Chelsea and Champions DNA

Peanut butter and jelly. Fish and chips. Lock and key. Chelsea and Champions. Plenty of things in life just mesh so well together it becomes synonymous. Victory in the Europa League final in Baku continued to further cement the pairing of Chelsea and winning trophies.

We ain’t got no history, as the jealous, severely misguided chant goes. Chelsea of course have had a rich history of winning, even prior to the Roman Era. In the last two decades, it's become part of the club's DNA.

It's Chelsea's fifth European trophy, same as Manchester United. Chelsea won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup twice, in 1970-71 and 1997-98, its successor, the Europa League, twice, in 2012-13 and 2018-19, and of course the Champions League in 2011-12.

Becoming a Champion isn’t easy. One key component is veteran leadership. This win featured two players with massive Champion pedigrees. David Luiz and Pedro played a big role not only in not just tonight, but throughout the competition.

David Luiz was a rock at the back, fresh two-year contract renewal in hand. He was able to suss out trouble with quiet efficiency. Always the wildcard, good Luiz showed up today when we needed him.

This is his third European trophy with Chelsea, starting all three of them, even when injured.

“We had some ups and downs but we have improved a lot and learned a lot this season. We finished well and won a trophy. It is my third title in Europe with Chelsea, they believe in my game.”

-David Luiz, source: Football.London

And then there's Big Game Pedro, for whom winning is "never boring".

At age 31, he has experienced it all. He’s practically won every major European title available. The Europa League was the one piece he was missing.

Once Barcelona's "lucky charm", he's now leading by example at Chelsea, showing the younger players what winning is all about.

“It is unbelievable and it is another goal and another European final. The best thing was the team work today. It is another trophy and I am happy to win another title and I think we deserve it because we were the best team in the tournament.

Pedro, Source: Football.London

Chelsea and Champions. FOUR all that has transpired this season, all the drama, all the tribulations… ONE thing that we can all be happy with is winning the trophy.

(And doing so at the expense of Arsenal, HA HA.)