Chelsea have a rich history in the Champions League, having reached three finals and winning the competition twice, and for that, they have Roman Abramovich to thank. But if it wasn’t for a crucial victory over Liverpool in 2003, the Russian billionaire might never have gone through with his takeover.
It was the last day of the 2002-03 season where a winner-takes-all clash between Chelsea and Liverpool would decide which of the two clubs would participate in next season’s Champions League. Little did those at Stamford Bridge know that Abramovich was keeping a close eye on the events thousands of miles away in Moscow.
The Blues were a well-established Premier League club at the time, with Italian tactician Claudio Ranieri assembling a squad filled with star names. Except, these stars were in the final years of their career rather than the prime — Marcel Desailly, Emmanuel Petit, Albert Ferrer, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gianfranco Zola were all in their 30s and on the wane.
