Chelsea’s first starting XI under Roman Abramovich- where are they now?


Chelsea’s first starting XI under Roman Abramovich- where are they now?

Chelsea contested their maiden Premier League match under Roman Abramovich’s management on August 17, 2003. Chelsea fans were about to go on an adventure into the undiscovered, but it would swiftly turn into a journey of a lifetime.

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Abramovich went on a financial frenzy to help Chelsea become championship contenders and deserving of sitting at Europe’s top table. Since Abramovich took over the team, many players and coaches have come and left, but the Blues have won greater championships than any other side during this period, with five Premier League championships, six FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, and two Europa League titles to their name.

On the opening day of the 2003/04 campaign, a blend of old favorites and new arrivals helped Chelsea get off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool, and we’ve listed each of the 11 starters below to keep you up to loop on what they’ve been up to since then.

Chelsea’s first starting XI

Carlo Cudicini

Carlo Cudicini made his first of 26 Premier League outings for Chelsea against Liverpool on the opening day. The Italian got off to a good start, following up where he left off the previous season when he was named ‘ITV Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season’. However, Cudicini had a string of injuries that led to the acquisition of Petr Cech the following summer.

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Cudicini currently works as a loan technical coach at the club, supervising and evaluating the club’s loan network’s progress.

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson joined Chelsea as an 18-year-old from West Ham, becoming the club’s first acquisition of the Abramovich era. Before retiring in 2019, the right-back earned numerous awards during his time with the Blues and currently works as a commentator, including for Soccer Saturday.

That year, he also represented England at the Stamford Bridge Soccer Aid match.

John Terry

John Terry chelsea
John Terry

John Terry departed Chelsea for Aston Villa at the end of the 2016-17 season, having lately won his fifth Premier League championship after a remarkable 19-year career at Stamford Bridge.

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He was unsuccessful to aid Aston Villa’s return to the Premier League as a player, losing in the play-off final to Fulham in 2018, but he rejoined the club later that year as Dean Smith’s assistant manager when the club overcame Derby County.

Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly’s final campaign in a Chelsea shirt was 2003-04, after scoring in the vital final-day victory against Liverpool the previous season.

Desailly, a football veteran, now dedicates his efforts to punditry and charitable activities. He is a laid-back man who tends to spend most of his time on philanthropic and ambassadorial activities and has never been bitten by the coaching bug.

Wayne Bridge

Wayne Bridge, the second promising English full-back to sign for Chelsea that season, came from Southampton, where he had helped them reach the FA Cup final a few months before. Before joining Manchester City, he enjoyed six summers in west London.

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He’s had a diverse post-football experience, marrying Frankie from the Saturdays, starring on I’m a Celebrity a few years ago, and winning a poker tournament most recently.

Juan Sebastian Veron

Juan Veron, an Argentinian maestro who had won major trophies in Italy and England before joining Chelsea from Manchester United, was expected to deliver for the Blues. Veron’s time at the Bridge, however, did not go as planned.

He is now the chairman of Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata, having joined the club as a player in 2013 before moving to the boardroom.

Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard became a legend at Chelsea before leaving in 2014. Lampard became one of the most eloquent analysts on television after retiring in 2017.

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He returned to Stamford Bridge as the main man after a season at Derby County, having been appointed to succeed Maurizio Sarri.  He guided the team to a Champions League berth and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge but was dismissed in January 2021 and superseded by Thomas Tuchel.

Geremi

Geremi was a Champions League victor with Real Madrid who had previously played for Middlesbrough before joining Chelsea that season.

He concluded his journey with AEL in Greece in 2011 and is currently the president of the Cameroonian players’ union, vice-president of FIFPro, and president of the African players’ union.

Jesper Gronkjaer

Jesper Gronkjaer started the new season with an assist in the first game against Liverpool.

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After that, he had brief stints with Birmingham, Atletico Madrid, and Stuttgart before settling down at FC Copenhagen.

Gronkjaer left top-flight football in 2011 but resurfaced five years later to play for FC Grassroots, a Danish seventh-tier team founded in 2015 for former professional players who had stepped away from football.

Damien Duff

Chelsea paid Blackburn Rovers a club-record £17 million to recruit winger Damien Duff, and it was worth the investment as he was a vital figure in the Blues’ back-to-back Premier League triumphs the following season.

Duff was named assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national squad in April 2020, however, he resigned down in January 2021.

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Eidur Gudjohnsen

Eidur Gudjohnsen, Iceland’s most renowned player, was a huge success with the Blues during his six years with the club, earning the nickname “the blond Maradona” from manager Jose Mourinho.

Following a brief time with Molde, he chose to retire after 22 years in football in 2016. Gudjohnsen is presently the Icelandic national team’s assistant manager.