Former Chelsea player Demba Ba has opende up about his time with the club under Rafa Benitez, who was not admired by the Blues fans.
Ba joined Chelsea for just £7 million under the Spaniard back in 2013 and scored some key goals at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to the Athletic, Ba discussed his time under Benitez and admitted that it was 'weird'.
“It was weird because Rafa was getting booed by the Chelsea supporters at every game,” Ba said. “To see your manager getting booed all the time is crazy. But he stayed focused. He managed to get us into the Champions League, we finished third, he won the Europa League, and we went to two semi-finals in the domestic cups. So he must have been good.”
Although Chelsea lifted a European trophy under Benitez just a year after their Champions League victory, the Spaniard was never taken on by Chelsea fans due to his connections with Liverpool and previous comments made about the club in the past.
Ba was inelegible for the tournament, having played in the competition for Newcastle that season but still received a medal as he played frequently in the league for Chelsea, with Fernando Torres being utilised in the Europa League.
“They give you the medal, and I don’t want it, because I hadn’t played. It took me a while, six years perhaps, to consider myself a winner." Ba admitted.
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