The £173million Chelsea team that Enzo Maresca can thank for Club World Cup entry including ‘bomb squad' member
Cole Palmer was on target twice before laying on an assist for new boy Joao Pedro in a first half blitz against the 2025 Champions League winners.
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Chelsea's path to lifting the Club World Cup was laid out for them four years ago
Credit: Getty
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But only one player from then still remains a key part of Chelsea
Credit: Getty
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Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup in 2021 by winning the Champions League
Credit: Getty
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The likes of Mason Mount departed for big money in the years following the triumph
Credit: Getty
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Timo Werner was among the first players from that team to leave
Credit: Getty
But ironically, the Blues victory in New Jersey's MetLife stadium in front of 80,000 fans, including US President Donald Trump, can be traced back to the efforts of a £173million team of 11 stars.
Chelsea's qualification for this tournament was likely one of the last things on the mind of everyone involved with the club when Kai Havertz scored the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2021.
Yet that team led by Thomas Tuchel unwittingly laid the groundwork for the Stamford Bridge outfit to be named world champions four years on.
And yet a lot has happened since then, with only one star surviving from that starting XI in Portugal to the starting XI in America under Enzo Maresca.
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That sole survivor is Reece James, who has gone from marauding wing-back to midfield dynamo and is now the club captain.
Opposite wing-back Ben Chilwell is the only other player still at the club, though he has been deemed surplus to requirements since last summer and is included in the so-called "bomb squad" of players the club are trying to sell.
Everyone else has left, whether that be by way of transfer or free agency.
The team actually stayed together for the entirety of the next season, before three stars; Timo Werner (£25m), Jorginho (£12m) and Antonio Rudiger (free), departed for pastures new following the arrival of owner Todd Boehly.
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With plenty of upheaval off the pitch for the club, five more of the team left, including the winning goalscoring and assisting pair of Havertz and Mason Mount for a combined £120m to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also left that year to go to Al-Ahli for £16m, while fan favourites N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta joined Al-Ittihad and Atletico Madrid respectively on free transfers.
Cole Palmer and Chelsea celebrate in style as they arrive back at their hotel after Club World Cup victory
Last summer saw the most recent permanent departure of the Champions League winning team as Thiago Silva finally called time on his Blues career to return home to Brazilian side Fluminense.
Chilwell is expected to follow suit this summer after going on loan to Crystal Palace during the winter transfer window.
But in terms of the current Blues squad, they continue to progress by leaps and bounds and you would not bet against them challenging for the Premier League next year.
They have already completed a £51m deal to add Jamie Gittens, with Noni Madueke set to join Arsenal in a £52m deal.
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36 minutes ago
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