5 Super Eagles Players Who Were Chelsea Players Under Roman Abramovich.

Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, hundreds of players have worn the club’s royal blue, but only five of them are Nigerians.

As the Abramovich era comes to an end in his 19th year, here are five Super Eagles players who played for Chelsea during that time.

1. Celestine Babayaro

Celestine Babayaro, an ex-Super Eagles international, joined Chelsea in 1997, long before Abramovich arrived, and was the club’s starting left-back for the majority of his time there.

Babayaro was ultimately a victim of Abramovich’s improved ambitions, as he was deemed surplus to requirements and only played 10 league games in the following season and a half before being sold to Newcastle in January 2005.

Babayaro was a member of Nigeria’s Dream Team, which won the gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, as well as the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea in 1998, and the FA Cup and Community Shields in 2000.

2. John Obi Mikel

John Obi Mikel is by far the most successful Nigerian in Chelsea history, as well as the most expensive, having joined the club for £16 million in 2006, following a lengthy legal dispute involving Manchester United and his former club, Lyn Oslo.

Mikel went on to play for Chelsea for ten and a half seasons, winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and one EFL Cup, Community Shield, Europa League, and Champions League title each.

Mikel made 372 appearances for Chelsea, all during the Abramovich era, and was one of the club’s most successful players in recent memory.

3. Kenneth Omeruo

Chelsea signed Kenneth Omeruo from Standard Liege for an undisclosed fee in January 2012 and immediately loaned the then-18-year-old to Ado Den Haag to finish the season.

That would turn out to be the story of Omeruo’s surprisingly long Chelsea career, as he was loaned out to seven different clubs during his seven-year stay at Chelsea.

The Nigerian center-back never appeared in a single first-team game for the club before being sold to Leganes in 2019.

4. Victor Moses

Victor Moses was the third Nigerian player to sign with Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, and the club’s fourth overall during that period.

Moses joined Chelsea from Wigan in August 2012 for £9.4 million and went on to spend nine years as a Chelsea player despite only playing three seasons for the club.

The Nigerian winger was loaned out to six different clubs, but he still contributed to a Premier League title, two Europa Leagues, and one FA Cup. In blue, he made 128 appearances, scoring 18 goals and assisting 13 times before being permanently sold to Spartak Moscow.

5. Ola Aina

Ola Aina joined Chelsea as an under-11 player in 2012 and progressed through the ranks before being called up to the senior team by Jose Mourinho for the 2015/16 preseason.

He only played six games for Chelsea’s first team before being loaned out to Hull City and Torino, who signed him permanently in 2019.