Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 23 Jersey Ever

Jersey numbers are an important part of football, icons have blazed their trails all while adorned by a familiar number on their back. While kit numbers used to jump around, they have since settled down, which in some cases leads to a who’s who having a claim to a single digit. For some clubs steeped in history, they won’t have had just one notable player wearing a particular number, which is why in this, we’ll be looking at the best Chelsea players to ever wear the number 23 jersey.

Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 23 Jersey of All Time

Dmitri Kharine

Before there was Petr Cech there were some interesting goalkeepers in the Chelsea ranks during their progress up the table in the 90s. Ed de Goey was eventually the man to lead them into the millenium but before him Dmitri Kharine made the number one spot his own with some impressive displays over the years.

He won a number of trophies during his time with the team and was the shot-stopper who helped them make the semi-final in European Competitions after an extended absence. He played 146 matches for the side, keeping 51 clean sheets.

Trevoh Chalobah

There’s something about Trevoh Chalobah and his never say die attitude. Against all odds he’s carved out a successful career after coming through Cobham. He’s dealt with loans, managerial changes, an ownership change, and yet he has come through it all to boast over 100 senior appearances for Chelsea.

He is a UEFA Super Cup winner, FA Cup winner, Club World Cup winner, Conference League winner, and won multiple trophies at youth level. Not many would turn down the career Chalobah has had despite all the ups and downs.

Jody Morris

Another academy graduate, Morris came through as a homegrown for the Blues and spent a number of years in and around the first team. The midfielder broke through into the first team and was part of the transitional period before Roman Abramovich, where the club became contenders.

He won the FA Cup, Super Cup, and Cup Winners’ Cup and played 173 times for the senior team, a real achievement for any homegrown talent even during his playing days.

Conor Gallagher

Possibly a controversial inclusion as Gallagher’s times in the first team coincided with some of the worst seasons in club history, but it wasn’t all his fault. Despite the low points, he made almost 100 appearances for the senior squad and played in a League Cup final.

Carlo Cudicini

Carlo Cudicini had the difficult job of competing with the aforementioned De Goey, and later Cech. During the few years where he was the main man, he was an impressive shot-stopper, winning the Players’ Player of the Year award in 2002 and the ITV Goalkeeper of the Season honours in the same term.

His stats are impressive too, he kept 101 clean sheets in 216 appearances, only letting in 184 goals. As his time with the Blues went on he was used largely to back up Cech and was always ready to perform when the spotlight was on.

This mentality and longevity allowed him to be part of two Premier League winning squads, two FA Cup winning campaigns, and he also added two League Cup wins to his trophy cabinet before his departure.