Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea for just £60m in June 2003 after former owner Ken Bates unexpectedly put the club up for sale. Abramovich took over a side that was not only in £80m of debt but one that had not won many trophies. Prior to the oligarch’s involvement in the club, the Blues had just eight major trophies to their name.
Abramovich’s serious investment in the Blues helped transform the club’s fortunes, however, turning them into serial winners. During his near two-decade stay at the west London outfit, the Russian oversaw 17 major trophies, more than double the total they had managed in their entire history beforehand. Here is the list of major (and minor) trophies won during the Abramovich era.
Premier League – 5 (2004/05, 2005/06, 2009/10, 2014/15, 2016/17)
Before Abramovich, Chelsea had only won the English top-flight title once before, all the way back in 1954/55. So, to then win it five times in a little over a decade is a phenomenal achievement. It took Arsenal’s Invincible team to deny the Blues ending their long wait for another league title, during Abramovich’s first season, but they did not have to make much longer.
The following term Chelsea, under the charismatic and brilliant leadership of Jose Mourinho, became a truly formidable team. Losing just one league game, Mourinho’s men won the league with a 12-point advantage. The team’s defence particularly impressed as the title winners conceded a mere 15 goals all season – something that remains a Premier League record.
Unlike in 1954/55, there would be no sudden decline after a league title. Instead, Mourinho bagged himself another with a sizeable degree of comfort. By this stage, Chelsea had cemented themselves as regular title challenges and after a few solid, but unsuccessful, title charges over the next few seasons, they returned to winning ways under Italian legend Carlo Ancelotti in 2009/10.
There was a longer wait for the next Premier League success, which came in 2014/15, following the return of the self-proclaimed Special One. After overseeing improvements on his return ahead of the 2013/14 campaign, the Portuguese manager got Chelsea back on top the next year. There would be no repeat of the back-to-back league wins though as he was sacked just seven months later.
Chelsea’s final league win under Abramovich came in 2016/17 and new manager Antonio Conte, who had never previously managed in England. A summer of considerable investment gave the Italian the tools he needed to guide his new club to a convincing 93-point total, more than enough to secure the league title.
FA Cup – 5 (2006/07, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2011/12, 2017/18)
Although Manchester United denied Chelsea the Premier League in 2006/07, the Blues had some sense of revenge in the FA Cup final as they defeated the Red Devils 1-0. Didier Drogba scored the game’s only goal but little did people know at the time what a ‘big game’ player he would turn out to be. Chelsea won the 2009, 2010 and 2012 FA Cup finals by a single goal and Drogba got himself on the scoresheet every single time. No other player has scored in more FA Cup finals than the powerful Ivorian.
Drogba was playing his final season of professional football at Phoenix Rising by the time Chelsea lifted their next FA Cup. Once again, it was a final decided by just one goal and the decisive strike this time came courtesy of an Eden Hazard penalty. Having enjoyed such a strong FA Cup final record at this point, the table began to turn in the late Abramovich years as the club lost three consecutive finals starting in 2020.
League Cup – 3 (2004/05, 2006/07, 2014/15)
We mentioned earlier about Drogba’s knack for scoring the FA Cup finals but his ability to rise to the big occasion was not limited to just one competition. He got on the scoresheet during the eventful League Cup final in 2005 which saw Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 after extra time. The brilliant striker then bagged himself a brace two years later as the Blues beat London rivals Arsenal 2-1. This remains the only year Chelsea have managed the domestic cup double.
Their final League Cup triumph in the Russian-owned era came after beating a different London rival – Tottenham. The only domestic cup final in the Abramovich period that Chelsea won by more than a single goal ended up 2-0 thanks to efforts from John Terry and Diego Costa.
Champions League – 2 (2011/12, 2020/21)
Chelsea had to wait over a century to be crowned kings of Europe and they could not have done it in more nail-biting fashion. Having been second best in the 2012 final, it looked as though they would fall to a defeat but up stepped that man once again, Drogba, to head in an equaliser just minutes before full time. The Londoners then held on for penalties and in very fitting style, it was Drogba who fired in the winning spot kick after Bastian Schweinsteiger failed to convert.
Skip forward nearly a decade and Thomas Tuchel masterminded an unlikely Champions League run which saw the Pensioners defeat Manchester City in the final. Much like in 2011/12, the Blues did not enjoy a particularly strong Premier League campaign, but this did not stop them going all the way in Europe’s top club competition. It was a quiet final for both goalkeepers with just three shots recorded on target in total.
Europa League – 2 (2012/13, 2018/19)
By 2013, Chelsea had higher ambitions than Europe’s second-rate competition but it was nice to add a brand-new trophy to the collection. Having been eliminated from the Champions League, the Blues dropped down to the Europa League and saw off Sparta Prague, FCSB, Rubin Kazan, Basel and Benfica to claim the silverware. The 2019 victory was more memorable as the club not only beat local rivals Arsenal in the final but did so with an emphatic 4-1 scoreline. Quite the result for the fans that made the long journey to Baku, Azerbaijan, to watch it live.
Others – 4
On top of this already long list, Chelsea also won the Community Shield in 2005 and 2009, and scooped both the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2021. Although none of these are considered major trophies, they are still welcome additions to Chelsea’s sizeable trophy cabinet.