Recently, Chelsea confirmed that new summer signing N’Golo Kante will wear the number seven shirt at Chelsea.
The Frenchman, who joined from Premier League champions Leicester City for a fee of around £30million, will follow in the footsteps of many players who have worn the number seven at Stamford Bridge.
Last season, Kante was one of the best players in a remarkable season for Leicester City following his move from French side Caen. Winning the Premier League in his first season in English football, Kante was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2015/16 season, and gained many plaudits for his performances across a historic season for the Foxes.
The French international became Antonio Conte’s second signing as Chelsea manager after Michy Batshuayi joined the club from Marseille earlier this summer. As Kante has taken the number seven shirt, we take a look at the last five players to have worn that number and see how they managed at Stamford Bridge.
Winston Bogarde
Dutch defender Winston Bogarde joined the club in 2000, joining from Spanish side Barcelona.
Although Bogarde spent four years at Stamford Bridge, he only made a total of nine league appearances for the club.
Unwanted by the club, Bogarde was demoted to the reserves and youth sides but refused to leave the club due to the reported £40,000 a week he was receiving. Bogarde eventually left in 2004, following the expiration of his contract.
He retired in 2005, after failing to find another club after leaving Chelsea.
Adrian Mutu
Romanian striker Adrian Mutu took the number seven shirt, following his £15.8 million move from Italian side Parma.
Mutu’s Chelsea career started off brightly, scoring four goals in three games. But his Chelsea career will be remembered for different reasons entirely. In September 2004, Mutu failed a drugs test for cocaine and was released by the club at the end of October 2004.
After leaving Chelsea, Mutu went on to play for a number of clubs, including Juventus and Fiorentina.
Maniche
In January 2006, Portuguese midfielder Maniche joined Chelsea on loan from Russian side Dynamo Moscow and was given the number seven shirt.
During his loan spell at Stamford Bridge, Maniche made a total of eight league appearances, as well as three in the League Cup. Although the club had the option to purchase the Portuguese international on a permanent basis, they did not do so, and he returned to his parent club at the end of the 2005/06 season.
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2006, for a then-record fee of £30.8million. He was given the number seven, a number he had become synonymous with at former side AC Milan.
With the hefty transfer fee looming over his shoulders, Shevchenko never found his feet at Stamford Bridge and was unable to recapture the form that made him one of Europe’s deadliest marksmen whilst at AC Milan.
During his time at Chelsea, the striker made 48 league appearances, scoring nine goals.
Shevchenko left the club in 2009, returning to former side Dynamo Kyiv. Recently, he was announced as the new manager of the Ukrainian national side.
Ramires
In August 2010, Chelsea signed Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Portuguese side Benfica.
During his time at Chelsea, Ramires was a fan favourite and won the Goal of the Season award in his first two seasons at the club, for goals against Manchester City and Barcelona respectively. At the club, Ramires won a number of trophies, including the 2011/12 Champions League and the 2014/15 Premier League.
In October 2015, Ramires signed a four-year contract extension. Despite this extension, he left the club in January 2016. The midfielder joined Chinese side Jiangsu Suning for a fee of around £25million.