‘I don’t want to see your face again’ — That moment when Abramovich sent off a Chelsea player
Prior to his visa issues with the UK government, Abramovich was a regular presence in the executive box at Stamford Bridge for home games, and he never sat like a billionaire – he kicked every ball and cheered every goal.
However, Chelsea fans can’t have much to worry about club owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian has invested so much in the club in nearly two decades, but it’s even his passion that has endeared him most to the Chelsea faithful.
The hallmark of Chelsea’s success as a top European club came in 2012 as the Blues won what was then referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ (for Chelsea), the Champions League.
With Champions League football set to continue this week, we throw back to that massive final in Munich, and former Blue David Luiz had revealed just how nervous the Chelsea owner was.
Luiz told the Daily Mail: “Roman Abramovich spoke to me on the day [Eve] of the game and asked, ‘How is your leg?’ I told him, ‘It does not matter, I play with my head and my heart’.
“He said, ‘Go away, I don’t want to see your face, I am so nervous!’ I said to him, ‘Don’t worry, we will win’.”
David Luiz was a favourite at the club before his ill-advised move to Arsenal. However, Blues fans will remember how much he contributed to that game in Munich. Luiz played that game in pains but his heart played through.
The Brazilian had revealed, “I perhaps should not have played, but some special people encouraged me to take that step, to play even though I was not fit.
“They told me not to be scared. There was big pressure after that.
“But it could have gone badly wrong. Imagine if I would been forced off after 10 minutes, or I made a mistake for a goal because I could not run? It was a big, big decision.
“I was the only Brazilian in this game, that meant a lot. I had many things in my head trying to block out the pain — the dream, the love, the adrenalin.
“After the game, with the trophy, no one cared about my leg, not even me. It was only in the middle of the night when the adrenalin wore off that the pain returned.”
Chelsea visit Turin on Wednesday night, and Blues fans and die-hard owner Roman Abramovich will be hoping that the Blues can go all the way yet again. Who ever gets tired of success?