3 Greatest strikers of the Roman Abramovich Era at Chelsea with their goals records
It is frequently hailed as one of the pinnacle moments in football, not only for Chelsea but for the Premier League as a whole, when Roman Abramovich joined Chelsea in 2003.
The decisive goals were scored by Jesper Gronkjaer and Marcel Desailly as the Blues defeated Liverpool 2-1 in a winner-takes-all match to qualify for the Champions League after they had just placed fourth in the Premier League. At the time, Chelsea was in dire straits financially, but soon after Abramovich finished taking over, they transformed into princes and had an immediate impact on the transfer market, bringing a bevy of high-priced newcomers to Stamford Bridge.
Below are some great strikers Chelsea had during the Roman Abramovich Era
1. Didier Drogba : Didier Drogba signed for Chelsea from Marseille in 2004 for a record fee of £24 million. He made 381 appearances for the club, scoring 164 goals and providing 87 assists. Drogba was never a goal machine, as in he only managed to score 20 or more goals for the club in the league during the 2009-10 season. That season, he scored 29 goals in the league and 37 overall while providing 16 assists. What makes Didier Drogba the best striker to play for the club was his knack for performing in the biggest games. He won four Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and one Champions League. Drogba was the ultimate striker, scoring goals from all over the pitch, and perhaps no one will match his brilliance up front for the club.
2. Giroud: Giroud’s persistence must be applauded. Throughout his three-year spell at Chelsea, various managers would relegate the World Cup winner to the bench in favour of their latest shiny attacking toy.
But Giroud could always be counted upon when called into the starting line-up and delivered some iconic moments in Chelsea blue. Who could forget that hat-trick in Seville or the moment of unorthodox genius to beat Southampton in the 2018 FA Cup semi-final?He’ll be remembered as a cult hero at Stamford Bridge, no question.
3. Diego Costa : Diego Costa joined Chelsea in summer 2014 from Atletico Madrid and he spent three seasons at the club.
The Spanish-Brazilian made 120 appearances across three seasons and scored 58 goals as well as getting 20 assists. He was criticised by some fans and media for his acts of ill discipline, but there is no doubting he was a quality player .