Roberto DI MATTEO

A club-record £4.9 million signing from Lazio in the summer of 1996, Swiss-born, Italian international Roberto Di Matteo was relatively unknown to many Chelsea supporters but the news that his departure had sparked riots outside Lazio's headquarters suggested that The Blues had acquired a highly talented footballer. He made his name in Italy as a defensive midfielder but given more attacking licence by the 'sexy football' of Ruud Gullit's management, he soon demonstrated that he had a very impressive eye for goal indeed. 'Robbie' made his debut in a 0-0 draw at Southampton on the opening day of the 1996/97 season and three days later struck the late winner against Middlesbrough. With Eddie Newton taking on the more defensive role in midfield, Di Matteo became a regular goal scorer and his outrageous celebrations now have a place in Chelsea folklore. Noted for his coolness, both on and off the pitch, he demonstrated his composure against Liverpool on New Years Day 1997 when he picked up a loose pass and raced clear before calmly sliding the ball past David James for the only goal of the game.

However, he was also a powerful striker of the ball and he scored with stunning long-range efforts at Tottenham and Leicester, the latter coming in an FA Cup tie. Chelsea beat Leicester in a replay and progressed to the final where Robbie sealed his place in history by scoring the fastest goal in a Wembley cup final, his magnificent strike after 42 seconds sending Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough to lift their first major trophy in 26 years (see pictures above). Di Matteo's second season with the club was perhaps even better than his first. He scored another long-range stunner in an early season clash at Wimbledon and found the net regularly as Chelsea challenged for both domestic and European honours. Robbie scored the first and last goals of Chelsea's Coca-Cola cup campaign, the first coming against Blackburn and the last being the goal which sealed another 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley as The Blues won their second trophy in a year.

He had also scored an absolute screamer in the semi-final second leg against Arsenal. Chelsea also won the European Cup Winners Cup that season, Robbie scoring three times en-route to the final in Stockholm where he played a starring role in a 1-0 victory over Stuttgart. A poor run after Christmas left Chelsea adrift of the title-chasing pack and they eventually finished fourth, Di Matteo scoring four times including a superb finish in a 3-1 win over Coventry and a header as Chelsea hit Tottenham for six at White Hart Lane, winning 6-1. (Kelvin Barker)

Chelsea made a concerted challenge for the Premiership title in 1998/99. Roberto was a regular starter but was forced to miss out on occasions as Gianluca Vialli chose to rotate his squad. The Blues were top of the table at Christmas but, surprisingly, Di Matteo failed to find the net until January. However, his first goal of the season could not have been better struck, or better timed, as he lashed home a loose ball with the last kick of the game to beat Coventry City 2-1 and return Chelsea to the top of the table. Playing as a substitute, he scored the only goal of the FA Cup 5th round clash with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough but in the next round he was the victim of an appalling refereeing decision by Paul Durkin as he was sent-off before half-time at Old Trafford for two innocuous sliding tackles in atrocious conditions. After serving a one-match ban, he returned to score the only goal of the game at Charlton in a crucial match for both sides. Chelsea were eventually the season's nearly-men, finishing third in the League and being knocked out of the Cup Winners Cup in the semi-final.

However, Robbie did pick up a winners medal in the European Super Cup as The Blues beat a star-studded Real Madrid side 1-0 in Monaco. His final full season at Stamford Bridge looked destined to be the most disappointing of his career. He began the season on the substitute's bench and his first League start didn't come until the end of October. Niggling injuries and lack of form restricted his appearances until early spring when he suddenly bounced back with a run of solid performances on the right of midfield, scoring two League goals, both coming in the last two home games, 2-0 and 4-0 victories over Liverpool and Derby respectively. He was a regular substitute during Chelsea's impressive run to the European Champions League quarter-finals and created Dennis Wise's equaliser against AC Milan in the San Siro. Di Matteo's difficult season had one last highlight, an appearance in the FA Cup Final against Aston Villa, and the man with the Wembley Midas touch came up trumps again by scoring the only goal of the game to become the last Cup Final goal scorer at the original Venue of Legends.

One of the few consolations of Chelsea's troubled start to the next campaign was the return to form of Di Matteo. He had played in the Charity Shield triumph over Manchester United (see photo above by Mark Mecklenburgh © G.H.) and had started in each of The Blues' ten competitive matches up to and including the UEFA Cup clash with St Gallen in Zurich. For half an hour he was the game's outstanding player but an accidental collision led to an awful leg-break for the man back playing in the country of his birth. It was an injury which could not be suitably repaired and eighteen months later Robbie was forced to retire, knowing that his place in Chelsea, and Wembley, history is permanently sealed. (Kelvin Barker)