English football club based in
London, member of the
English Premier League. Chelsea play their home matches at
Stamford Bridge which was first built in 1877. Yet Chelsea were not founded until 1905. Nicknamed the
Blues, Chelsea is considered to be one of the "Big Five" clubs along with
Arsenal,
Liverpool,
Manchester United and
Newcastle United. Chelsea has won the
FA Cup twice (in 1970 and 1997) and has been runner-up three times (in 1915, 1967 and 1994). 1998 saw Chelsea winning 3 cups: the now defunct
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the
European Super Cup and the
League Cup.
Update 2005: Chelsea's domination of the
English Premier League in recent years was made easier by the purchase of the club by Russian billionaire
Roman Abramovich. Many top-class European, South American and African players have been signed by the club. This domination has not gone without criticism due to the defensive tactics used by club manager
Jose Mourinho.