started to be taken notice of globally after signing for Marseille in 2003. In his sole season with the club, Drogba finished as top scorer and helped guide the team to the UEFA Cup final. Such form led Chelsea to come calling and in 2004, Drogba became the most expensive Ivorian of all time when he moved to Stamford Bridge for £24 million.

The striker rose to be one of the continent’s best players at his peak. Drogba was a phenomenal hold-up player, possessed pace and was a lethal finisher while being a capable passer of the ball. Drogba became renowned for his performances in big games while with Chelsea. He won 10 major honors with the club and in the 10 finals he played, scored 10 goals.

Drogba departed Chelsea in 2012 after eight years at Stamford Bridge, moving to the Chinese League. Two years later, the club legend returned for a season, helping the team win the 2014/15 Premier League before departing for a second and final time, his name firmly etched into club folklore.

Making his debut in 1964, Peter Osgood would spend a decade with Chelsea, scoring 150 goals in over 300 games for the club. His caliber and commitment to the club have been immortalized with a statue of Osgood outside of Stamford Bridge.

Osgood famously scored Chelsea’s equalizing goal against Leeds United in the replay of their 1970 FA Cup final, with the Blues winning the game in extra time. Even more impressively, Osgood scored in every single round including and prior to that final, the striker having played an exceptional tournament.

The striker helped Chelsea to a European Cup Winners’ Cup the following season, though much to the horror of Blues fans, he would depart the club in 1974 after arguments with then-manager Dave Sexton. Osgood returned for one season in 1978, though was not the same player he had been. That, however, did nothing to take away from the legacy he had left behind.

One of the best center-back’s of his generation, John Terry made his senior debut for Chelsea in 1998 and spent a staggering 19 years with the club from that point, the only interruption being a brief 2000 loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

Terry broke into the first team after that time away on loan and for over 15 years was undroppable. Known for his leadership and brilliant defensive capabilities, Terry is, at the time of writing, the only player to have played in over 700 games for Chelsea, with no active player being remotely close to such a number. In those games, Terry scored 67 goals, a high number for a player of his position.

The defender won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League with the Blues and only the first of those FA Cups did he win without being captain, a role he assumed in 2003 and maintained until he left the club in 2017, spending just one season with Aston Villa before retiring.

Chelsea’s top scorer of all time, Chelsea’s top assist maker of all time and their third-most capped player in history, Frank Lampard is one of the best midfielders ever seen in the Premier League and simultaneously, the best player to have represented Chelsea Football Club.

After six years with West Ham United, Lampard moved across London to Stamford Bridge in 2001, where he would spend the next 13 years of his career. A box-to-box midfielder, Lampard offered equal levels of quality to his team in attack and defense, matching his ability to get back and win tackles with getting forward and finding the back of the net.

The only midfielder, at the time of writing, to have scored at least 150 Premier League goals, Lampard was quintessential to a Chelsea team that, across his tenure, won multiple Premier Leagues, FA Cups, League Cups and a Champions League and Europa League trophy. Upon his departure from the club in 2014, Lampard had done more than enough to be fondly remembered as a hero among the Chelsea faithful.