Top players who have failed at Chelsea but excelled at international level, former Arsenal star included…
Chelsea have a history of buying overpriced players who consequently aren’t up to the required standard. What is a mystery however, is how so many of these players can perform so superbly for their international sides, despite flopping spectacularly with the London club.
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Here are 10 players who have flopped at Chelsea but stood out for their international sides:
10) Mikael Forssell – Finland
Finland have never made the headlines in international football, but Mikael Forssell certainly made headlines in Finland.
With 29 goals in 86 appearances, the former Blues star has a fantastic record considering the minnows he played for.
He spent a ridiculous seven years at Chelsea, despite being sent out on loan on five separate occasions. He made just 33 appearances during those seven years, and scored five goals for the club.
9) Yossi Benayoun – Israel
At 30-years-old, Benayoun was an unusual signing for Chelsea. He had a world class competition to contend with, and never really made much of an impact at the club during his three years there.
He was a vital part of the Israel set-up for years however, and with 24 goals from 96 appearances, the midfielder has been a major contributor to his countries success.
8) Yuri Zhirkov – Russia
His fantastic performances for Russia earned him a place on the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2008, as well as an £18m move to Chelsea.
He spent two fairly unsuccessful years at the club before being sent back to Russia.
7) Maniche – Portugal
Making just eight appearances for Chelsea on his loan spell with the club, the Portuguese star was fairly anonymous during his time at the club.
He was a vital part of the Portugal set up for years however, putting in a number of quality performances during the Euros in 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
6) Mark Schwarzer – Australia
You have to imagine that Schwarzer knew full well what he was signing up for when he joined Chelsea, with the former Fulham man sitting behind two of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers in Petr Cech and Thiabaut Courtois.
He was no more than a bit part player at Stamford Bridge, making just a handful of appearances for the club. This is in stark contrast to his two decades between the sticks with Australia.
5) Adrian Mutu – Romania
Romania don’t exactly have a rich history of producing world-class talent, but Mutu definitely had the potential to be just that. He has been the country’s best player in recent history, and holds the joint record for most goals with Gheorge Hagi.
After making a £16m move to Chelsea he made a few poor choices however, and after failing a drugs test for cocaine he was released by the club after just over a year.
4) Andriy Shevchenko – Ukraine
One of football’s great mysteries, how a player with the undeniable quality of Shevchenko could be such a catastrophic failure at Chelsea.
With 48 goals for his country, he has been instrumental in any and all success that Ukraine have had in recent years.
Making nearly half a century of appearances for Chelsea however, he registered just nine goals for the club and was quickly offloaded to his native Ukraine.
3) Brian Laudrup – Denmark
Influential for Denmark during the 90’s, Laudrup holds the record of winning the Danish Player of the Year award four times.
He got off to a terrible start at Chelsea however, and was on bad terms with the Chelsea board before he even kicked a ball. After signing his contract he found out a number of things about the way he club was run which left him regretting his decision, and attempted to get out of his contract. He was threatened with legal action and ended up staying.
He made just 11 appearances for Chelsea before being shipped out halfway through the season.
2) Samuel Eto’o – Cameroon
In the defence, Eto’o was already 32-years-old when he arrived at Chelsea, with Jose Mourinho famously branding the Cameroonian too old.
He was a bit part player for the blues, and spent just a season at Stamford Bridge before being released.
The four-time African Player of the Year has enjoyed a fantastic international career though, going down as the country’s top scorer with 56 goals in 117 games.
1) Fernando Torres – Spain
Torres’ £50m transfer to Chelsea is one of the most famous in history. Not only because it was at the time a record breaking fee, but also due to the spectacular failure of the Spaniard during his time at Stamford Bridge.
At Liverpool the striker was scoring more than a goal every other game, but following his move to Chelsea he began an unbelievable downward spiral which saw the goals all but dry up.
The Spaniard has enjoyed fantastic success on the international stage however, not only netting 38 goals in 110 appearances, but also boasting a number of trophies including two European Championships and a World Cup.