With international football now taking a break, it is time for a close look at the figures for Chelsea players representing a wide range of nations during 2021/22…
There are some junior international tournaments still taking place, but with June’s UEFA and CONCACAF Nations League games, Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers, and other friendlies between countries now at an end, the senior international season has concluded.With that the case, we now know that Edouard Mendy is the Chelsea player who earned the most caps over the past year and there is no surprise there!Not only is our goalkeeper a clear first choice for Senegal, his country played a major tournament during the season and they went all the way to winning it, lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy for the first time in their history.
In total, Mendy played 14 games for Senegal in 2021/22 and kept six clean sheets. Next up for games was Christian Pulisic who made 13 appearances for the USA, three as a substitute. A successful World Cup qualification campaign kept him busy.Billy Gilmour won 12 Scotland caps during the season, 10 of those appearances being starts. The Scots involvement in World Cup qualification play-offs boosted his total.
Timo Werner was not for behind for amount of action and his eight goals for Germany make him our top scorer in internationals in 2021/22. Pulisic put five away for the USMNT and Romelu Lukaku for Belgium and Armando Broja for Albania both managed four.
During the past year, Thiago Silva’s nine Brazil appearances and Romelu Lukaku’s four games for the Belgian side took them into the select band who have played for our men’s first team and reached a century of caps for their country.They still have a fair way to go to overtake the most capped player who spent part of his career at Chelsea. That is Petr Cech with 124 although Eden Hazard is catching him up fast. Frank Lampard is top for number of international games played while at Chelsea – the only one to break the hundred barrier with 104.
Of those who ended last season at Chelsea, the now departed Andreas Christensen has represented his nation most while a Blue – 56 times.
Two Belgians are our current top goalscorers on the international stage. Romelu Lukaku has scored 68 times for his nation and Michy Batshuayi has 25 goals to his name.
100 career international caps
Petr Cech (Czech Republic) 124, Eden Hazard (Belgium) 120, Geremi (Cameroon) 118, Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) 118, Marcel Desailly (France) 116, Olivier Giroud (France) 112, Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine) 111, Cesc Fabregas (Spain) 110, Fernando Torres (Spain) 110, Mark Schwarzer (Australia) 109, Ashley Cole (England) 107, Thiago Silva (Brazil) 107, Frank Lampard (England) 106, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) 105, Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia) 105, Yury Zhirkov (Russia) 105, Didier Deschamps (France) 103, Yossi Benayoun (Israel) 102, Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) 102, Damien Duff (Republic of Ireland) 100
Total international appearances of current players
Thiago Silva (Brazil) 107, Lukaku (Belgium) 102, Kovacic (Croatia) 81, Christensen (Denmark) 56, Kante (France) 53, Rudiger (Germany) 53, Werner (Germany) 53, Pulisic (USA) 51, Baba (Ghana) 45, Batshuayi (Belgium) 45, Jorginho (Italy) 44, Azpilicueta (Spain) 40, Ziyech (Morocco) 40, Ampadu (Wales) 36, Barkley (England) 33, Mount (England) 31, Havertz (Germany) 28, Emerson (Italy) 27, Mendy (Senegal) 24, Miazga (USA) 22, Saul (Spain) 19, Chilwell (England) 17, Gilmour (Scotland) 15, Broja (Albania) 14, James (England) 13, Arrizabalaga (Spain) 11, Loftus-Cheek (England) 10, Alonso (Spain) 9, Gallagher (England) 4, Drinkwater (England) 3, Hudson-Odoi (England) 3, Bakayoko (France) 1, McClelland (Northern Ireland) 1
Total international goals of current players
Lukaku (Belgium) 68, Batshuayi (Belgium) 25, Werner (Germany) 24, Pulisic (USA) 21, Ziyech (Morocco) 17, Havertz (Germany) 8, Thiago Silva (Brazil) 7, Barkley (England) 6, Jorginho (Italy) 5, Broja (Albania) 4, Mount (England) 4, Kovacic (Croatia) 3, Saul (Spain) 3, Christensen (Denmark) 2, Kante (France) 2, Rudiger (Germany) 2, Azpilicueta (Spain) 1, Baba (Ghana) 1, Chilwell (England) 1, Miazga (USA) 1
Caps won while with Chelsea
Christensen (Denmark) 56, Kante (France) 45, Azpilicueta (Spain) 40, Batshuayi (Belgium) 38, Ampadu (Wales) 36, Jorginho (Italy) 36, Kovacic (Croatia) 35, Rudiger (Germany) 33, Baba (Ghana) 32, Mount (England) 31, Lukaku (Belgium) 28, Pulisic (USA) 28, Emerson (Italy) 27, Werner (Germany) 24, Havertz (Germany) 21, Miazga (USA) 21, Thiago Silva (Brazil) 18, Mendy (Senegal) 17, Gilmour (Scotland) 15, Broja (Albania) 14, James (England) 13, Barkley (England) 11, Arrizabalaga (Spain) 10, Loftus-Cheek (England) 10, Alonso (Spain) 9, Ziyech (Morocco) 7, Chilwell (England) 6, Gallagher (England) 4, Hudson-Odoi (England) 3, McClelland (Northern Ireland) 1
International goals while with Chelsea
Batshuayi (Belgium) 22, Werner (Germany) 13, Lukaku (Belgium) 12, Pulisic (USA) 12, Havertz (Germany) 7, Jorginho (Italy) 5, Barkley (England) 4, Broja (Albania) 4, Mount (England) 4, Ziyech (Morocco) 3, Christensen (Denmark) 2, Kovacic (Croatia) 2, Rudiger (Germany) 2, Azpilicueta (Spain) 1, Baba (Ghana) 1, Chilwell (England) 1, Kante (France) 1, Miazga (USA) 1
Top all-time international appearances
Caps won while with ChelseaLampard (England) 104, Cech (Czech Republic) 91, Ivanovic (Serbia) 83, Terry (England) 78, Desailly (France) 74, Drogba (Ivory Coast) 74, Hazard (Belgium) 74, Mikel (Nigeria) 73, Willian (Brazil) 68, Courtois (Belgium) 65, Carvalho (Portugal) 57, Christensen (Denmark) 56, A Cole (England) 55, Cahill (England) 54, Omeruo (Nigeria) 52, Kalou (Ivory Coast) 50, Malouda (France) 50, Ferreira (Portugal) 48, Gallas (France) 48, Makelele (France) 47, J Cole (England) 46, Kante (France) 45, Essien (Ghana) 44, Petrescu (Romania) 44, Oscar (Brazil) 42, Giroud (France) 41, Azpilicueta (Spain) 40
Top all-time international scorers
Goals scored while with ChelseaDrogba (Ivory Coast) 46, Lampard (England) 29, Hazard (Belgium) 28, Batshuayi (Belgium) 22, Kalou (Ivory Coast) 18, Giroud (France) 17, Crespo (Argentina) 16, Greaves (England) 16, Flo (Norway) 15, Gudjohnsen (Iceland) 15, Hilsdon (England) 14, Lawton (England) 14, Shevchenko (Ukraine) 13, Werner (Germany) 13, Ballack (Germany) 12, Forssell (Finland) 12, Lukaku (Belgium) 12, Moses (Nigeria) 12, Pulisic (USA) 12, Torres (Spain) 12, Ivanovic (Serbia) 11, Oscar (Brazil) 11, Salah (Egypt) 10, Schurrle (Germany) 10