Chelsea FC has won numerous major honors in its near 120-years history. The English side has won multiple Football League First Division/ English Premier League titles, eight FA Cups, five EFL/Football League Cups, four FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shields, and two Full Members’ Cups. The Blues are however also considered to be late bloomers having won most of their eight European titles over the past decade or so. That nevertheless doesn’t take away from the fact that they are one of the most successful clubs in England and indeed the world by virtue of being the only one to have won all three major European (UEFA) titles twice.
What trophy did Chelsea FC win for the first time in 2012? Chelsea FC won the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time in 2012. The victory remains to be one of the most memorable in the recent past as Chelsea’s opponents, Bayern Munich, were heavy favorites to clinch the title that season and even had home ground advantage as the match was held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Early Struggles & A Missed Opportunity
Chelsea’s rise to prominence is nothing if not inspiring. The English club had mixed fortunes since its inception in 1905, regularly traversing between the top flight and second tier of the now-defunct Football League.
Despite having one of the largest fanbases in England and managing to sign top players throughout its first decades of existence, the club failed to get over the hump and only managed a pair of FA Cup semi-final appearances and one finals appearance.
The club’s first opportunity at European football came in the form of an invite to the first edition of the European Cup in 1955. England’s football governing body, the Football Association (FA) however voted to deny the five-time EPL champions entry into the competition over what is believed to have been either reservation that the competition would be a distraction to domestic football or xenophobic policies enforced by a senior FA official.
Chelsea did get their first taste at European football three years later against former Danish side Copenhagen XI after being invited to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup which was somewhat inadequate compensation for the golden opportunity they missed.
The Rebirth
From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Chelsea faced a slew of problems with the biggest one being significant financial challenges after a bid to redevelop their home ground, Stamford Bridge, all but depleted their coffers. The team’s form also suffered after a number of its top players were sold in an attempt to minimize their wage bill.
At its lowest point in 1982, the club was sold for £1 to former owner Ken Bates, who managed to steady the ship and even regain ownership of Stamford Bridge from property owners who threatened to take the stadium away from the club.
Rather than learn from his predecessor’s shortcomings, Bates himself embarked on an ill-timed project dubbed Chelsea Village that stretched their resources too thin and ended up slapping them with debts approaching £100 million.
Even in the face of insurmountable odds, Chelsea still managed to put their best feet forward and won a pair of European titles in 1998 (the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup) and the FA Cup in 2000.
Such inspiring performances garnered the club a following around the world that included former owner Roman Abramovich who later bought the club for £60 million at a time when financial ruin appeared inevitable.
A String of Disappointments
The club’s first rodeo at the Champions League came a whole 44 years after their initial invite to the inaugural edition in 1955 (then the European Cup). The club finished in third place in their 1998-99 campaign to book their ticket for the 1999-2000 edition.
After cruising through the group and second stages, Chelsea met Spanish giants Barcelona in the quarter-final winning the first leg 3-1 at home before letting go of the wheel and being handed a 5-1 thrashing at Camp Nou to end their journey on a loss of 6-4 on aggregate.
Chelsea again qualified for the 2003-04 Champions League competition and put up a spirited fight before losing to 5-3 on aggregate Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in the semi-final. Their 2008 and 2009 outings were perhaps the most disheartening in the history of the club.
In the former, the club made it to the final by topping their group in dominant fashion and beating the likes of Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe, and league rival Liverpool only to lose to another English team in Manchester United.
The latter saw Chelsea beat Juventus and Liverpool yet again in their Round of 16 and quarter-finals clashes before losing to eventual champions Barcelona in the semi-finals on away goals after registering a goalless draw and 1-1 score in the first and second legs respectively.
On Top of the World
Chelsea’s crowning moment came in their 2011-12 Champions League campaign. The eight-time FA Cup winners were not to be denied as they started off their journey to a title by topping their group which included German side Bayer Leverkusen and perennial La Liga contenders Valencia.
The Blues then beat two-time Serie A champions Napoli and Portuguese side Benfica in their Round of 16 and quarter-final fixtures before exorcising their Barcelona demons by bearing the Catalans 3-2 on aggregate.
In the final, Chelsea met Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich who many had touted to clinch the top honor. Rather than throw in the trial, Chelsea braved the taunts and jeers of Bayern’s loyal fans and took the fight to the German side that had notable players like goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben and marksman Thomas Müller.
Chelsea equally brought their own big guns as their attack consisted of the likes of Salomon Kalou, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, and striker Didier Drogba, who had faced disciplinary action from UEFA in 2009 after he protested Barcelona’s advancing on away goals.
Both teams were relentless from the opening whistle with Bayern registering slightly more attempts at goal. After going goalless in the first half, both teams came out swinging in the second half. Müller drew first blood for the hosts after he headed the ball past then Blues goalie Petr Čech in the 82nd minute. Drogba however equalized just six minutes later with a header of his own proving that it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
The scores remained the same after extra time forcing the match to go to penalties. Chelsea converted all but one of theirs as Bayern missed two. Drogba slotted home the winner clinching the club its first Champions League trophy under the leadership of former caretaker manager and ex-Chelsea ace Roberto Di Matteo.