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Chelsea have won the Premier League!
And while everyone concentrates on the trophy itself, the memento that the players and the staff get to actually take home with them is the winners’ medal. But who all gets to do so? Even though we did this just two years ago, there’s plenty of confusion regarding the rules.
So, who will get a winners’ medal?
Short answer: everyone. And that includes players and staff as well. Just like two years ago.
Long answer: Premier League rules allocate 40 medals to the winning team. The only stipulation for their distribution is that every player with at least 5 appearances for the season gets one. The team can distribute the remaining medals as we see fit and commission additional replicas (at our own cost) just as in 2014-15. Teams can theoretically apply for more than 40 if they have more than 39 players meet the 5-match minimum, but that’s an unlikely scenario (Chelsea used 23 players this season).
Rule C.13:
The League Champions shall further receive 40 commemorative medals to be presented by the Club to its Manager and to such of its Players and Officials as it thinks fit provided that any Player who has entered the field of play in a minimum of five of its League Matches that Season shall receive from the Club a commemorative medal. Additional medals may only be presented with the consent of the Board which shall only be given if the total number of Players who have entered the field of play that Season in a minimum of five of the Club’s League Matches exceeds 39.
-source: Premier League 2016-17 Handbook
The players who made at least one appearance for Chelsea this season in the Premier League (including a couple who left in January) are:
1. Asmir Begović
2. Branislav Ivanović
3. Marcos Alonso
4. Cesc Fàbregas
5. Kurt Zouma
6. Nathan Aké
7. N’Golo Kanté
8. Oscar
10. Eden Hazard
11. Pedro
13. Thibaut Courtois
14. Ruben Loftus-Cheek
15. Victor Moses
16. Kenedy
19. Diego Costa
21. Nemanja Matić
22. Willian
23. Michy Batshuayi
24. Gary Cahill
26. John Terry
28. César Azpilicueta
29. Nathaniel Chalobah
30. David Luiz
34. Ola Aina
Third goalkeeper Eduardo will probably get one, too ... and possibly Mikel John Obi and Charly Musonda, too, even though none of them made appearances beyond the training ground.