We begin to build towards next month’s match against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge by taking a look at some of the players who have represented both clubs in the past.
Inter Milan will be Chelsea’s opponents on Sunday 11 August, when two Champions League-winning clubs go head-to-head in our last match before the start of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
It could also give Chelsea supporters their first chance to see summer signings Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga in action at Stamford Bridge.
They are set to become the latest players to pull on the famous Blues shirt at the Bridge, and here we look at some of their predecessors who have previously worn the Nerazzurri stripes of our pre-season opponents Internazionale.
Hernan Crespo
Regarded as one of the greatest strikers in Serie A history, Crespo scored goals across three spells at San Siro, in addition to his time at the Bridge. Inter came first, when he impressed with nine goals in 12 Champions League appearances in 2002/03. That prompted Chelsea to come calling and he hit double figures in his debut Premier League campaign.
With Didier Drogba’s arrival at Chelsea, Crespo returned on loan to Italy in 2004/05, this time on the other side of the San Siro divide with AC Milan, before returning to the Bridge to provide added competition for Drogba, at the request of manager Jose Mourinho.
He contributed another 10 league goals as we claimed the top-flight title in 2005/06, most memorably a fine late winner in our season opener against Wigan.
That was the end of his time at Chelsea, though, as he returned to Inter, initially on a two-year loan before making it permanent. That provided the highlight of his time at San Siro, when the Argentinian’s hat-trick sealed the 2007 Serie A title in a 4-3 win over Lazio.
Mateo Kovacic
One of the more recent to have played for Chelsea and Inter, Kovacic moved to San Siro from Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in January 2013, and made his debut three days later. He was then given a standing ovation when leaving the pitch after providing an assist on his first home appearance. Although there were no trophies in Milan, it was there he established himself as one of Europe’s most promising and versatile midfielders, before joining Real Madrid.
There was no shortage of silverware in Spain, and that continued when Kovacic moved to west London, initially on loan, in 2018. The Croatian international won the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the Blues, as well as being named Chelsea Player of the Year in 2019/20 and scoring our Goal of the Season in 2021/22.
Victor Moses
Moses was born in Nigeria but raised in south London, before joining European champions Chelsea as one of the Premier League’s most promising young wingers in 2012. Despite playing an important role in our run to Europa League glory, he found it hard to hold down a regular starting place.
However, following three seasons on loan, he found his calling at Chelsea after impressing Italian manager Antonio Conte in pre-season 2016. Reinvented as a wing-back in Conte’s 3-4-3 system, Moses was an important figure in our 2016/17 title triumph, and again when we won the FA Cup the following year.
He would later reprise that role for Conte during a six-month loan at Inter Milan in 2020, but suffered a couple of close calls as they finished second in Serie A and were defeated by Sevilla in the Europa League final.
Samuel Eto’o
Having already established himself as a world-class striker at Barcelona, Eto’o joined Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in 2009 and ended his first season in Italy as a treble winner, claiming the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League trophies.
Blues fans will remember his importance in Europe, as he netted the only goal of their win at the Bridge in the last 16. He then added the Supercoppa Italiana and Club World Cup with Inter, scoring in both finals.
He would later spend one season with Chelsea in 2013/14 and, while his time here was short, he soon endeared himself to the fans with his 12 goals. In addition to an iconic celebration mocking the criticisms of his age, his popularity was only enhanced by a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester United and his opener in a 4-0 thrashing of Tottenham.