To reach 500 goals in European competition shows how consistently Chelsea have been involved since the late ‘90s and you need to be successful regularly as well. It demonstrates the club has been doing really well and it's nice to see.Going back to my beginning, one of the early significant goals in Europe soon after I started playing for Chelsea was when Arjen Robben scored the only one away against CSKA Moscow. It was a very cold night in Russia but it was a very skilful goal to qualify us from the group stage with only four games played. It was like an early step forward with Jose in charge and an early step for a new team wanting to make sure we have a successful season.

Later that same season in our first knockout round, John Terry headed the winner at home to Barcelona in a tie that sparked a bit of controversy and basically started the rivalry with Barcelona. In both games you could see how intense it was, this was the first time we knocked them out and over the years, Barcelona is probably the team we played the most in European games.There were some great goals in that game back in 2005, with so many chances and a bit of controversy as they thought Riccy Carvalho impeded their goalkeeper when JT scored. It was a great game to be involved in on the pitch and it must have been absolutely outstanding for everybody watching, and fun for the neutrals too.

In the next round Frank Lampard scored his wonderful goal against Bayern and that year was the first time we were in a position where people really expected us to go through a couple of rounds. We played big games against big teams so those goals are significant moments.

Drogba nightmares and Essien rockets

In 2006, Didier Drogba scored one of his classic goals at home against Barcelona although I was not in goal. Hilario made his debut instead because it was after the Reading incident. I think it was the first time I was allowed to watch a game on TV after that. It went well but it is one I remember more for bad reasons although Didier’s was a great goal.

Playing against him was a nightmare for everyone because you had a guy who was mobile, was strong and had great technique as well. With so many weapons it is difficult to defend. A goal like this one when he controls, turns and shoots - it didn’t matter if it was on his chest or on his feet, you could see how strong he was to hold the defender off, and then there was the technical ability to turn and finish.Michael Essien scored an amazing last-minute winner away against Valencia in 2007 when he had been asked to play right-back and this was a really interesting one because I think he surprised everyone with the shot, including the goalkeeper. You could see Canizares didn't think he would shoot from there and to be honest, I didn't think he would attempt to shoot from there. It was a difficult game, really intense final minutes, and a massive relief of pressure.

Even better was Michael’s against Barcelona in the semi-final in 2009. It's absolutely unbelievable! If he attempted to do it again maybe 100 times he would never hit it that well again. It was absolutely perfect.It's a shame in the end we were hard done by by the referee decisions and then they scored a great goal as well, but Essien’s goal had everything - the technique, the power, going into the top corner off the bar. Seriously, you can’t hit it any better.

Kop that!

After being knocked out of the Champions League twice in semi-finals by Liverpool, we eventually beat them at that stage in 2008 and an own goal played a big part in that. Liverpool were leading 1-0 at Anfield in the first leg and then John Arne Riise scored in his own net in front of the Kop right at the end.Obviously it's a bit unlucky for the opposition player but it was a huge goal for us as it knocked them down little and you could feel the whole atmosphere drop as well.We completed the job at home and that game is most remembered for Frank Lampard scoring a penalty in his first game back after he lost his mother. It was obviously very emotional and a difficult and special moment for him, and it showed how strong Frank is as well. He took the responsibility and converted it, and it was a very important goal in the tie. You always knew he was ready to take the responsibility and to be honest, I had no doubt he would score it.After that, the wins over Liverpool kept coming. Branislav Ivanovic headed in his first two Chelsea goals and Alex scored a free-kick rocket many remember. To beat Pepe Reina from that distance you need to really hit it hard, and he did just that.

Branislav had been with us for some time before he got regular games so for him to go to Anfield and do that was great. Iva is a beast, a big guy, always a threat in the box. Every time we had a set play in that period we were a real threat. We had JT, Iva and then later on Gary Cahill and David Luiz. We had other big guys like Alex and Michael Ballack who was brilliant with his head.

Munich and more

Iva’s first two goals were important ones and then obviously added to those is the Europa League final in Amsterdam where he scored the winner with another header, but maybe the most important was the decisive goal the year before against Napoli on the way to Chelsea winning the Champions League. Iva’s goals are easy to remember. He didn’t score many but when he did they had great significance!The famous goals kept coming on the way to Munich. Ramires’s in Barcelona was an absolutely outstanding one in the circumstances - down to 10 men, down 2-0, playing away with all that quality and the chances Barca had.

Then suddenly we came up with a great ball from Frank and the lobbed finish was precision. When you score a goal like this after all the blows we suffered, it gave everybody hope. Not only did it look beautiful, it put us ahead in the tie just before half-time. I remember at half-time we were saying now we have to defend it as much as we can and hope for the best.The best happened of course when Fernando Torres scored. We had the ball under control and then he lost it. He tried to flick it around a defender and lost it and then you're thinking oh, here we go, another Barcelona attack, but it also allowed him to be on his own.Then when Ashley Cole initially cleared the attack, I didn't notice Fernando because we were under such pressure that I started looking where the Barca players were and whether I have to organise to start defending again. While I was looking across I saw Xavi holding his head.I was thinking what is he doing, and then the whole stadium went quiet and I realised Fernando was off and running on his own. I even have goosebumps now thinking about that. I realised we were through because you hardly ever see Torres missing one on one with the keeper with so much time. And then he finished it perfectly.

For Didier’s equaliser in the final, after we had conceded and didn't really have any chances, corners and not many free-kicks either, in my head it was okay, all we need is a corner or free-kick to give ourselves a chance because as I mentioned earlier, we had big guys and strong players for set-plays.We couldn’t get anywhere in open play but suddenly the corner came. Then I was standing outside of the box thinking okay, that's it. We either score from this or we might not have another chance. And the goal goes in.Then I was thinking we are alive and we are going to win, because so many times we had done it though that campaign. We had to survive many more problems in the game but ultimately it came out of our one and only corner and it just shows sometimes you just need one. The way the noise disappeared from the Munich fans behind me is something I will always remember.

These Chelsea European goals are ones from when I was playing but obviously from recent years there are many important ones too, especially with us winning the Champions League again last season. So many goals have significance.And there are ones from before me that are passed through the years as well – Peter Osgood and Gianfranco Zola goals to win trophies, Dennis Wise in Chelsea’s first Champions League season, Wayne Bridge to reach the semi-final for the first time.These are all the moments people will always remember and to accumulate 500, It shows how great the club has been doing.