If you look back at Chelsea’s history from the last few decades, there’s usually been a strong French connection within the team.
That tradition is still very true in the current squad. Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Lesley Ugochukwu and Christopher Nkunku are Frenchman in the Blues ranks this season.
From what we’ve seen this year, 20-year-old right-back Gusto looks like a special talent with a massive future ahead of him. Journalist Fabrizio Romano recently claimed via X that Chelsea are ‘super happy’ with Gusto’s impact this season.
We’re optimistic he can be one of the greatest French players to play in Chelsea colours, but he’s still got some way to go before he achieves that.
The Chelsea Chronicle has compiled a list of the top five French stars to play at Stamford Bridge. It says a lot about the talent when the trio of Olivier Giroud, Frank Leboeuf and Nicolas Anelka narrowly miss out…
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5. William Gallas
First up, William Gallas sneaks into fifth place.
The versatile defender, who played a mixture of centre-back and full-back for the Blues, makes this list following a successful spell at the club between 2001-2006.
He won back-to-back Premier League titles as part of the dominant Jose Mourinho era, so we found it impossible to leave him out.
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A great servant during 225 appearances, but let’s just forget that he went on to play for both Tottenham and Arsenal.
4. Florent Malouda
We’ve gone with one of Chelsea’s most underrated players ever in this all-French list.
Florent Malouda played 229 games for the west London club during a six-year spell after joining back in 2007.
The left-footed winger certainly played his best stuff under Carlo Ancelotti’s management, peaking in the 2009/10 season.
Overall, he finished his Chelsea career with one Champions League, one Premier League and three FA Cups.
3. Marcel Desailly
Our first podium spot goes to defensive colossus Marcel Desailly.
The legendary centre-back may have had his best years at AC Mila, but he was absolutely superb for Chelsea between 1998-2004 as well.
He was an aggressive and classy defender for an eye-catching Chelsea side in the late 1990s.
Speaking via Sky Sports a few years ago, John Terry shared that Desailly put his arm around him and helped him when he was a youngster coming through the ranks.
2. Claude Makelele
Our silver medal goes to Chelsea legend Claude Makelele.
The defensive midfielder was one of the world’s elite players in his position, forming part of the spine in Mourinho’s XI.
He screened the defence expertly in the No 6 position.
He won two Premier Leagues, two League Cups, one FA Cup and one Super Cup.
1. N’Golo Kante
Our number one is the magical N’Golo Kante.
We can understand if the older generation prefers Makelele, but we’ll just edge with Kante for his performances between 2016–2023.
Kante’s record in a Chelsea shirt is staggering, playing crucial roles in their trophy success.
The all-action midfielder won the Premier League, Champions League, Europe League, Super Cup, FA Cup, and Club World Cup.
It simply was a joy watching him glide around the pitch and it often looked like there were two of him.
