Wednesday, 23 August 23, 2022, makes exactly 10 years since Cesar Azpilicueta arrived at Chelsea from Olympique de Marseille.
Chelsea paid £7 million for the Spanish international. Since his arrival from Marseille, the 32-year-old had grown to become one of the influential leaders at the North London club.
Cesar was named the substantive captain for Chelsea’s senior men’s team ahead of the 2019/2020 season following the departure of Gary Cahill to Crystal Palace.
The 32-year-old has made 497 appearances for Chelsea scoring 17 goals in the process. He has also made 327 Premier League outings for Chelsea. The fourth most in the Club’s history, only John Terry (492), Frank Lampard (429), and Petr Cech (333) have more Premier League appearances for Chelsea than him.
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Azpilicueta has also won the Champions League, two Europa League, two Premier League, The UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
In celebrating his 10 years at Chelsea, Chelsea will release a film on Wednesday celebrating his achievements at the Club. The film contains interviews with former and current Chelsea players who shared moments with him and hailed his excellent leadership skills.
What did John Terry and Thiago Silva say about Cesar Azpilicueta?
Reflecting on Cesar Azpilicueta’s work ethic and the immediate impact he had on one team, John Terry told the Chelsea media, saying: “When he first came into the club, he made a big impression within the group.
“His attitude on a day-to-day basis in training was, I have to say, one of the best I came across in my entire football career.
“His work ethic was incredible. He would get in the gym before training, then get in early and have his breakfast – the preparation was superb.
“He was a role model to not only the older players, but also the youngsters in our Academy, and he’s still doing that today. He’s a credit to Chelsea.”
Thiago Silva also hailed Cesar Azpilicueta’s influence on him and indicated his loyalty is something worth emulating.
“He is someone that inspires me because it isn’t easy to spend so many years at a huge club like Chelsea. I spent eight years at Paris Saint-Germain and even I thought that was a lot,” The 37-year-old added.
“Azpi has done 10 years here. I think we need to follow examples like these of people with this integrity. He only deserves the best.
“When you do things right, only good things will come of it. There is no way around it. He is reaping the rewards now because he did things right.
“He is a unique guy that I am proud to say he is my friend.”
The Spanish international ended summer-long speculations of leaving Chelsea for Barcelona by signing two years contract extension with Chelsea.
Barcelona was keen on signing both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta this summer. The Spanish club is on the course of signing Marcos Alonso and Chelsea is including Marcos Alonso in their bid for Gabonese international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
