Jimmy Floyd HASSELBAINK

Chelsea had tried to sign the prolific Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink when he left Leeds United in the summer of 1999, but the Yorkshire side were reluctant to sell to a potential title rival, and so Jimmy spent a year with Atletico Madrid prior to joining the Blues for a record-busting £15m the following summer. A goal on his debut at Wembley (the photo above is during the game), as Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 to lift the Charity Shield, gave an early indication of the good times ahead, and a penalty won and converted six days later sent the Blues on their way to a 4-2 opening day Premiership triumph over West Ham.

However, the Londoners' early form was patchy, and manager Gianluca Vialli was sacked after just five games, one of which was a clash with Arsenal in which Jimmy opened the scoring with a low drive, but which finished level despite Chelsea leading 2-0 with just 15 minutes remaining. Claudio Ranieri, the man who had signed him for Atletico Madrid, took over the reins and Jimmy was soon into his stride. An outrageous strike in a 3-3 draw at Manchester United was followed a month later by a four-goal haul in a 6-1 victory over Coventry, and a brace against Spurs in a 3-0 win a week later.

If the supporters' opinion was divided over Jimmy during his first Stamford Bridge campaign - many felt that his single-mindedness in front of goal was detrimental to the team as a whole, although he topped both the club's goal scoring and goal assists charts that season - there could be no doubting his goals tally. 23 strikes from 35 League appearances was an outstanding return from the muscular striker, and included further displays of powerful shooting allied to some more subtle finishes such as those in late-season victories over Derby County and Everton, and a fine two-goal salvo which earned the Blues a draw at Liverpool. (Kelvin Barker).

 Any lingering doubts over Jimmy's abilities as a team player were undoubtedly laid to rest throughout the 2001/02 season as he formed a quite stunning strike partnership with Eidur Gudjohnsen. Their lethal combination spawned a total of 52 goals in all competitions, and Jimmy matched identically his previous season's Premiership record of 23 goals from 35 appearances. Early season braces at Tottenham, a 3-2 win, and in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough were followed by a brief goal drought which he broke with a low shot past Fabien Barthez as the Blues won 3-0 at Old Trafford.

However, it was in the cup competitions that Chelsea particularly caught the eye that year. An excellent League Cup run saw the Blues reach the semi-finals, and Jimmy seemed to have set up a trip to Cardiff with an outstanding two-goal performance in the first leg against Tottenham. Sadly, the Blues capitulated embarrassingly in the return, and a 5-1 defeat was compounded by Jimmy being mistakenly sent-off after the dreadlocked Mario Melchiot lashed out at Teddy Sheringham. Chelsea's revenge came six weeks later as they returned to White Hart Lane for an FA Cup quarter-final tie and hammered their hosts 4-0 (a scoreline that was repeated in a league clash three days later, in which Jimmy scored a truly memorable hat-trick).

The Dutchman failed to find the net in the Cup clash but had scored stunning goals in both of the games which were needed to dispose of West Ham in the fourth round, and also found the net against Preston in the following round. The Blues reached the final after a 1-0 semi-final victory over West London rivals Fulham but Jimmy, injured in the warm-up at Middlesbrough in the penultimate league game of the campaign, was clearly not fit and was forced off early as Arsenal lifted the cup with a 2-0 win. (Kelvin Barker).

 Jimmy's injury at the end of the previous season required surgery in the summer of 2003 and he subsequently missed much of pre-season (ironically the same fate befell his strike partner Gudjohnsen). He clearly struggled for fitness throughout what was a fine season for the club, with Gianfranco Zola turning back the clock to perform spectacularly as cash-strapped Chelsea, unfancied as the season began, clinched an unlikely Champions League spot. Jimmy was in the team as the season began but had already been 'rested' twice before he struck his first goal of the season, the opening goal of a UEFA Cup clash with Norway's Viking Stavanger.

A stunning finish past Peter Schmeichel of Manchester City was very much in the Hasselbaink mould and a spell of four goals in three games, including three in two consecutive matches against Everton in the League Cup and Premiership respectively, looked to have put Jimmy firmly back on course. However, he continued to be restricted by his injury and his return of just 15 goals from 44 appearances in all competitions was disappointing. The summer takeover of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and the massive spending spree that ensued, fuelled speculation that Jimmy might be surplus to requirements for the 2003/04 season, but he reacted superbly and again finished the season as the club's top scorer, despite regular absences in order to accommodate big-money signings such as Adrian Mutu and Hernan Crespo. A late winning goal as a second-half substitute at Liverpool on the opening day of the season was the catalyst for an early season run of goals which included his first Champions League goal, in a qualifying tie against MSK Zilina, and winners against Aston Villa and Manchester City. His new 'running man' celebration was also in evidence as he struck with a quite stunning shot in a League Cup tie against Notts County.

A steady flow of Premiership goals throughout the winter - the pick of them being a magnificent back-heel finish at Leicester - were preceded by a classy finish in a Champions League group match against Turkish side Besiktas, which set Chelsea on their way to an impressive 2-0 win, and as the European campaign wore on Jimmy became a more crucial part of Ranieri's Champions League strategy. He was in the side ahead of Crespo as the Blues clinched a famous quarter-final victory at Arsenal, and also started the ill-fated semi-final second-leg against Monaco, a game which proved to be his last for the club as he picked up an injury which brought his season to an end. Appropriately, Jimmy's last goal for Chelsea came in a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane, taking his Premiership record for the Blues against Tottenham to an impressive 10 goals in 8 games - a figure that will ensure he maintains his popularity amongst the Chelsea faithful for many years to come. However, with a year remaining on his contract, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reached a settlement with Chelsea in June 2004 which allowed him to leave the club as a free agent. (Kelvin Barker)