Juliano Belletti is another whose time with Chelsea will conclude at the end of this month, but before departing he shares with us two games he holds dear - one is a popular choice, the other a perfectly understandable one.
Favourite game played:
Club football comes no bigger than the Champions League Final, and the 34-year-old has been fortunate enough to play in two, though they ended in very different ways.
A last-minute sub against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008, the Brazilian converted his spot-kick in the penalty shootout but would end up on the losing side, a stark contrast to two years earlier in Paris, when his late strike completed a Barcelona comeback against 10-man Arsenal.
Madcap goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had been sent off for the Gunners early on, but defender Sol Campbell had headed them into a first-half lead that they looked like holding on to. That was until the introduction of the sub right-back.
Almost immediately Barça equalised as Henrik Larsson played in Samuel Eto'o, and four minutes later it was the turn of the future Chelsea man to have a go at goal, and he takes up the story.
'It is different,' he smiles. 'Individually the Champions League was the most special game because I scored, if I had not scored being at the World Cup would be the best. I came on with 20 minutes to go, and in 10 minutes I scored.
'You never imagine things around the game, just to play well. Frank Rijkaard told me, "Try to go forward, be offensive, try to cross", because we were losing.
'Then at 1-1, you never imagine a right-back makes a diagonal run inside, but I am Brazilian. When I touched the ball to Larsson in this direction, normally the right back follows the pass outside, but I saw the space between the defenders, and of course it was a perfect pass from Larsson.'
Belletti carried on the run and smashed the ball between Manuel Almunia's legs to win the game for the Catalans.
Favourite game watched:
A year prior to Paris, the Champions League Final had taken place in Istanbul, and present was Belletti's future manager at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti.
His Milan side raced into a 3-0 first-half lead against Liverpool, courtesy of a goal from Paolo Maldini and two from Hernan Crespo, on loan from Chelsea.
What followed was unthinkable, as Liverpool scored three in six minutes through Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, before goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek made an incredible save from Andriy Shevchenko (another future Chelsea man) and then saved three penalties as Liverpool became European champions.
'Liverpool against Milan. I was watching on TV at home, it was a final, and it just goes to prove that you never can give up,' Belletti says. 'Even if your opponent has some of the best players in the world you always have a chance to change everything.'
Favourite game played:
Club football comes no bigger than the Champions League Final, and the 34-year-old has been fortunate enough to play in two, though they ended in very different ways.
A last-minute sub against Manchester United in Moscow in 2008, the Brazilian converted his spot-kick in the penalty shootout but would end up on the losing side, a stark contrast to two years earlier in Paris, when his late strike completed a Barcelona comeback against 10-man Arsenal.
Madcap goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had been sent off for the Gunners early on, but defender Sol Campbell had headed them into a first-half lead that they looked like holding on to. That was until the introduction of the sub right-back.
Almost immediately Barça equalised as Henrik Larsson played in Samuel Eto'o, and four minutes later it was the turn of the future Chelsea man to have a go at goal, and he takes up the story.
'It is different,' he smiles. 'Individually the Champions League was the most special game because I scored, if I had not scored being at the World Cup would be the best. I came on with 20 minutes to go, and in 10 minutes I scored.
'You never imagine things around the game, just to play well. Frank Rijkaard told me, "Try to go forward, be offensive, try to cross", because we were losing.
'Then at 1-1, you never imagine a right-back makes a diagonal run inside, but I am Brazilian. When I touched the ball to Larsson in this direction, normally the right back follows the pass outside, but I saw the space between the defenders, and of course it was a perfect pass from Larsson.'
Belletti carried on the run and smashed the ball between Manuel Almunia's legs to win the game for the Catalans.
Favourite game watched:
A year prior to Paris, the Champions League Final had taken place in Istanbul, and present was Belletti's future manager at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti.
His Milan side raced into a 3-0 first-half lead against Liverpool, courtesy of a goal from Paolo Maldini and two from Hernan Crespo, on loan from Chelsea.
What followed was unthinkable, as Liverpool scored three in six minutes through Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, before goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek made an incredible save from Andriy Shevchenko (another future Chelsea man) and then saved three penalties as Liverpool became European champions.
'Liverpool against Milan. I was watching on TV at home, it was a final, and it just goes to prove that you never can give up,' Belletti says. 'Even if your opponent has some of the best players in the world you always have a chance to change everything.'
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