Thomas Hoel

Winston Bogarde joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Barcelona in August 2000, on a four-year contract worth a reported £40,000 a week. Gianluca Vialli signed him, and was sacked within weeks. Claudio Ranieri took over and did not want him. He played 12 times, 11 of them in his first season, and then once more in a League Cup tie against Gillingham in November 2002. In four seasons that came to 548 minutes. Chelsea moved him to the reserves, then the youth team, and in his last season he had no squad number. He said several clubs wanted him on loan but would only pay 70% of his wages, and that Chelsea refused to cover the rest. Bogarde stayed. “Why should I throw fifteen million euro away when it is already mine?” he said in his autobiography. He lived in London over his whole contract period, but reportedly flew back and forth to his home in Amsterdam between training. In January 2004 he told UEFA he never missed a single session. His contract ran out that summer and he never played professionally again. Happy birthday, Winston.