The midfielder’s prime was truncated due to a spate of serious knee injuries, thus limiting one of the most dynamic midfielders in the 2000s.

When Chelsea lifted the Champions League in 2012 at the Allianz Arena, five of the vaunted ‘old guard’ were still important components of the side.

English pair of John Terry and Frank Lampard stood tall alongside fellow protagonists Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Petr Cech…and there was Michael Essien, who was an unused substitute.

Of course, Terry didn’t feature against FC Hollywood either due to a moment of madness in the semi-final second-leg at Barcelona that ruled him out of the decider, but he was instrumental in their run to the Holy Grail that year.

Goal.com