THE most famous night in Chelsea’s history came when Didier Drogba stroked home the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final.
Against all the odds the Blues lifted the trophy after beating Bayern Munich on penalties in their own backyard following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
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Caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo was hampered by injuries and suspensions when picking his XI for the showpiece game – but it didn’t stop the Italian bagging the one prize owner Roman Abramovich had always craved.
SunSport takes a look at where all the Chelsea heroes are now, nine years on.
GK: Petr Cech
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Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech crucially saved a penalty from Arjen Robben in extra time before denying Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ivica Olic in the shoot-out.
Cech spent another three seasons at Stamford Bridge before joining rivals Arsenal, where he retired in May 2019.
He now works at Chelsea as a technical director and the 38-year-old was sensationally name in the club’s 25-man Premier League squad last year as emergency cover between the sticks amid the pandemic.
Cech played for the Under-23s against Spurs but blundered with his first touch on his return to competitive action in December.
RB: Jose Bosingwa
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Portuguese right-back Jose Bosingwa, 38, left the club without playing another game after helping steer Chelsea to European glory.
Bosingwa stayed in London with QPR but after one season left for Turkish side Trabzonspor, where he retired in 2016.
CB: David Luiz
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Brazilian centre-back David Luiz scored the third penalty in the shoot-out and defended superbly nine years ago.
The 33-year-old left West London for PSG in 2014 before returning to Chelsea two years later.
He joined Arsenal in 2019 after making 248 appearances for the Blues.
CB: Gary Cahill
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Former Bolton Wanderers centre-back Gary Cahill was a rock in the heart of the Chelsea defence on that momentous night in Munich.
He had only joined the club in January from the Trotters and went to be named club captain after the departure of John Terry in 2017.
He won two Premier League titles before joining Crystal Palace in 2019.
The 35-year-old lined up against The Blues last weekend in the 4-1 win for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
LB: Ashley Cole
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Arguably the best left-back of his generation, Ashley Cole came out on the winning side in his duel with former Chelsea man Arjen Robben in 2012.
The ex-England star also smashed home the fourth penalty to set up Drogba’s clutch moment.
Cole spent another season at the Bridge before signing for Roma in 2013.
After 18 months in Italy, he went Stateside and signed for LA Galaxy at the start of 2016 before being named captain for the 2018 season, his final one for the side.
Cole joined Derby in January 2019, who were then managed by his former team-mate Frank Lampard, before announcing his retirement at the end of the season.
Cole has worked as a TV pundit and the 40-year-old is now a coach in the Chelsea academy set-up at Cobham.
CM: John Obi Mikel
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Nigerian defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel was the perfect foil for Lampard and put in a relentless display against the attacking riches of Bayern.
Mikel moved to China in 2017 after being surplus to requirements under former Blues boss Antonio Conte.
He returned to England in 2019 for a six-month spell at Middlesbrough before jetting off to Turkish side Trabzonspor.
He left in March 2020 before the 33-year-old signed for Championship side Stoke City in August last year.
CM: Frank Lampard
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In the absence of the suspended John Terry, Frank Lampard captained the Blues to European glory on the field and coolly dispatched his penalty in the shoot-out.
He went on to become the club’s all-time record scorer before signing for New York City FC via a loan spell at Manchester City, during which he scored against Chelsea.
He retired in 2016 and worked as a pundit before doing his coaching badges.
Lampard began his management career at Derby in 2018 and after one season the lure to coach Chelsea after Maurizio Sarri’s departure proved too strong to turn down.
The former box-to-box midfielder lasted 18 months in the Blues hotseat before being sacked and replaced by German Thomas Tuchel in January 2021.
AM: Juan Mata
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Juan Mata swung in the corner for Drogba’s late equaliser in the final but fluffed his lines from the spot in the shoot-out.
The Spaniard was sold to Manchester United for £37million in January 2014 and still stars for the Red Devils.
RW: Salomon Kalou
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The final was Salomon Kalou’s last Chelsea outing and he was replaced by Fernando Torres in the 84th minute.
The Ivory Coast wideman spent two seasons at Lille before a six-year stint at German side Hertha Berlin.
The 35-year-old left on a free for Brazilian club Botafogo in July 2020 but agreed to terminate his 18-month contract early in April 2021 after one goal in 27 appearances.
LW: Ryan Bertrand
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Ryan Bertrand has the honour of being the only player to ever make their Champions League debut in the final – and not only that but he was out of position on the wing.
A left-back, Bertrand did admirably well on the night before being replaced by Florent Malouda.
After Di Matteo was sacked the following season, Bertrand fell down the pecking order and was loaned out to Aston Villa and Southampton.
The 31-year-old joined Saints permanently at the start of 2015 and has been at St Mary’s ever since.
ST: Didier Drogba
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Chelsea icon Didier Drogba sealed the winning moment as he swept home his penalty before leaving the club in a blaze of glory.
The Ivorian striker had helped the Blues force extra time after heading home two minutes from time.
But he almost scuppered things by fouling Franck Ribery in the box only for Robben to miss from the spot.
Drogba headed for the riches of China and Shanghai Shenhua before turning out for Galatasaray.
He had a fairytale return to Stamford Bridge in 2014 for one season – helping himself to another title under Jose Mourinho.
He played in Canada and the US for Montreal Impact, Arizona United and Phoenix Rising before retiring aged 40 in 2018.
In the same year he became vice president of international organisation Peace and Sport which aims to restore peaceful relations in different communities around the world.
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