With Chelsea having already signed one Brazilian youngster in Nathan, and looking on the verge of signing another in the shape of Kennedy, I take a look at how some other Brazilian’s have fared in their time at Stamford Bridge and whether they were successes or failures.
Ramires – 2010 – present
Arguably the most successful and most loved amongst the Brazilian’s who have played at Stamford Bridge. Having joined the club back in 2010 from Benfica, he’s won every trophy going. When listing the success Ramires has brought to Stamford Bridge, you don’t have to look much further than his goal at the Nou Camp.
The perfectly timed chip over Victor Valdes right on half time which put us back in the driving seat in a Champions League final is arguably one of the greatest Chelsea goals I’ve ever seen. Renowned for his tenacity and work rate, Ramires was used as a bit-part player last season, but is still a fan favourite throughout the Chelsea fan base.
Hit or Miss: Hit
Alex – 2004-2012
The Brazilian centre back signed for Chelsea all the way back in 2004, but due to work permit issues, spent three years in Holland with PSV. Impressing there, Alex returned to Chelsea and was thrust straight into the first team squad. Personally, I loved Alex. Alex was the perfect third choice centre back, filling in without notice when either JT or Ricardo Carvalho were unavailable, and when you add in his free kick ability, he was instantly likeable amongst the fans.
The stand out free kick, for me, has to be the one against Liverpool. The power and swerve he got on the ball to take it past Pepe Reina is still one of my favourite Stamford Bridge goals. I was gutted when he left for PS (thanks again AVB), but we can all understand he wanted to be playing regular football at a high level. Now 33, Alex is still playing at AC Milan.
Hit or Miss: Hit
David Luiz – 2011-2014
It’s hard to forget David Luiz when talking about Chelsea’s Brazilians. Like Ramires, Luiz came in from Portuguese side Benfica and instantly made an impact at Stamford Bridge. In the summer before moving to Chelsea, I’d seen Luiz play in a pre-season tournament whilst on holiday in Portugal. Playing in a central midfield role Luiz was exceptional and in a team that featured Di Maria, Ramires, Coentrao and Cardozo, it was Luiz who was the real driving force going forward. Then we signed him, and I saw him playing centre back and I was less than convinced.
Despite this, at the back, Luiz played a key role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph, especially with captain JT out of the final. I would’ve liked to see more of Luiz in midfield during his time at Chelsea, because even now I think he’s better suited further away from the goal. Much like Alex, Luiz also bought free-kicks with him to Chelsea. Picking up Didier Drogba’s technique, Luiz instantly gave us another goal threat, a goal threat that came back to haunt us in this seasons Champions League round of 16. I still think he was a terrific player, but to get £50million for him was incredible business. Still at PSG now, Luiz was a Brazilian I loved seeing at Stamford Bridge, and probably brought the most Brazilian flair with him out of the lot.
Hit or Miss: Hit
Juliano Belletti – 2007-2010
This list so far has comprised of Brazilian’s who I really loved during their times at Stamford Bridge, and Belletti is no different. When we signed someone who stopped Arsenal winning the Champions League the year before, I knew we were onto a winner. Another player we had who had such strength and power behind him that so many of his strikes from distance found the target at least. In my opinion, wrongly replaced by Jose Bosingwa, Belletti was part of the Chelsea side that reached the Champions League final in Moscow back in 2008.
The only part he played in the final was to come on and score his penalty, but we all know it just wasn’t to be on that night. Similar to Ramires, the right back that seemed to play in every position of the pitch at times will be remembered for his work rate and desire he brought to that Chelsea side. His goal against Tottenham wasn’t half bad either was it?
Hit or Miss: Hit
Lucas Piazon – 2012 – present
I’ve chosen to use Piazon here because I think he’s in a similar position to both Nathan and Kenedy. Coming from the Brazilian leagues, where he shined, Piazon has struggled in England and in subsequent loan moves away. Again, I went to see Piazon play in two youth games when he first joined us, one in the FA Youth Cup against West Ham and another in the same cup against Manchester United in the final. In those two games, Piazon was the stand out player. His trickery and pace had both sets of defenders in circles, he only lacked some strength.
I haven’t seen much of his loan spells to Malaga, Vitesse and most recently, Eintracht Frankfurt, but from what I’ve heard, Piazon has been underwhelming. It’s yet to be seen whether he can show some form in the Premier League, and at only 21 he has plenty of time to develop, but it doesn’t seem like Piazon is cut out to be a Chelsea player. This is worrying, because, like I said above, Piazon was in a similar position to both Nathan and Kenedy when joining the club.
Hit or Miss: Miss
