César Azpilicueta: Chelsea Player 2012 to 2023

Spanish defender César Azpilicueta was signed for Chelsea from Olympique de Marseille on the 24th of August 2012. He cost the Blues around £7 million, although the actual fee paid was undisclosed. Regardless, however much the club paid proved to be a bargain, with the Spaniard going on to make more than 500 appearances for the West London club and winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup before departing for Atlético Madrid in 2023. Wearing number 28, Azpilicueta served as the vice-captain before being made captain in 2019.

César Azpilicueta’s Honours as a Chelsea Player

Who is César Azpilicueta?

Born César Azpilicueta Tanco on the 28th of August 1989 in the Spanish municipality of Zizur Mayor, Azpilicueta joined his hometown club of CA Osasuna as a youth player. He made his first La Liga appearance on the eighth of April 2007, coming on in a 2-0 away loss to Real Madrid whilst he was still part of the reserve team setup. Initially he played as a forward, making the switch to midfield and later going on to play in the middle, as a centre-back and as a full-back. It was during the 2007-2008 season that he began to make regular appearances for Osasuna, playing as a right-back in order to cover for injuries at just 18-years-old.

The following season, Azpilicueta continued to play as a right-back and only missed two games, which persuaded Olympique de Marseille to spend €7 million to take him to France on a four-year contract. He scored the only goal in his Champions League debut, but in late November he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, sidelining him for six months. He retuned in mid-May 2012, scoring a goal against Auxerre in Ligue 1, which was his only goal in the French league. That was enough for Chelsea to become interested in him, with Marseille saying they’d let him leave if a ‘fair offer’ came in for his services.

Playing for Chelsea

The deal to take César Azpilicueta to Stamford Bridge was completed on the 24th of August 2012, for a rumoured fee of £7 million. The fact that his surname was difficult to pronounce meant that some Chelsea supporters took to calling him by the amusing name of ‘Dave’. His debut for the Blues came on the 25th of September when he started a 6-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup. He was a substitute for Branislav Ivanović in the PremierLeague a week later during a 4-1 win over Norwich City. On the third of November he got his first league start, which came in a 1-1 draw away to Swansea City.

His first season at Stamford Bridge was a successful one, with fellow Spaniard Rafael Benítez managing the club to victory in the UEFA Europa League. He was responsible for a brief moment of tension in the final, with the defender’s handball giving Benfica a penalty that they scored, but Chelsea went on to win 2-1. When José Mourinho returned to the club, Azpilicueta was regularly used as a left-back as a replacement for Ashley Cole. He was voted as the Players’ Player of the Year at the end of the 2013-2014 season. In the September of 2014, Chelsea signed the Spanish player up to a new five-year contract, keeping him tied down until 2019.

Azpilicueta the Chelsea Captain

Azpilicueta started for Chelsea in the League Cup final in 2015, which they won, with the Blues also going on to win the title for the first time in five years at the end of the campaign. When Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge, he initially used the player as a left-back but made him into a centre-back when he changed to a back three. In the December of 2013 the Spaniard signed another new contract, this time seeing him remain at the club until 2020. He played every minute of the domestic league campaign, which Chelsea won, including scoring in a 4-3 win over Watford. When John Terry left in 2017, Gary Cahill was made captain and Azpilicueta became vice-captain.

On the 19th of May 2018, the Spanish defender won the FA Cup for the first time when Chelsea defeated Manchester United 1-0. Another new deal followed, with Chelsea winning the Europa League for the second time during his time at the club when they defeated Arsenal at the Baku Olympic Stadium, with Azpilicueta acting as captain due to Cahill’s absence. When Cahill left Chelsea in the summer of 2019, the decision was taken to offer the captain’s role to Azpilicueta on a full-time basis. On the first of January 2020, Azpilicueta played his 100th game as Chelsea captain, being named Man of the Match in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Having played in the FA Cup final against Arsenal, giving away a penalty and getting injured towards the end of the game, Azpilicueta went on to become just the 13th player to play 400 games for Chelsea. That came in a March against Manchester City on the third of January 2021. On the 29th of May, the Spaniard led Chelsea out in the Champions League final against Manchester City, helping them to keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. On the 28th of August he set another milestone, making his 300th Premier League appearance for the Blues and being just the fourth player to manage that for the club.

Leaving Chelsea

A sign of how well-respected Azpilicueta was came in the October of 2021 when he was one of five Chelsea players that were included in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or. A few months later and he won the FIFA Club World Cup, having already won the UEFA Super Cup. That meant that he became the only Chelsea player to have won every major trophy with the club. At the start of August 2022, the Spaniard signed another new contract, this time until 2024. He went passed Petr Čech as the non-Englishman with the most appearances when he played his 495th game for the Blues on the first of January 2023.

When he played his 500th game for Chelsea in the 21st of January 2023, he became the first foreign player to reach the landmark with the London side and just the sixth player overall. In a game between the Blues and Southampton on the 18th of February, Sékou Mara attempted an overhead kick and missed the ball, kicking Azpilicueta in the head and knocking him unconscious. He was rushed to hospital after the incident. A few months later and it was confirmed that he would be leaving the club, sharing a video message on Chelsea’s social media that he signed off by saying, “Your captain Cesar Azpilicueta, aka ‘Dave'”.

Azpilicueta left Chelsea having reached sixth on the list of all-time appearances, playing 508 times in all competitions. Only John Hollins, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Peter Bonetti and Ron Harris played more times than the Spaniard. He returned to La Liga 13 years after leaving Osasuna, joining Atlético Madrid. He left Chelsea on a free transfer, proving his absolute value to the club given how relatively cheap he was to sign in the first place. His debut for the side came on the 14th of August during a 3-1 win against Granada, which helped the club to a fourth-place finish in the Spanish top-flight.