Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time 10 years ago beating Bayern Munich in the final...
Premier League giants Chelsea won their first-ever Champions League title nearly 10 years ago on May 19, 2012, beating Bayern Munich in the final in the penalty shootout.
Club legend Didier Drogba turned hero for the Blues on the big night as he equalised in the 88th minute of the match to keep Chelsea alive in the game. Thomas Muller had earlier handed Bayern the lead in the 83rd minute.
In the extra time, Petr Cech denied Arjen Robben from scoring from the penalty spot thus taking the match to shootout where Chelsea won 4-3.
Let us find out, which players took the field for Chelsea in that historic final and where are they now.
Petr Cech - Goalkeeper
A club legend, Petr Cech joined Chelsea from Rennes in 2004 and spent 11 seasons at the club. In 2015, he left the Blues to join their city rivals Arsenal where he spent four seasons. He retired from professional football in 2019.
After retirement, Cech returned to his former club Chelsea as their technical and performance advisor. In October 2019 the goalkeeper also tried his hands in Ice Hockey as he joined National Ice Hockey League Division 2 side Guildford Phoenix as a goaltender.
Jose Bosingwa - Right-back
Bosingwa played for FC Porto for five seasons after which he joined Chelsea where he spent four years. He won two FA Cups and the Champions League in 2012 with Chelsea. He also won the Champions League with FC Porto, back in 2004.
He last played for Turkish top tier club Trabzonspor in 2016 after which he retired from professional football.
David Luiz - Centre back
The Brazilian defender joined Chelsea in 2011 from Benfica and spent three seasons at the club. In 2014 he moved to PSG and played for two years before returning to the Blues in the summer of 2016. After spending three seasons during his second stint with Chelsea, David Luiz joined Arsenal in 2019. In 2021, he joined Brazilian top division side Flamengo where he is currently playing.
Gary Cahill - Centre back
The English defender joined Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers in 2012 and spent seven seasons at the club. In 2019, he left the club and joined Crystal Palace where he spent two seasons. In 2021, Cahill moved to AFC Bournemouth where he is currently playing.
Ashley Cole - Left-back
After graduating from Arsenal's youth system, Ashley Cole was promoted to their senior side in 1999. He remained at the club till 2006 after which he joined Chelsea where he spent the next eight seasons.
He also played for AS Roma and La Galaxy and in 2019 after spending six months with Derby County, Cole announced his retirement from professional football.
After retirement, Cole worked as an academy coach at Derby County and Chelsea. In July 2021, the former England international was appointed as an assistant coach to Lee Carsley in the England U21 side.
John Obi Mikel - Defensive midfield
The Nigerian midfielder played at Chelsea for 11 seasons joining them in 2006. After leaving the Blues in 2017, he moved to China to join their top-tier club Tianjin TEDA. He later played for Middlesbrough and Stoke City. In July 2021, John Obi Mikel joined Kuwait SC where he is currently playing.
Frank Lampard - Central midfield
The legendary midfielder joined Chelsea in 2001 from West Ham United and stayed at the club for 13 seasons. After leaving the club in the summer of 2014, Lampard signed a two-year contract with MLS side New York City FC. As the football season in the US did not start until January 2015, Lampard joined Manchester City on a short-term deal at the beginning of the 2014/15 season. He retired from football in 2016.
After retirement, Lampard joined Championship side Derby County in 2018 as their head coach. In 2019, he returned to Chelsea as the club's manager. In January 2021, Lampard parted ways with the Blues as Thomas Tuchel replaced him at the helm. In January 2022, he returned to the Premier League as manager of Everton.
Salomon Kalou - Right wing
The former Ivor Coast international joined Chelsea from Feyenoord in 2006 and spent six years at the club. He later played for clubs like Lille, Hertha BSC and Botafogo before retiring from professional football in April 2021.
Juan Mata - Attacking midfield
The Spanish midfielder joined Chelsea in 2011 from Valencia and spent two and a half seasons at the club. He was sold to Manchester United in January 2014 where he is still playing. In July 2021, Mata signed a new one-year contract with the Red Devils.
Ryan Bertrand - Left wing
A Chelsea youth product, Bertrand joined the senior team in 2006 but did not make his debut for the club until 2011. In between, he played for multiple clubs like Bournemouth, Norwich City and Oldham Athletic on loan spells. He left Chelsea in 2015 to join Southampton where he spent the next six seasons of his career. In 2021, he signed for Leicester City on a two-year deal.
Didier Drogba - Forward
Another certified Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba joined the club in 2004 from Marseille and played until 2012. After that, he went to the Chinese Super League played for Shanghai Shenhua before joining Turkish giants Galatasaray. In 2014, Drogba returned to Chelsea and played for one season. He last played for US second division club Phoenix Rising before retiring in 2018.
Fernando Torres - Substitute
The Spanish striker joined Chelsea from Liverpool in January 2011 for £50 million which was a British transfer record at that time. Fernando Torres played at the club till 2015 and in the final year of his contract, he was sent on loan to AC Milan. He later moved to his first club Atletico Madrid where he spent three seasons.
He played in the J-League for Sagan Tosu in the final year of his professional career and retired in 2019. In July 2021, Torres was appointed as the head coach of Atletico Madrid's U19 side.
Florent Malouda - Substitute
The French winger played at Chelsea from 2007 to 2013. He also played in the Indian Super League (ISL) for two seasons (2015, 2016), representing Delhi Dynamos. He last played for Luxembourg-based club FC Differdange 03 which he joined in January 2018. At the end of the season, he retired from professional football.
Malouda had joined FC Zurich in February 2019 as a first-team coach but he was sacked within just two months of joining the club.