Chelsea legend’s road to Stamford Bridge fame began 13 years ago, ‘To have him is a dream’

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This summer, Chelsea have made some really good signings, including Joao Pedro.

Pedro has made an immediate impact at Chelsea, already scoring four goals in five appearances for his new club.

The Blues paid Brighton & Hove Albion £60m for his signature, but Rangers legend Ally McCoist thinks Pedro is proving to be a bargain.

In Chelsea’s entire history, though, there may not be a greater bargain than former captain Cesar Azpilicueta.

• READ MORE: Eden Hazard once said Chelsea teammate was the teacher’s pet under Antonio Conte, ‘you can ask everyone’…

The anniversary of Cesar Azpilicueta’s arrival at Stamford Bridge

Exactly 13 years ago, Chelsea signed Azpilicueta from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille for just £7m.

At that stage, Azpilicueta was a relatively unknown full-back, but by the time the Spaniard finished his career at Stamford Bridge, he was a Chelsea legend.

In total, Azpilicueta went on to make 508 appearances for Chelsea, helping the Blues to win two Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy along the way.

It was the 35-year-old who captained the club to their second Champions League title, playing as a centre-back under Thomas Tuchel.

Azpilicueta also played there during Antonio Conte’s Chelsea reign, while under Jose Mourinho and Roberto Di Matteo, he was used in both full-back positions.

The former Spain international mastered all three roles during his time in west London, showing the extent of his versatility. He will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history.

Chelsea fans, who gave Azpilicueta the nickname “Dave” and a chant to go with it, absolutely adore him. And it is not hard to see why.

Azpilicueta also has great affection for his former club and their supporters. As his contract at Atletico Madrid ran down, Azpilicueta did not consider a return to England, not wanting to play for another team in the country.

Cesar Azpilicueta a manager’s ‘dream’

None of Azpilicueta’s former coaches ever had anything bad to say about him. In fact, for Conte, the full-back was a manager’s “dream”.

“He’s a fantastic guy, he’s always positive, and during the training sessions he works in a fantastic way,” the Napoli boss was quoted as saying by Sky Sports back in 2017. “For a coach to have him is a dream.”

In a transfer market where it now costs £100m to sign top talent, Chelsea may not ever find a better bargain than Cesar Azpilicueta.