Records are harder to obtain for the first 40 years of our existence, as on many occasions captains were not mentioned in match reports, but we do know illustrious names such as Willie Foule, Vivian Woodward, Nils Middleboe and Hughie Gallacher all led the Blues at points. Here is who we know were permanent captains from 1945 onwards…

John Harris

Nicknamed ‘Gentleman John’, Harris was our captain when we won the Southern War Cup final at Wembley in April 1945. He signed on a permanent basis later that year, and was club captain until Roy Bentley took over the role in 1951.

Roy Bentley

Bentley was the first player to captain Chelsea to the League Championship, in 1955. It was a season in which he was outstanding as a centre-forward and the leader of the team, helping foster camaraderie and discipline among the players.

Derek Saunders

Saunders was one of only two players to appear in every game of our 1954/55 Division One-winning campaign and he played more than 200 times for the club before hanging up his boots just after his 31st birthday. After retirement he helped coach our youth team.

Peter Sillett

Also a veteran of our 1955 title-winning team, Sillett was renowned for scoring free-kicks and penalties, and was once described by Sir Stanley Matthews as the best full-back in the world.

Bobby Tambling

Tambling became the youngest captain to lead a team to promotion in 1962/63, a season in which he turned 22 and scored a hefty 37 goals. He gave up the captaincy during the following campaign as manager Tommy Docherty felt it was affecting his goalscoring form.

Terry Venables

Ken Shellito briefly took over as captain before injury ended his season, so Venables, himself only 20, was instated as skipper. He remained in the role until he left in 1966, and was the first Chelsea captain to lift the League Cup.

Ron Harris

‘Chopper’ Harris is our record appearance maker and one of our most successful captains. He led the team out in the four major finals we played between 1967 and 1972, and became the first Chelsea captain to lift the FA Cup and European silverware, in the form of the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ray Wilkins

The majestic Wilkins was made our youngest ever permanent captain in 1975. He was just 18. For the next four years Butch was our outstanding player, leading by example and guiding the team to promotion to the First Division in 1977.

Micky Droy

A tall, imposing centre-half, Droy was in many ways the perfect club captain, always focused on the best interests of the team and desperate to help his team-mates where he could. He made just over 300 appearances for the club before moving on to Crystal Palace in 1984.

Colin Pates

Colin Pates was made team captain aged 22 in 1983, and club captain the following year. He responded to the challenge brilliantly, moulding together the different groups within the dressing room while maintaining a very high level of personal performance. Pates was captain when we won the Full Members’ Cup in 1986.

Graham Roberts

Roberts took the armband from Pates upon signing for the Blues from Rangers in 1988. A committed and experienced defender, Roberts was a positive influence on the team as we ran away with the Second Division title in his first season at the club.

Peter Nicholas

Nicholas was made club captain following Roberts’ departure midway through the 1989/90 campaign. The highlight of his Chelsea career was undoubtedly lifting the Full Members’ Cup in 1990 after a man-of-the-match performance in our win over Middlesbrough at Wembley.

Andy Townsend

Townsend will be remembered for being the first Chelsea captain of the Premier League era, albeit only for the inaugural 1992/93 season before he departed for Aston Villa.

Dennis Wise

One of the most successful captains in our history, Wise signed for Chelsea in 1990 and took the armband three years later. As the club grew on and off the pitch, Wise helped the influx of foreign signings in the late 1990s assimilate to life at Stamford Bridge and in England. The England international played a central role in our success in that time, lifting six trophies in four seasons.

Marcel Desailly

Desailly was already captain of the France national team, then the reigning World Cup and European Championship holders, when he inherited the Chelsea armband from Wise in 2001. He would remain in the post for three seasons, lending valuable experience to an up-and-coming squad that was destined for great things.

John Terry

JT is our most successful skipper ever, lifting 16 major trophies in all. He captained Chelsea for the first time in December 2001, a couple of days before his 21st birthday, and would wear the armband on more than 500 occasions during his glittering Blues career. That figure is comfortably a Chelsea record. Captain, leader, legend.

Gary Cahill

Cahill had the sizeable task of following in Terry’s footsteps after the longstanding skipper’s departure – although he had often worn the armband during our 2016/17 title-winning campaign. In his first season as permanent captain, Cahill led us to the FA Cup, and bowed out a year later with victory in the Europa League.

Cesar Azpilicueta

One of two Chelsea captains to have hoisted the Champions League aloft, Azpilicueta skippered us on a permanent basis between 2019 and 2023. He led by example with his tenacity and commitment, and made Blues history by becoming our first skipper to lift the Club World Cup.

Reece James

James took over the captaincy in the summer of 2023 when Cesar Azpilicueta departed for Atletico Madrid, becoming the first Academy product to skipper the Blues on a permanent basis since John Terry.