Roman Abramovich – a name that is so dear to the fans of the football club Chelsea in London, because of the passion with which he directed proceedings. With the Russian at the helm, Chelsea had their most successful era, and the 19 years have laid a solid platform to build on.
Abramovich though is unlikely to be a part of the future of the club, after the UK government sanctioned him for his alleged links to Vladimir Putin, in the aftermath of Russia’s uncalled for and brutal attack on Ukraine.
As it stands, the Russian has been booted out of Chelsea, with the Premier League disqualifying him as a director. The club is also up for sale, with the UK government keen to ensure that none of the proceeds benefit the Russian millionaire.
From the looks of it, this is the end of the association between Abramovich and Chelsea, but the owner has left his mark, and matching up to that will be quite the task going forward. The Russian has also written off the 1.5 billion pound loans he made to the club.
The Early Years
In 2003, Abramovich became the first foreign owner in the Premier League when he bought the west-London club Chelsea, and since has turned them into an European powerhouse. Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich’s success with Chelsea made him one of the faces of Russian football, despite not being a major player in the domestic scene.
When the Russian took charge at Chelsea, they were not in the conversation for titles, but a couple of years down the line, and plenty of pounds later, a fifty-year wait ended as they won the Premier League title.
The Russian has invested heavily in the club, upwards of $1.99 billion according respected football business blogger Swiss Ramble, which has resulted in 21 trophies for the men’s team and 10 more for the women’s team in the last 19 years. After winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi last month, Chelsea has officially won every major trophy at the club's disposal.
The Russian bought the club from Ken Bates, and immediately went on a transfer spree in excess of £100m. Spending heavily on recruits would become a signature theme under Abramovich with star names a guarantee. Some of the big hitters in his first window were Claude Makelele, Damien Duff, Hernan Crespo, amongst others. The big hitters would follow, as would records and trophies, and the good memories.
The early years of the Abramovich era saw back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, with a certain Jose Mourinho making his presence felt in England, while the likes of Didier Drogba became iconic figures at the Bridge.
The Musical Chairs With Managers
Abramovich was ruthless when it came to replacing managers as he went on the hunt for more silverware and glory every year. Chelsea had begun dominating footballing conversations in UK soon after he took over, however, winning in Europe was another thing, but an extremely essential ingredient if the club wanted to become a powerhouse.
After Mourinho’s trophy filled stint ended in 2007, Chelsea saw five managers take up the hot seat, with each failing to deliver on the lofty ambitions. However, European success would come in 2012, with the unlikeliest of managers in Roberto Di Matteo, who was hired on interim basis and despite the success would soon be the next man out of the revolving door.
The pattern would continue as there would be seven managers of the course of the next phase of his reign, with the likes of Rafa Benitez, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Guus Hiddink and of course another stint for Mourinho. Currently, the men’s team is managed by Thomas Tuchel, who led them to the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Women’s Team
One of the highlights of the Abramovich reign will be his investment in the women’s team, which wasn’t a professional outfit earlier, and was brought under the same umbrella as the men's in 2004.
As was the case with the men’s team, the women’s team also saw plenty of transfers. That the owner cares for how the women’s team does is no secret, he has said that they are important to the club.
The team, who were amateur till as recently as 2013, has won 10 trophies in the Russian’s time in London, and have become a force to reckon with. And one of the key figures in the rise of the team has been Emma Hayes, the manager, who has been with the team since 2012, much unlike the pattern in the men’s team.
Chelsea has been making waves on a global level for some time now and the willingness to spend is a key factor in that. Last summer, for example, the Blues broke the women's world transfer record by signing Pernille Harder, while also adding superstars such as Sam Kerr and Melanie Leupolz to the squad.
English football had never seen anything like Abramovich, before he arrived in July in 2003, and since then the many have tried to follow his footsteps at other clubs around the globe. Is there scope for a reunion or is this the end of the Abramovich era?
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