Top 10 Midfielders in World Football

10. Michael Essien (Chelsea)

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

On his day, Michael Essien is undoubtedly the best defensive midfielder in the world.
The 28-year-old Ghanaian makes large contributions on the defensive and attacking ends, playing in any position from centre back to central midfielder.
He is also known for having a extremely powerful shot, and scoring a handful of beautiful goals.
Despite a recent drop in form, Essien is still a vital part of Chelsea's squad and one of the world's best midfielders

9. Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan)

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

While he isn't the most appreciated football player in the world, Esteban Cambiasso has proven how valuable he really is with his recent performances.
A defensive midfielder with an eye for goals, he is a very productive distributor of the ball and a great tactical minded player.
Cambiasso is a great defender and is a very talented tackler, and what he lacks for in physicality he makes up for with great positioning and tactical awareness.
He played an important part in Inter's treble winning season, but was left out of Argentina's national squad.

8. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Steven Gerrard is a player who will go down in history as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and while critics say the 30-year-old's career is coming to a close, he keeps proving them wrong with his spectacular performances.
Gerrard mainly plays as an attacking or central midfielder, and is regarded as the most complete midfielder in the modern game.
He does great to assist teammates and score goals, but is also a valuable defensive asset, tracking back and stopping opposition attacks.
The Englishman's never say die attitude and natural leadership make him one of history's greatest players.

7. Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

A deep-lying playmaker, Xabi Alonso is the engine of Real Madrid and just one of Spain's extremely talented midfielders.
A tactical genius, Xabi is arguably the best passer in the entire world, able to play long balls or shorts passes almost inch perfectly.
He doesn't contribute many goals, but is a deadball specialist and a proven striker from distance.
He isn't a flashy player, but his hardworking attitude and vision are what make him so very talented.

6. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

At only 23 years old, Cesc Fabregas has already cemented his place as one of the finest midfielders in world football.
An attacking or central midfielder, the Arsenal skipper is a wonderful playmaker who has been likened to fellow Spaniard Xavi. He is blessed with a unbelievable passing range and great vision and creativity.
He is also a free kick and penalty specialist, something which has helped him emerge as a consistent assister and scorer of goals. Last season he set up and scored 19 goals in 36 matches.

5. Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan)

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Despite a recent drop in form, Wesley Sneijder is still on of the world's most adept attacking midfielders.
Sneijder can pride himself in his exceptional passing abilities and fine playmaking.
He also has exceptional shooting with either foot, and helped Inter claim the treble last season as well as helping the Netherlands to the World Cup final

4. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a flexible player who can play on either wing, but excels most when utilized as a midfielder.
His brilliant passing skills and defensive capabilities have aided both club and country and seen Schweinsteiger emerge as one of the world's top players in just one year.
"Schweini" mainly operates as a defensive midfielder, but can also take up a more advanced position and create opportunities for teammates, while still keeping a strong eye for goal.
At 26, his career has started a little late, but he still has a bright future ahead of him with Bayern Munich and the German national team.

3. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Frank Lampard is a hard working box-to-box midfielder, but what makes him a really special player is his unmatchable work rate.
Already 32, Lampard has been one of Europe's most consistent players for seven years now.
In his last seasons with Chelsea, he scored 27 goals and assisted 20 in 50 matches, operating as a central or attacking midfielder. For any midfielder to do all that is unbelievable.
He is an excellent passer and a deadball specialist, and he has recently returned from injury and been one of Chelsea's only hardworking players despite a recent streak of bad results.

2. Xavi (Barcelona)

David Ramos/Getty Images

Xavi is undoubtedly one of the best central midfielders in modern football and perhaps footballing history.
He is the engine of Barcelona and Spain's teams, able to control the tempo of a game and dictate play with his passing skills.
The 30-year-old is the ultimate playmaker, with brilliant vision and the ability to take freekicks as well. He usually attempts and completes over 100 passes a game, which definetely hands him the title of the world's best passer.
He also has the occasional eye for goals, but really prides himself in setting up his teammates.
Xavi played an important role in Spain's Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 triumphs, and was recognized for his hard work as one of the finalists of the 2010 Fifa Ballon d'Or.

1. Iniesta (Barcelona)

David Ramos/Getty Images

Iniesta is an extremely talented midfielder. He is blessed with wonderful skills and great ball control.
He is a very versatile player, who can play as a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder, a winger, or even a deep-lying midfielder.
Iniesta is an extremely creative player and a wonderful passer of the ball, but he also has an eye for goals and is having the seasons of a lifetime for Barcelona.
He helped lead Spain to glory in the 2010 World Cup, scoring the game winner in the final, and was one of the finalist for the 2010 Fifa Ballon d'Or

10 Biggest Transfers of 2010

David Ramos/Getty Images

It’s almost the end of the year 2010, football-wise we were treated to some of the most thrilling domestic seasons across Europe’s leagues. In England for instance, the race for the Premier League crown wasn’t decided before the last match-day, with Chelsea clinching the title (and domestic double) ahead of rivals Manchester United.












While Chelsea and Manchester United fought it out until the very last day, La Liga behemoths FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both accumulated the biggest points-haul in Primera Division history. But to quote my favorite line from Highlander “there can only be one”, in this case, FC Barcelona.
As a casualty of war, or better yet, Real Madrid’s supremo Florentino Perez’s temper, Manuel Pellegrini received the sack. El Ingeniero was replaced by none other than Jose Mourinho who masterminded Inter Milan’s treble. Usually football fans are treated to one treble within the span of two decades; it’s unheard of to witness back-to-back treble seasons with two different clubs.
Only six sides have ever accomplished the treble and one player was part of two of them, Samuel Eto’o.
In the summer of 2009, the indomitable lion – deemed surplus to requirements by Josep Guardiola – was involved in one of the biggest transfer operations of all-time. In a trade which saw him leave the shores of Catalunya for the Italian peninsula brought the volatile temper of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the city of Barcelona.
Which brings us to the ten biggest transfers of 2010 since the latter has been, once again, involved in a high-profile transfer.

10. Aleksandar Kolarov (22,700,000 Euro) Lazio Rome to Manchester City

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

He hasn’t even played 10 games for his new employer, what else is there to say

9. Javier Mascherano (20,000,000 Euro) Liverpool FC to FC Barcelona

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

After much drama and speculation, El Jefito was finally granted his wish to join the ranks of long-time suitors FC Barcelona. The Argentine captain even accepted a pay-cut in order to leave Liverpool FC, so there goes the greed-theory. But while Mascherano is undoubtedly world-class he hasn’t quite become an automatic starter for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The reason why he spends an awful lot of time on the Barca bench, Sergio Busquets. Even though the much-marginalized son of former Blaugrana goal-keeper Carles Busquets has been subject to (sometimes) unwarranted criticism, he has come to his own in this season with consistent world-class performances.
Because of Busquets imperious form and the inability of Mascherano to enforce himself in the starting eleven he is ranked at no. 9.

8. Mario Balotelli (30,000,000 Euro) Inter Milan to Manchester City

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

His talent is beyond reproach, he is arguably the best striker in his age group (along with AC Milan’s Pato and FC Barcelona’s Bojan) but his temper prevents him from becoming truly exceptional. Balotelli is daring, arrogant and most importantly fearless when it comes to opponents. Still, his unbalanced personality makes it hard for him to work on the weaker aspects of his game, heck it even makes it hard for his own teammates to like him.
The transfer value splashed out for him by Manchester City is by no means a cheap one but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a brighter prospect than him. In hindsight it could be one of the shrewdest investments ever made by Sheik Mansour.

7. Ramires (22,000,000 Euro) S.L. Benfica to Chelsea FC

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

I am beginning to wonder if footballers are this centuries “slaves”. The money isn’t staying in the game, instead it goes to shrewd businessmen who claim ownership over a player. It happened to Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, now the very same people who “represented” the Argentinean pair sold Ramires to Chelsea FC.
Although the Brazilian has racked up some 18-appearances for the Blues he has yet to justify he relatively high price-tag, especially in the light of Roman Abramovitch reluctance to provide sufficient transfer funds. Long forgotten are the days when the Billionaire bought and every player that was shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or (or had one spectacular season).
For now, Ramires is a disappointed but then again there are worse signings on this list than the Brazilian.

6. James Milner (30,000,000 Euro) Aston Villa to Manchester City

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Another of the Citeh-boys (there are a couple of them on this list) was never worth 30,000,000 Euro to begin with. There was no one else in the market for Milner and he is hardly Ballon d’Or material. In a league stacked with exceptional wingers midfielders he hardly stands out.
Comparing Nani to Milner is like comparing a Ferrari to a Daihatsu. Nani is everything James Milner is not, fleet-footed, creative and trickery when he takes on defenders. While the Englishman’s marquee attribute is his pace.
Take Milner and compare him to a midfielder like Rafael Van der Vaart and you’ll see a massive difference in the ability to dictate a play. I just can’t shrug off the feeling that Manchester City have been hustled once again. Joleon Lescott anyone?

5. Yoann Goucuff (22,000,000 Euro) Girondais Bordeaux to Olympique Lyon

Michael Steele/Getty Images

What is wrong with Europe’s top sides? Gourcuff is one of the best midfielders of his generation yet only Lyon made an effort for his signature. Liverpool for instance are a side that could’ve benefited from signing a creative midfielder in the mould of Gourcuff. Manchester United, most definitely. Chelsea, perhaps. The list goes on.
2 goals and 4 assists in 20 appearances doesn’t exactly scream world-beater, but then again Lyon aren’t the domestic juggernaut they used to be. At any rate, Gourcuff remains one the brightest talents in his position

4. Yaya Toure (30,000,000 Euro) FC Barcelona to Manchester City

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Arguably the City-signing everyone expected to have something of an immediate impact. Judging by his physical as well as technical attributes Toure is by design the perfect player for the fast-paced Premier League. Not only is he very combative, he also is quite comfortable with the ball at his feet. Though he spent his formative years all over Europe, his stay in Barcelona made him a more well-rounded player.
Though it took him a little longer than expected, he is beginning to show glimpses of his undoubted quality. Expect Yaya Toure to finish closer to the top once the season ends.

3. Angel Di Maria (25,000,000 Euro, Excluding Add-Ons) S.L. Benfica to Real Madr

Angel Martinez/Getty Images

I’m not a fan of Florentino Perez nor will I ever be. But with the capture of di Maria he addressed one of his fatal errors since regaining control of the white house, the need for wingers. Replacing Arjen Robben, who on his day is absolutely unplayable, is not an easy undertaking. But so far di Maria has done an impeccable job providing width and creative spark down the wings, something Pellegrini’s team lacked in the previous season.

2. David Silva (28,750,000 Euro) Valencia CF to Manchester City

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The player most pundits expected to fail and become yet another Manchester City flop. Silva has steadily become the major outlet for all positive aspects of the Citzens game. It was too easy to dismiss Silva’s chances at success in the physically demanding EPL; he is too short, too lightweight in short: too harmless to impose himself on the English league.
But while the likes of Adam Johnson and James Milner rotate in and out of the starting eleven, the diminutive Spanish playmaker has solidified his spot in Mancini’s side.
It speaks volumes of his determination and drive that he finishes ahead of all other City-signings when (almost) everybody expected him to become a flop.

1. David Villa (40,000,000 Euro) Valencia CF to FC Barcelona

David Ramos/Getty Images

Amidst a global recession and a financial crisis of their own, Barca decided to splash 40,000,000 big ones on the acquisition of David Villa.
El Guaje is not exactly what you would call very marketable, which nowadays is something of a requirement for big-money transfers, hence the rejection from Florentino Perez. But, for better or worse, David Villa unlike other players comes with a guarantee. Villa guarantees goals, en masse.
While he didn’t take that long to adapt to the Blaugrana’s slick passing game, he did need a prolonged time to get comfortable in front of the goal.
But now El Guaje is firing on all cylinders. He and his new strike-partners Pedro and Messi have accumulated in excess of 50-goals already at the halfway-mark. With Villa in the side the Blaugrana have ruthlessly exploited the weaknesses of opposing sides. Among the casualties one-time suitor Real Madrid.
If you believe the press reports, Real Madrid are actively monitoring the transfer-market for a center-forward since Karim Benzema has been an utterly disappointment. It’s quite ironic that Perez opted for the Frenchman when he could’ve bought Villa and now looks to replace the former Lyon youth-product. Well, we all know that Perez isn’t exactly an expert when it comes to transfers, am I right Makelele?

FC Barcelona: Team of the Decade

David Ramos/Getty Images

Despite a shaky start, the first decade of the noughties was a very successful decade for Barcelona. They won four Spanish Leagues, two Champions Leagues and, in 2009, they become the first club in history to win the sextuple.
Many great players wore the blaugrana shirt in the past decade, which made it really difficult to pick the lineup of the decade. As it should be expected, the majority of the players belong to the 2008-09









dream team that won the sextuple.
Without further ado, here's Barcelona's team of the decade (4-3-3 formation):

Goalkeeper: Victor Valdés

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

A no-brainer. Victor Valdés was a key player in every trophy Barcelona won in the past decade. This great goalkeeper is underrated by many, but he's definitely the unsung hero of FC Barcelona, and is one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

Left-Back: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst

Bagu Blanco/Getty Images

The left-back position has always been a weakness in Barcelona, but Gio was clearly the best in the past decade.
He is by no means a brilliant player, but he was always reliable. Besides, he was the only player who participated in all Champions League matches in 2005-06, having played a vital role in Barcelona's conquest of Europe.

Centre-Back: Carles Puyol

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

A Barcelona legend and, after this year's World Cup, a football legend.
The Barcelona captain is a symbol of everything Barcelona stand for as a club. His commitment is an example to every youth player coming through the ranks. He might not be the most skilled defender on the planet, but he makes up for that with his intensity and ruggedness.
Puyol is undoubtedly the heart of Barcelona and he had to be included here

Hint: you can use your arrow keys to navigate through the slideshow

Previous

5 of 13

Next

David Ramos/Getty Images

Despite a shaky start, the first decade of the noughties was a very successful decade for Barcelona. They won four Spanish Leagues, two Champions Leagues and, in 2009, they become the first club in history to win the sextuple.
Many great players wore the blaugrana shirt in the past decade, which made it really difficult to pick the lineup of the decade. As it should be expected, the majority of the players belong to the 2008-09 dream team that won the sextuple.
Without further ado, here's Barcelona's team of the decade (4-3-3 formation):

Goalkeeper: Victor Valdés

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

A no-brainer. Victor Valdés was a key player in every trophy Barcelona won in the past decade. This great goalkeeper is underrated by many, but he's definitely the unsung hero of FC Barcelona, and is one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

Left-Back: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst

Bagu Blanco/Getty Images

The left-back position has always been a weakness in Barcelona, but Gio was clearly the best in the past decade.
He is by no means a brilliant player, but he was always reliable. Besides, he was the only player who participated in all Champions League matches in 2005-06, having played a vital role in Barcelona's conquest of Europe.

Centre-Back: Carles Puyol

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

A Barcelona legend and, after this year's World Cup, a football legend.
The Barcelona captain is a symbol of everything Barcelona stand for as a club. His commitment is an example to every youth player coming through the ranks. He might not be the most skilled defender on the planet, but he makes up for that with his intensity and ruggedness.
Puyol is undoubtedly the heart of Barcelona and he had to be included here.

Centre-Back: Gerard Piqué

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

Another fine La Masia product. Gerard Piqué makes a fantastic duo with Puyol (both in Barcelona and in Spain), and he has everything it takes to become the best centre-back in the world.
In fact, many tap him to be the best defender since Beckenbauer, including the German legend himself. The similarities between the two are apparent. Some of his fans call him "Piquenbauer."
Piqué will certainly be a Barcelona legend and, once Puyol retires, the armband will probably be his.

Right-Back: Daniel Alves

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Arguably the best signing of recent years. Daniel Alves is probably the best fullback in the world right now. He provides defensive safety, he's a formidable attacking threat, and he is dangerous from free-kicks. He basically has the full package.
Signing Alves in the summer of 2008 was a decisive move; Alves played a major role in Barcelona's sextuple-winning 2009 year.

Centre Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

The leader on the pitch. Xavi is the player who makes everything work.
Xavi is a football legend. Many in Spain consider him the best Spanish player ever, since he was the one who finally led their nation to international glory after decades of failure.
Xavi's vision, passing accuracy, and ability to provide passing lines are key to the tiki-taka style, and make him the most important player in both Barcelona and Spain. He's the one making the likes of Messi and David Villa shine so bright.

Centre Midfielder: Andrés Iniesta

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

Xavi's partner in crime. Xavi and Iniesta form the best midfield duo in the world, and their partnership is absolutely decisive for Barcelona and Spain.
However, Iniesta also has some amazing skills of his own. He's also a great passer, he has amazing technique and close control, and he's one of the best dribblers in the game. He's pure class. Besides, even though he doesn't score a lot, he has a tendency to score when it matters the most: The goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the goal against Holland in the World Cup final made him a legend of the game, and will forever define his career.

Attacking Midfielder: Rivaldo

Gary M. Prior/Getty Images

In the beginning of the decade, Rivaldo had to carry Barcelona almost single-handedly. He did so brilliantly and delighted the Camp Nou with several one-man shows. His most famous individual performance was against Valencia in 2000-01; it was the last match of the season and Barcelona needed to beat Valencia to secure a Champions League spot. Rivaldo stepped up and scored an incredible hat trick, with three fabulous goals; his third goal is certainly one of the best goals ever as far as skill and importance are concerned.
He left Barcelona in 2002, but he is still missed by the blaugrana fans.
In the 2002 World Cup, he, along with Ronaldo, led Brazil to the title. Many, including Luis Filipe Scolari, believed that Rivaldo should have been given the best player award (it went to Oliver Kahn).

Left Winger: Ronaldinho

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

After Rivaldo left Barcelona, Ronaldinho was signed and he quickly became the leader of the team. Surrounded with much more talent than his countryman, Ronaldinho managed to lead Barcelona to two incredibly successful seasons.
His performances from 2004 to 2006 were absolutely inspiring. During this time, he was by far the best player in the world.
He lost his magic after 2006, but still Barcelona owe him a great deal.

Right Winger: Lionel Messi

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

A pretty obvious choice. Messi is the most talented player of this generation and, at only 23, he's already considered by many pundits as one of the best players of all time.
He combines otherworldly scoring skills with a fantastic playmaking ability, and he's practically unstoppable.
He has already won every individual and collective trophy in football (except the World Cup), and he's on his way to become one of the best, if not the best, football player of all time.

Centre Forward: Samuel Eto'o

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

An underrated legend, unfortunately. Along with Ronaldinho, Eto'o brought glory back to Camp Nou in the middle of the decade.
In 2009, he was a key player in Guardiola's dream team, scoring 36 goals overall and linking up perfectly with Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry.
In one of the worst deals in Barcelona's history, he was traded with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2009, and Barcelona haven't been the same team ever since. It's safe to assume that every Barcelona fan misses Samuel.
For all he did, Eto'o is a Barcelona legend

The 10 Greatest Chelsea Players of the Abramovich Era

When Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea Football Club in the summer of 2003, he changed the shape of European football. Since that time, Chelsea has emerged as an annual front-runner for English and European glory.
In Chelsea's pursuit of becoming the largest club in the world, Abramovich's billions have bought some of the largest names in the world. Some of those names have gone on to find massive success









  in
West London. Meanwhile, some of the boys growing up not too far from Stamford Bridge have carried Chelsea to the global success Abramovich craves

10. William Gallas

Although the name William Gallas is now a four letter word at Stamford Bridge, he was at the center of Chelsea's defensive revolution. Gallas and Terry created one of the strongest defensive pairings in England and his versatility allowed him to be effectively deployed at left or right back in addition to his favored central role.
In 2006, rumors swirled that Gallas became unsettled after Chelsea's latest contract offer. He requested a transfer but his request was denied because of his importance to Jose Mourinho's plans. Gallas was sent to Arsenal plus £5 million for left back Ashley Cole in August of 2006 against the wishes of Mourinho.

9. Eidur Gudjohnsen

Eidur Gudjohnsen was one of the most versatile attacking options Chelsea had in the early Abramovich years. Originally, Gudjohnsen operated as a second striker but eventually moved into the midfield, playing in attacking, wide, and holding roles under Claudio Ranieri and Mourinho.
Gudjohnsen continued to find his way into Chelsea's starting XI despite Abramovich buying perceived better players in his positions. When Chelsea signed Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko in the summer of 2006, Gudjohnsen finally ran out of room and was sold to Barcelona for €12 million.

8. Ricardo Carvalho

Ricardo Carvalho has had a rather perplexing career at Chelsea. When he arrived from Porto for £19 million alongside Mourinho, he displayed why the club had paid such a high price. He shortly became a mainstay in Mourinho's side, proving to be of similar caliber to John Terry. Carvalho was voted Player of the Year by his teammates in 2008.
An injury-plagued season in 2008-'09 saw Carvalho fall behind Alex in the eyes of managers Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink but with the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti, Carvalho has regained his form and taken his place at the centre of Chelsea's defense

7. Claude Makelele

Claude Makelele was the midfield metronome in Chelsea's midfield during their back-to-back Premier League titles. Makelele was not just the holding midfielder, which the team has now dubbed "The Makelele Position," much of the movement was channeled through Makelele.
Makelele spent five seasons shoring up the midfield with Chelsea, even displacing his heir-apparent, Michael Essien, as a 35 year-old in 2008. In the summer of 2008, Makelele was released by Chelsea and signed for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

6. Michael Essien

Assuming "The Makelele Position," Essien has flourished for Chelsea. Providing all the same bite, Essien offers offensive skills that Makelele did not in his time with Chelsea. Essien was voted by the fans as Chelsea's Player of the Year in 2006-'07.
Essien arrived from Lyon in 2005 for a, then Chelsea record, fee of £24.4 million.

5. Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole arrived in the summer of 2006 from Arsenal with William Gallas heading in the other direction. Cole struggled to settle with Chelsea but in the past season he has established himself as one of the finest left backs in the world. His form was rumored to catch the eye of Barcelona but Chelsea quickly signed Cole to an extension keeping him at the club through 2013.
Cole's defensive prowess and constant overlapping runs have made him an important fixture at Chelsea

4. Petr Cech

Petr Cech arrived from Rennes in the summer of 2004 in a £7 million deal, more than all of Chelsea's previous goalkeepers' transfer fees combined. Cech has kept 92 clean sheets in his 154 appearances and won the Golden Gloves award in the 2004-'05 season.
Cech suffered a depressed cranial fracture in 2006 that kept him out for three months. Since his return, he's suffered from various injuries and has been in rather inconsistent form. On the whole, Cech is still amongst the top 'keepers in the world and his play has been invaluable to Chelsea's success in the past five years

3. Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba has been the definition of mercurial in his time at Chelsea. Arriving from Marseille for £24 million in 2004, Drogba struggled to find his feet. It wasn't until the 2006-'07 season that Drogba established himself as one of the top target men in the world. That season, Drogba was voted African Footballer of the Year and finished runner-up in PFA Player of the Year voting.
In the two seasons since, Drogba has struggled with injuries and suspensions and was yet to regain his '06-'07 form. This season, however, Drogba has rebounded, netting 12 times in 14 appearances in all competitions

2. Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard moved from West Ham to West London in 2001 for £11 million. Since then, Lampard has steadily become arguably the best midfielder in the world. Lampard ranks fifth amongst Chelsea scorers all-time and has been voted Chelsea Player of the Year on three separate occasions.
In the summer of 2008, Lampard signed a contract extension which will see him at Chelsea until 2013. Lampard has said he wants to stay with Chelsea "forever."

1. John Terry

John Terry's rise to prominence coincides with Chelsea's rise to prominence in world football. Terry came through the Chelsea youth ranks and became a regular fixture for the side in 2001 and was named Chelsea's Player of the Year.
Terry captained Chelsea to back to back Premier League championships in 2004/05 when he was voted PFA Player of the Year and in 2005/06 when he was voted Chelsea Player of the Year.