The history of Chelsea’s cursed number nine shirt including Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao and more flops
Chelseas number nine shirt has been handed to new signing Gonzalo Higuain.The number has been cursed at Stamford Bridge with the likes of Alvaro Morata, Radamel Falcao and Fernando Torres failing to perform.
9New Chelsea signing Gonzalo Higuian with the number nine shirtBut will Higuain, who signed on loan from Juventus on Wednesday, break the curse?Here, talkSPORT looks at previous players who have worn the number nine shirt at Chelsea.
Hernan Crespo – (16million from Inter Milan in 2003)
9Hernan Crespo has arguably been Chelsea’s most successful player who has worn the number nine shirtHernan Crespo scored a respectable tally of 13 goals in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, but that wasnt enough to convince new manager Jose Mourinho in 2004.The Argentine joined AC Milan on loan after being surplus to requirements under Mourinho, who signed Didier Drogba.He returned to Chelsea and netted 13 times in their Premier League-winning 2005/06 season.Crespo joined Inter Milan on a two-year loan before leaving Chelsea after his contract expired in 2008.
Mateja Kezman – (5million from PSV in 2004)
9Mateja Kezman spent just one season at Stamford BridgeMateja Kezman was one of Jose Mourinhos first signings as Chelsea boss.But the Serbs playing time was limited by first-choice strikers Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen.He managed to score seven goals in 40 appearances before leaving the club after just one season.
Khalid Boulahrouz – (7million from Hamburg in 2006)
9Khalid Boulahrouz was a defenderIt was always strange seeing a right-back wear the number nine shirt. Khalid Boulahrouz was brought in to add competition to Paulo Ferreiras starting spot.He made 23 appearances in his debut season before being loaned to Sevilla for the 2007/08 campaign and joined Stuttgart on a permanent deal in 2009.
Steve Sidwell – (Free from Reading in 2007)
9Steve Sidwell struggled for first-team opportunities at ChelseaThe signing was just as odd as Steve Sidwell wearing the number nine shirt.The midfielder made 25 appearances, mostly as a substitute and was sold to Aston Villa for 5million in 2008.
Franco Di Santo – (3million from Audax Italiano in 2008)
9Franco Di Santo failed to start a game for ChelseaFranco Di Santo joined Chelsea as an 18-year-old and never started a game for the club.The Argentina striker failed to find the net in 16 substitute appearances.An unsuccessful loan to Blackburn followed before signing for Wigan for 2million in 2010.
Fernando Torres – (50million from Liverpool in 2011)
9The goals dried up for Fernando Torres at ChelseaChelsea broke the British transfer record to bring Fernando Torres to Stamford Bridge.The Spaniard was one of Europes most prolific strikers at the time, scoring 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool.Torres won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup with the Blues, while finding the net 46 times in 172 appearances.He could have been the long-term successor to Drogba, but his displays in a Chelsea shirt were far from convincing.He spent two seasons on loan at AC Milan and Atletico Madrid before joining the Serie A giants on a permanent deal in December 2014.
Radamel Falcao – (Season-long loan from Monaco in 2015)
9Radamel Falcao’s spell with Chelsea was hampered by injury setbacksDespite scoring just four goals at Manchester United in the 2014/15 season, Mourinho gave Radamel Falcao a Premier League lifeline.He was brought in as cover for Diego Costa and started just two games for Chelsea.The Colombia striker scored once in 12 appearances. Chelsea had an option to make the deal permanent, which obviously, they didnt take up.
Alvaro Morata – (60million from Real Madrid in 2017)
9Alvaro Morata is set to join Atletico Madrid on loanChelsea broke their club-record transfer fee to sign Morata, who had been prolific with Real Madrid and Juventus.The Spain international got off to a flying start, scoring eight goals in as many games, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Stoke City.But it went downhill from there.Morata lost his starting place to January signing Olivier Giroud and ended up ditching his number nine shirt. This wasnt because of Chelseas number nine curse, though, he changed numbers in honour of his twins birth.Now, following Higuains arrival, Morata is close to joining Atletico Madrid on loan.
The journey of Chelsea's number nine shirt has had a lot of highs and lows through the years. Its owners stretch from club legends to players that the fans may just want to forget. Bentley fired
Just one goal in twelve appearances brought a sharp end to his time at the club and he jumped at the chance to rejoin Monaco where he found his goalscoring form once more. He was only number nine for a short time, but it was forgettable. Fernando Torres. At £50m, Fernando Torres proved to be one of the poorest signings Chelsea ever made.
Fernando Torres: 0 stars on RateIt - Celebrity and Famous
Higuain is the latest striker to be awarded the number nine shirt at The curse of Chelsea's No.9: Torres, Morata & the flops Higuain will hope to avoid emulating with the likes of Fernando
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Many Chelsea fans think there is a curse on the number 9 shirt because of its recent history but if you look further back, beyond the Radamel Falcao's and the Hernan Crespo's, you do find some players who have made the shirt their own.
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Fernando Torres. The £50m signing from Liverpool was meant to be a seismic moment for Torres and Chelsea. Carlo Ancelotti did not give any of his players the number nine shirt on Chelsea's march to the league title but gave the cursed shirt to El Nino, the man seemingly born to sport the famous number.
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The history of Chelsea's cursed number nine shirt including Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao and more flops - talkSPORT 25 Jan 2019, 8:00 am The history of Chelsea's cursed number nine shirt including Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao and more flops talkSPORT
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The history of Chelsea's cursed number nine shirt including
Friday, 25 January 2019 Chelsea's number nine shirt has been handed to new signing Gonzalo Higuain. The number has been cursed at Stamford Bridge with the likes of Alvaro Morata, Radamel Falcao and Fernando Torres failing to perform.
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