Chelsea F.C., also called the Blues, are one of the most successful football clubs in England. They were founded in 1905 and have played mostly in England’s top Premier League.
The club was first successful in 1955 when it won the League championship for the first time. Two more titles followed in 2005 and 2006. Chelsea won the UEFA Cup winner’s Cup twice and they reached their first final in the Champions League in 2008.
The 70s and 80s were a time of trouble for the club. Many good players were sold, partly because the club needed money to rebuild the Stamford Bridge stadium. During this period hooligans gave the club a bad reputation. The Blues were relegated to the Second Division twice but managed to come back for good in 1989.
It was not until the mid-1990s that Chelsea once again played an important part in English League football. Ruud Gullit, a famous Dutch player, became a manager and brought top class players to London.
In June 2003 Chelsea was sold to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for a record 40 million pounds. It was the biggest amount of money spent on an English football club. Abramovich invested over a hundred million pounds over the past years and hired Portugal’s star coach Jose Mourinho to manage the team. In the years that followed Chelsea was successful at home, winning the Premier League twice and the F.A Cup in 2007. But the Portuguese failed to win the big prize for Abramovich, the Champions League.
Chelsea’s home, Stamford Bridge, lies in the southwest of London. The team has never played anywhere else. At first, the stadium had a capacity of 100,000. It was rebuilt in the 1980s and 1990s and today has seats for 42 000 fans.
Chelsea’ traditional colors are blue and white. At home, they always wear blue shirts and shorts with white socks. The club crest shows a lion holding a staff.
Chelsea holds a number of English and European football records:
- They scored the highest ever a number of points in one season (95).
- They received the fewest goals in one season (15)
- They hold the longest series of unbeaten games at home (86 between 2004 and 2006)
- Chelsea became the first English team to have a starting line up of all-foreign players.
The current star team includes goalkeeper Petr Cech, midfielder Frank Lampard, and striker Didier Drogba. For many football fans, the Blues are currently the team with the best and most highly paid footballers in Europe.
