The centre-back position is one that serves as the backbone of any football team, yet one which does not get the credit that it deserves. The following are arguably the best three Chelsea centre-backs since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
John Terry
Not many will argue against the fact that John Terry was one of the greatest English defenders of the modern generation. JT is truly a Blues legend and spent 19 years on the Blues first-team roster.
Terry helped the Blues to defy the odds to win five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League. At the twilight of his career, Terry joined Aston Villa, where he is now assistant manager to Dean Smith. JT’s influence is such that those reading betting guides on how-to.bet know that although they lie 19th in the Premier League table, Villa still represent good value to avoid relegation this term.
These leadership qualities make Terry a shoo-in for a future Premier League manager, and in the eyes of the vast majority of Chelsea fans, Terry will always be “the captain, the leader and the legend”.
Gary Cahill
Having to succeed John Terry as captain of the Blues was never going to be an easy task, but Cahill did it well. Even though Terry was officially club captain during the 2016/17 season, Cahill was the captain for the majority of the campaign as JT was a bit-part player at that stage of his career. Cahill captained the club to the Premier League during that season and helped them to win the FA Cup the following season.
Cahill arrived at the Blues from Bolton Wanderers in 2012 and he helped the club to win two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one League Cup, one Champions League as well as two Europa League titles. Terry left the Blues last summer and linked up with Crystal Palace after he fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. Some will argue that his departure from the Bridge could have been better.
Ricardo Carvalho
During his heyday, Carvalho was regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. Always reliable on the ball, he helped Chelsea to win three Premier League titles and two FA Cups before leaving the team to join Real Madrid in 2010.
The Portuguese had spells at Monaco and the Chinese Super League before calling time on his career in 2018, and he is now the assistant manager at Marseille.
