Marcel Desailly
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Having established himself as a formidable defensive midfielder and centre-back during his time with Marseille and AC Milan, becoming the first player to win the Champions League in consecutive seasons with different clubs, Desailly arrived at Stamford Bridge in 1998 having also helped France to World Cup glory that summer.
At Chelsea he was given the captain's armband and formed a formidable centre-back partnership with compatriot Frank Leboeuf, helping the club to the FA Cup in his second season in West London.
That proved to be Desailly's only major honour during his six-year stay at Chelsea, but he made his mark at Stamford Bridge before leaving in 2004 and seeing out his career in Qatar.
In all, Desailly made 222 appearances for the Blues and scored seven goals - six of which came in 158 Premier League outings.
