Chelsea are one of the top football clubs in the world and attract a huge following. They have been English champions three times, and have won the FA Cup four times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice. Chelsea became only the second team to win back-to-back Premier League titles when they clinched the title in 2006.

Backed by the millions of Roman Abramovich they are able to afford the transfer fees and wages of the world's top players and they have attracted such wonderful goal scorers as Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballach, and Joe Cole.

Frank Lampard was born in Romford, Essex in June 1978. He came from a football orientated family, and his father, Frank senior, played for West Ham for many years.

Frank signed for Chelsea for £11 million in June 2001. He was Claudio Ranieri's first English signing as Chelsea manager. It didn't take him long to make his mark and become a first team regular and he has remained so.

In 2005-6 Frank made a total of 164 consecutive premiership appearances for Chelsea before illness forced him to miss a match. Its a record which does not look like being beaten for a very long time.


His speciality as become appearing from nowhere in the opposition penalty area and scoring quaity, technically superb goals. Take a look at some great ones now.

Didier Drogba was born in March 1978 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He moved from Africa to live in France as a young child and played his early junior football at right-back.  After playing for French side, Marseille for just one year Drogba signed for Chelsea in July 2004, with the English transfer record for a striker being broken.

Drogba signed a three-year contract after Chelsea and Marseille eventually agreed on a £24million fee afterJose Mourinho, who had been after the exciting forward for some time, had had one £18million bid turned down.

He has proved an excellent purchase and with his strength, power and heading ability, is ideally suited to Premiership football. In 2006/07 as he scored 33 goals in over 50 games, winning the Golden Boot award. Here are some of his best goals.

Michael Ballack signed for Chelsea in May 2006 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, whom he had played for since 2002.

Michael was born in the pre-reunification East Germany where he began his career with BSG Motor at the tender age of just seven. He trained with the side and eventually made it into their youth team in October 1983.

He started his professional career at Karl-Marx-Stadt FC, the club changing name to Chemnitz FC after the fall of the Eastern Bloc.
He became an Under 21 international whilst there before moving up the ladder to Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern in 1997.

Aged 22, Michael became a full international and soon made a move to Bayer Leverkusen where he earned himself the nickname the 'Little Kaiser', a flattering comparison to Franz Beckenbauer. He then moved to Beckenbauer's club, Bayern Munich and won his second Bundesliga winners' medal in his first season in Bavaria.

Ballack came into his own under the management of Avram Grant in 2007/08, proving himself a vital member of the Chelsea team. He has scored some great goals. Here's a selection.

Joe Cole was born in November, 1981, and made his name as a youth team player for West Ham. He quickly progressed to the First Team and was transferred to Chelsea for 6.6 million in in 2003 when West Ham were relegated.

He is a supremely talented player who oozes class. He generally operates as an attacking midfielder and he is able to change the course of games with his amazing vision and superb technique.

He often surprises defences with his mazy dribbling and he scores some spectacular goals. Here's just a few of them.

The main facts and figures of the Chelsea premiership record

1992/93 - Inaugural members of the Premier League
1993/94 - Lose FA Cup final
1996/97 - Ruud Gullit appointed player-manger
1996/97 - Win FA Cup
1997/98 - Gianluca Vialli becomes manager
1997/98 - Win League Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup
1999/00 - FA Cup winners
2000/01 - Claudio Ranieri becomes manager
2001/02 - Lose FA Cup final
2003/04 - Chairman Ken Bates sells Chelsea to Roman Abramovich
2000/05 - Jose Mourinho takes over as manager
2004/05 - Chelsea win Barclays Premiership and League Cup
2005/06 - Chelsea win Barclays Premiership
2006/07 - Win FA Cup and League Cup
2007/08 - Jose Mourinho leaves the club to be replaced by Avram Grant. Runners up in the Carling Cup, Barclays Premier League and Champions League. Part company with Grant. Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed manager in June.
2008/09 - Scolari is sacked in February 2009 and replaced by Russian national coach Guus Hiddink who will combine both roles until the end of the season.