César Azpilicueta cemented his status as a Chelsea legend by leading the Blues to victory in the FIFA Club World Cup final at the weekend.
The club captain showed tremendous leadership with a neat trick that distracted the Palmeiras players in the build-up to the game’s decisive penalty. He picked up the ball and pretended he would take the late spot-kick, ensuring he soaked up the opposition’s mind games, before calmly handing the ball to Kai Havertz, who slotted in the winner.
Azpilicueta basked in the adulation of fans and teammates alike as he wielded the trophy aloft at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday night. Victory made him the first player in Chelsea history to win every available major trophy. The Club World Cup completed the clean sweep, as he has already won the Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and the EFL Cup during his 10-year stint in west London.
Humble Beginnings
Azipilicueta’s journey to becoming a club legend had relatively humble origins. He was signed from Marseille in a £7 million deal back in August 2012. Many expected him to play second fiddle to Branislav Ivanovi? on the right side of the defence, but Azipilicueta’s versatility helped him make an instant impact.
The Spaniard ended up making 48 appearances during his debut campaign, playing in several roles across the defence as Chelsea won the Europa League for the first time.
The following season saw José Mourinho return to the club. The Blues ended the campaign trophyless, but they earned their best points haul in four years, with Azpilicueta making 44 appearances, including 10 during a run to the Champions League semi-finals.
“A team with 11 Azpilicuetas could win the Champions League”
The highest praise Azpilicueta has ever received came midway through the season, when Mourinho declared: “A team with 11 Azpilicuetas could win the Champions League.”
It was a seminal moment for the Spaniard, who was previously the unsung hero of the squad, and pundits around the world sat up and took notice of Mourinho’s comments. “Football is about character and personality and Azpilicueta has all those traces of a winning personality,” said the Portuguese coach.
He was rewarded with a new five-year contract later that year, and his winning personality was in full force as the Blues won the Premier League title in 2015. Azpilicueta was one of Chelsea’s most dependable players by the time they won their next Premier League title in 2017, and he took the vice-captain role that summer, before helping the Blues win the FA Cup in 2018.
Captain Fantastic
Azpilicueta was the obvious choice to take over as club captain when Gary Cahill left Chelsea in 2019. Since then, he has led his team to glory in the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
He has now made more than 450 appearances at the club. The Spaniard has played at right-back, left-back and centre-back, and he has flourished in a back-four and a back-three under several different managers.
His disciplinary record is impressive, despite never shying away from a tackle or a confrontation on the pitch. He has also impressed going forward, providing 35 Premier League assists during his career.
Azpilicueta has also stepped up during tense occasions, pulling Tammy Abraham away from a penalty and solving a bust-up between goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and manager Maurizio Sarri.
Will He Stay?
Azpilicueta’s hard work at Stamford Bridge has not gone unnoticed in his homeland. Spain have long been stacked with defensive talent, with the likes of Dani Carvajal thriving on the right, but Azpilicueta has managed to rack up 36 caps for Spain. He is now a regular fixture in the team, and Spain are among the favourites to win the World Cup later this year.
He is now 32 years old, but he shows no signs of slowing down, and he looks perfectly capable of leading this Chelsea team for the next few years. However, Azpilicueta reportedly has an agreement in place to join Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer, which may cause concern among Blues fans.
Not only is he an extremely reliable player, blessed with excellent versatility, but he is also a leader in the dressing room. Chelsea should be pulling out all the stops to keep him at the club.
Some encouraging news emerged from Marca this weekend, suggesting that Chelsea have the option to trigger a two-year extension in Azpilicueta’s contract. That could prove to be a prudent decision. The likes of Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell are the future for Chelsea, but Azpilicueta can fill in for any of them and play at a high standard. He is superb in a back-three and, while he may lack James’ explosive pace and dynamism, he can still do a decent job as a wing-back, and his presence in the dressing room is vital, so the club will hopefully keep him on the books until 2024.
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