N’Golo Kanté reaches 200 Chelsea appearances as César Azpilicueta closes in on Top 10 all-time

As we approach Chelsea FC’s 116th birthday (March 10), we are delighted to add the 93rd player to the 200-appearance club. By coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes in yesterday’s important 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid, N’Golo Kanté has become the newest member of that exclusive collection of legends and heroes.

(He’s probably the only one among the 93 to play each one of his games with a shy smile on his face, while heartlessly and amusingly ruining the days of opposing midfielders.)

Congrats, NG!

Kanté’s 4.5 years at the club have been filled with plenty of wins and smiles and trophies indeed, and hopefully that will be the case for a few more years to come!

Meanwhile, we’re approaching another major milestone in club history, with current club captain César Azpilicueta now just two (2!) appearances away from becoming tenth on the all-time appearances list.

The start last night was his 409th appearance for the club, putting him level with John Bumstead. The next one will be No. 410, same as Eddie McCreadie, currently in tenth. Kerry Dixon (420) and Steve Clarke (421) are within reaching distance as well, which could (should) see Azpi finish the season in 8th place on the list!

No wonder Thomas Tuchel recently called him “everything Chelsea”!

Here’s the complete list of all 137 players who have reached at least 150 appearances in club history. This list is mostly based on The Chels Wiki, which I’ve referenced many times over the years, but which unfortunately hasn’t been updated in almost three years.