It was a day of farewells at Stamford Bridge – yet the most significant was barely mentioned. After nineteen years in which 19 trophies were won and countless joyous memories were created, Chelsea played their final game of the Roman Abramovich era.
The Russian billionaire's purchase of the club in the summer of 2003 altered European football and transformed Chelsea overnight from a cash-strapped Premier League side to one of the most dominant forces in the game. Legends were created; coaches came and went; silverware was lifted at an extraordinary rate.
Abramovich financed it all – and few questions were genuinely asked by Chelsea supporters as to where the money came from. But the moment Russia invaded Ukraine in February, things changed. Abramovich tried to place the club in the hands of its foundation's trustees yet that move failed. The eventual result was that Abramovich decided he had to sell.
