10 Chelsea Heroes Whose Careers Have Nosedived Since Leaving

8. Damien Duff

Arriving as one of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich€™s first signings upon his Chelsea takeover in 2003, Irish winger Damien Duff went a long way to justifying his £17 million price-tag. The former Blackburn Rovers winger played 125 times for the Blues during a three-year spell, and formed a deliciously devastating partnership with Arjen Robben either side of the centre-forward at a time when it looked like the two would be jostling for the same spot in the team. Using his pace, flair and trickery, Duff quickly cemented cult hero status at Stamford Bridge and proved to be a pivotal cog in the Chelsea machine that steamrollered opposition to their first two Premier League crowns in half a century. The Irishman is still widely remembered for his winning League Cup semi-final strike at Old Trafford, and a crucial goal in the famous 4-2 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League. At the end of the 05/06 season, Duff was effectively forced out the door during another summer of revolving transfer madness at Stamford Bridge that saw eight depart and six arrive. While it was a surprising exit at the time, it looks like Mourinho played his hand correctly considering Duff€™s career has nose-dived considerably ever since. His time at Newcastle United was marred by injury, poor and form and culminated in his own goal sealing their fate to a relegation from the top-flight. Duff did enjoy something of a renaissance during his twilight years at Fulham, appearing 173 times in five seasons for the club and even featuring in a Europa League final in the process. However, the ageing winger never did scale the heights of his former days in London, and he has now settled into effective semi-retirement with A-League club Melbourne City.