You’ve voted for your goalkeeper and defenders and now it’s time to pick four midfielders to line-up in Chelsea’s best FA Cup final team…
As we build up to Saturday’s Wembley final against Leicester, with the Blues hoping to lift the famous old trophy for the ninth time in our history, we’ve been asking Chelsea fans around the world to vote for our all-time FA Cup final side.
Today, it’s time to pick the midfielders and you can vote by scrolling further down this page after reading the list of nominees.
Charlie Cooke
Peter Osgood is, quite rightly, lauded for his spectacular diving header in the 1970 FA Cup final replay against Leeds.
But watch the goal again and take a second to marvel at the pass from Cooke to set him up – sheer genius, the Bonnie Prince at his finest. Everyone remembers the chaos of that game, but don’t forget the class.
Roberto Di Matteo
Winning goals in the finals of 1997 and 2000 – the first, against Middlesbrough, was the fastest scored in a Wembley FA Cup final at the time and an absolute worldie, too – make Di Matteo a strong candidate for selection.
That he later added to his FA Cup legacy by managing us to victory in the 2012 final adds to his legend status at the Bridge.
Peter Houseman
The term ‘unsung hero’ could have been created for the winger known to his team-mates as Nobby, as he regularly did the dirty work and rarely got the credit.
Well, in 1970, few played a bigger part than him in our success, as he scored five goals on our run to Wembley, before netting another crucial one in the final.
Frank Lampard
The Blues’ all-time leading scorer in the FA Cup, Lamps enjoyed his best year in the competition in 2007 when he netted six times en route to the final against Manchester United, including a strike in the semi-final against Blackburn.
However, the FA Cup moment every Chelsea fan will remember arrived two years later, when he smashed in a 25-yard screamer to defeat Everton in the final.
Florent Malouda
While the previous entries on the list all had their magic moment in the final, Malouda was denied his in 2009, when his thunderous strike from distance bounced down off the bar and over the line, only for the assistant referee to remain unmoved.
Where’s technology when you need it? He’d already claimed an assist in that game for Didier Drogba’s opener.
Eddie Newton
The man who described his job for the team as ‘the Makelele role before Makelele’ suffered FA Cup final heartache in 1994 when he conceded a penalty in our 4-0 defeat to Man United. Three years later, redemption was his, as he charged up field to put the seal on our 2-0 win over Everton. What a moment for a proper Chelsea boy through and through.
Gus Poyet
Although he didn’t manage to get his name on the scoresheet in the 2000 final against Aston Villa, Poyet’s role in that triumph cannot be underestimated. The Uruguayan finished as our top scorer in the competition that season, scoring a hat-trick against Hull, a stunning volley against Leicester and then a brace in the semi-final win over Newcastle United.
Ramires
Everyone remembers his spectacular chip against Barcelona at the end of the 2011/12 campaign, so it’s easy to forget that Ramires continued his fine goalscoring run with the opener against Liverpool, when he became the first Brazilian to score in an FA Cup final.
He was actually our joint-top scorer in the competition that season, which included a stunning dink against Spurs in the semi-final.
Dennis Wise
The first Chelsea captain to lift the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, Wisey was instrumental to our successes in 1997 and 2000 as we defeated Middlesbrough and Aston Villa respectively.
It was after the latter triumph that the midfielder took his son Henry with him as he collected the trophy. For those of you who can remember that happening, Henry made his FA Cup debut last year at the age of 20 – bet that makes you feel old!