Chelsea fans were pretty gutted when Manchester United somehow pulled a shock win out of the bag in the FA Cup final last May, condemning the Blues to a season in the Conference League rather than the Europa League.
But this competition is already throwing up some fun matches, and our opening game in the competition proper against Gent triggered a really fun storyline. Former Chelsea player Eidur Gudjohnsen remains very popular at Stamford Bridge, and he was intimately involved with it all.
His son Andri plays for Gent, so became the focus of attention the moment the draw was made. In a really fun interview with the Daily Mirror, he explains all.
Chelsea still treating their legends well
“When the European draw was made it was quite a moment and Andri immediately sent me a message. Five minutes later we were on the phone, talking about this match against Chelsea,” Gudjohnsen explained.
“Of course I was hoping my son’s team would get Chelsea because it would be a marvellous story and a fantastic experience for him and the lads. I still have so many connections at Chelsea and at least three or four times a year the club invites me to return as their guest.
“I always get top treatment there. The club really looks after me – even though my first-ever league title with Chelsea is now 20 seasons ago.”
It’s great to hear the club still know how to treat their legends. Gudjohnsen will always have a special place in our hearts as one of the players who bridged the gap between the Ken Bates and Roman Abramovich eras.
We didn’t get to see much of Andri in our game as our defence kept him under wraps, but the 22 year old is highly rated. It seems likely we see him back at the Bridge again one day…
