There are few players who can say that they have worn the colours of Real Madrid
and both of the Milan giants, but Christian Panucci is one. He was a member of Real's
defence which was breached by Gustavo Poyet's late goal which won the 1998
European Super Cup for Chelsea, and two years later joined the Stamford Bridge
club on a season-long loan deal from Inter Milan. Italian international defenders tend
to me amongst the most reliable around and it was music to the ears of the Blues
supporters when the 27-year-old Panucci announced on signing: 'I want to stay here
for two, three or four years'. Two, three or four weeks might have been more appropriate.
He made his debut in a 4-2 defeat of West Ham on the opening day of the 2000/01 season,
playing at centre-half in place of Frank Leboeuf who had been dropped by manager Gianluca Vialli
for a disciplinary matter. Panucci was replaced by the Frenchman for Chelsea's next game
but subsequently returned to the side at right-back for a spell. Having won the FA Cup at the end
of the previous season, and having strengthened the squad with the acquisitions of
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Mario Stanic in the summer, Chelsea made a
poor start to the new campaign and Vialli was axed after just five games. His assistant,
Graham Rix, took charge for the first match post-Vialli, a UEFA Cup tie against Swiss minnows St. Gallen,
and watched as Panucci lobbed the only goal of the game at a half-empty, disillusioned Stamford Bridge,
but there were already many amongst the Blues faithful who were finding it hard to warm to the Italian
and, in particular, his regular acts of petulance.
Hard-line manager Claudio Ranieri was recruited and kept faith with his compatriot for just two games,
substituting him at half-time of a calamitous 2-0 second-leg defeat against St Gallen. To the acclaim of
the Chelsea supporters, Ranieri turned again to the ever-reliable Albert Ferrer and Panucci became
something of a forgotten man. He returned at Southampton in November but Chelsea lost 3-2 and
Christian was never selected again. In January 2001, to the relief of everybody concerned, Panucci's
loan deal was switched to French side Monaco. However, to his credit, and to the amazement of all
those who witnessed his performances for the Blues, he soon returned home to play for Roma and
re-established himself in the Italian national side, featuring throughout their 2002 World Cup campaign.
(Kelvin Barker)