the Chelsea News
·14 June 2025
Chelsea attacker names his all time greatest team – featuring 4 ex-Blues

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Yahoo sportsthe Chelsea News
·14 June 2025
The Club World Cup is about to kick off, meaning a deluge of content on all sides, including this nice piece on the Chelsea official website.
They got man of the moment Noni Madueke to name his all time footballing XI, and as you’d expect it was a pretty crazy lineup.
He also managed to fit 4 ex-Blues in there, although he wasn’t just being diplomatic – they all very much deserve their place on merit!
Neymar in action for Brazil
In goal he went for Manuel Neuer. Of course we’re not his biggest fans, and beating him in the 2012 Champions League final was a special moment, but it’s hard to deny what Noni says about him being a “legend of the game.”
At right back, another player we don’t like, but have to grudgingly agree that he’s a “great all round defender.”
His centre back pair is one player he’s played with and another he’s played against – Thiago Silva and Virgil Van Dijk. Even just imagining that pair in their prime is mind blowing.
At left back we get to our second ex-Blue – Ashley Cole. Noni knows him from the England setup and says he’s a great guy.
Now we get two Chelsea legends in midfield – N’Golo Kante and Frank Lampard. We don’t really need to say much about either of those true all time football greats.
His attacking lineup is just silly: Lionel Messi (“arguably the greatest player of all time”), Cristiano Ronaldo (“my favourite player of all time”), Kylian Mbappe (“the best player of my generation”), Neymar (“in terms of skill and technique… in a league of his own”).
Finally he hands the captaincy to Thiago Silva, who he’s played with of course. “A Great leader, super passionate about the game, he has a way of motivating you… he had an aura about him which motivated you to give your absolute best.”