From its inception on 10 March 1905 following a chat between the founding directors in a local pub, Chelsea Football Club has grown exponentially and has been creating history for nearly 120 years. From a community club in London SW6 to the global force we are today, Chelsea FC with all our teams has won trophies galore.

The Chelsea Heritage Partnership, a group within the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust which researches, records and shares our history, is proud to present the first in an occasional series of matchday events bringing that rich history to life. In collaboration with Chelsea FC and the Chelsea Museum, the Chelsea Heritage Partnership plans to showcase memorable matches and moments intrinsically linked with the opponents of the day.

We kick off this season’s series with a special event to highlight the life and career of our much-loved player and manager Gianluca Vialli, who was recently taken from us far too soon. We plan to mark his life and celebrate his best Chelsea moments with some of his many friends and team-mates as part of the Legends of Europe match on 9 September.

For this free pre-match event, join us in the Tea Bar at Stamford Bridge where there will be close-up views of some of Vialli’s many prized items from the Chelsea Museum. Share your memories with museum staff and members of the Chelsea Heritage Partnership, many of who will be on hand to reminisce with you. Chat with former players who will be dropping in throughout the event, take photos, collect autographs and hear their memories of Luca and some of those famous games. Who can forget that iconic message from Dennis Wise, ‘Cheer Up Luca - We Love You’, or that bright orange ball bobbling across a snowy goal line in Tromso? And not to mention that night in Stockholm!

Whether over land or sea, this is your chance to get involved and share your memories with us. We are inviting all Chelsea supporters to submit their own photos to be featured on the day; your treasured photo of you with Luca, or your own photos from any of his memorable games. Submit them to us by 31 August via our email address [email protected]. The best ones will feature on screened displays at the event and the big screens in and around the stadium.

We are also running a raffle on the day to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, with fantastic prizes that include:

- A shirt signed by all the Chelsea legends taking part in the Legends game

- A signed ball used in the player warm ups for the Legends game

- A signed match worn shirt and a warm up shirt (two separate prizes) from last season’s Chelsea v Crystal Palace game where we paid tribute to Luca

- This season’s home shirt in a size of the winner’s choice

- A signed print gifted by the talented artist Charlie Johnston.

Open to Legends game match ticket holders, the event starts at 5.15pm and runs until 7pm, 15 minutes before the Legends game kicks off at 7.15pm. You can find the Tea Bar just along the Shed Wall between the Ticket Office and Frankie’s restaurant.

Tickets for the Legends of Europe match against Bayern Munich on 9 September are still available here and proceeds are in aid of the Chelsea Foundation and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports the work of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the hospital which did so much to care for Gianluca during his illness.