Chelsea is one of the most decorated and unique sides in the Premier League, with songs of their glory and history on the lips of their fans ensuring its position in the top 5 of the Premier League. Victory became a part of their footballing folklore and ruthless in front of their rivals.

Foundation:

Chelsea FC was founded by Henry Augustus Mears, a man passionate about the beautiful game. Mears bought the Stamford Bridge in 1896. Stamford Bridge is located on fulham road and so the first club Mears accosted was Fulham, they couldn’t complete their deal due to an issue over rent. Mears wanted Stamford Bridge to have its own club and accordingly Chelsea Football Club came into existence.

Rags to Riches :

After the foundation of Chelsea FC, the initial years were not so successful just like any newly formed club. Chelsea won their First Division after 50 years from its foundation in 1955. Opening few seasons of Chelsea were mostly shifting between the First division to the second division. The first Cup final that Chelsea reached was The FA Cup right around the time of World War I in 1915 but woefully they lost it at Old Trafford. Chelsea signed players which were famous among the fans. The fame of these players helped in accumulating huge crowds and more supporters, the average attendance of Chelsea was 40,000 which was more than any English side at that time. At the start Chelsea FC was nicknamed as “The Petitioners” but they turned their situation around and become of the richest clubs in England. Despite immense support, they failed to achieve anything for a prolonged time. After winning their first League Title the club gained a tremendous amount of attention and was considered competitive for the League Title. Chelsea won The FA Cup in 1970 and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1971.

Despite all this, it didn’t help them in staying out of trouble in future. Developments were made in the stadium but woefully their ideas were disrupted by an economic crisis, crazy fans, and a hefty amount of debt on their hands. People who used to frame themselves as fans of the club used to invade the pitch and break windows causing deterioration of property to their club. It got to such an extent that Chelsea was banned for away matches in 1977.

Rise after Fall :

The early 80s were not up to the mark and little success for Chelsea. In 1983 Chelsea the newly appointed Chelsea manager made a series of signings which proved vital in shaping the future of Chelsea. The same year Chelsea got promoted to the First division from the Second Division by finishing at the top of the second division. They were not perceived as title contenders and they didn’t win anything for a long time. Things started to shape for Chelsea in 1995 when they recruited Ruud Gullit, the following year he was appointed as the player-manager for Chelsea. Ruud changed the fate of Chelsea by adding some of the world’s best players to his team sheet. Just after this development, Chelsea won the FA Cup in 1997 and The UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1998.  

The New Century for Chelsea FC :

Everyone had high hopes with Chelsea in this new century but things started slow for them. At first, they won the FA Cup in 2000 but did not win anything until 2004 when Jose Mourinho was replaced as the Manager. Under his guidance, Chelsea won two consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006. The team was led by John Terry as the captain, Frank Lampard the scoring maestro, and the highly talented Arjen Robben on the wing. The contribution of Petr Cech is one of the most vital as he conceded only 15 goals in the first season keeping 25 clean sheets. 

Petr is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. In the same year, they were proving to be a promising side until a controversial knock out which includes Didier Drogba being sent off and the referee being biased to Chelsea. 

Jose’s Chelsea proved to be a dominant-side and got recognition as one of the worlds strongest team by the footballing community. Jose left in 2007 and Ancelotti took over Chelsea in 2009. The standing of the club wasn’t the most favourable at the arrival of Ancelotti but with the brilliance of this man, they won the Premier League and Double FA Cup in 2009-10. 

A couple of bad signings proved to be the reason for Ancelotti’s sacking.  André Villas-Boas was appointed as the Manager in 2011 for Chelsea, the team suffered under his supervision and was sacked the same year. 

Roberto Di Matteo a former Chelsea player and an Italian masterclass took over as a caretaker manager. Robert made wonders happen for the club and the fans. In the 2011-12 season, Chelsea was struggling in the Champions League before his arrival. Chelsea marched on towards victory with Robert in both The Champions League and The FA Cup. 

Chelsea faced Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and the atmosphere was electrified all around the world as everyone perceived it to be the chance for Chelsea to have their revenge which they did, thanks to the late penalty missed by Messi.

Meanwhile, Chelsea won The FA Cup in a final with their rivals Liverpool.

Chelsea faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at Allianz Arena which is Bayern’s home ground. Bayern Vs Chelsea was one of the most fierce Champions League final ever, a match with late drama and a penalty shoot-out. Petr Cech outsmarted Bayern’s Ivica and Schweinsteiger making their way to their first-ever Champions League final. In 2003 Chelsea was named as the number one team in the world replacing Barcelona. For me, this was the ultimate revenge for the controversial Champions League match against Barcelona. 

Mourinho was signed again in 2013 but this time it was different, in his first season the team went trophyless but Chelsea was still looking like a dominant side finishing 3rd in the League Table. In the second season, the Portuguese Masterclass led the team to their fourth Premier League title. The following year proved terrible for Mourinho and he was sacked.

After Jose’s departure, several Managers were hired but fail to achieve anything. Antonio Conte was hired in 2016 and the team won the Premier League with Conte. Just like the previous managers after a bad spell, Conte was also sacked. Sarri took over after Conte and won the Europa League. Sarri was not favoured by the fans and after his bad spell, he left for Juventus and Frank Lampard a former Chelsea player and the club’s legend took over. Frank’s judgement was questioned by fans around the world and accordingly he was sacked in 2021.

Tuchel fulfilled his promise and successfully led them to a Champions League title and make a team ‘No one will want to face’. Under him, Chelsea is again on the list of strongest teams of this world.

Lampard built the empire and Tuchel did what he does the best. 

Badge :

Blue being the racing colour of the club president have great importance since the foundation of Chelsea. The blue colour was always added to the Badge and Kits of the club. Chelsea is famously known as “The Blues” by people all around the world.

Chelsea FC has had four different badges which were modified and changed with time and demands from fans. In the start, the first logo consisted of an army veteran (pensioner) from the nearby Royal Hospital. The second Badge was identical to the Badge we get to see now, with a lion in the centre and ” Chelsea Football Club” written below. 

This Chelsea Badge was fan favourite but was replaced in 1986, the initials “CFC” was written in the centre. The third logo was dropped after Roman bought the club and the second logo was again used with minor modifications. The fourth badge is used till date and is loved by fans all around the world.

Stadium :

Chelsea FC is one of the few clubs to have the same stadium since the time the club was established. Gus Mears bought Stamford Bridge with the idea of it as the home of a football club and till this day his dream is alive. Stamford Bridge is one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world of football had undergone a lot of reformations with time. The capacity of Stamford Bridge is 40,834 and the club plans to extend this to 60,000 in the coming years.

Trophy Cabinet Of Chelsea FC:

First Division / Premier League: Winners (6): 1954–55, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17

Second Division:

Winners (2): 1983–84, 1988–89

FA Cup:

Winners: 1969–70, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2017–18

EFL Cup:

Winners: 1964–65, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15

FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield:

Winners: 1955, 2000, 2005, 2009

Full Members’ Cup:

Winners: 1985–86, 1989–90

European competitions

UEFA Champions League:

Winners: 2011–12

UEFA Europa League:

Winners: 2012–13, 2018–19

UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup:

Winners: 1970–71, 1997–98

UEFA Super Cup:

Winners: 1998

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