10 Chelsea Heroes Whose Careers Have Nosedived Since Leaving

5. Dan Petrescu

The archetypal fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, Romanian full-back Dan Petrescu spent five years rampaging down the right-wing for the Blues and formed part of a solid back four. Having arrived from Sheffield Wednesday in 1995, he went on to win the FA Cup in 1997 and a double of League Cup and Cup Winners€™ Cup in 1998. However, he would go on to fall out with boss Gianluca Vialli after a defeat to Manchester United during the 99/00 season and subsequently never played for the team again. As the final nail in his Blues career coffin, he wasn€™t even named on the bench for the 2000 FA Cup final against Aston Villa, prompting a £1 million switch to Bradford City in the summer. The 33 year old defender lasted just six months at Bradford before signing for Southampton in January to link up with boss Glen Hoddle. Once Hoddle left for Spurs within two months, however, Petrescu found himself out of the side under new manager Stuart Gray. The Romanian stalwart made just two appearances for the club during the 01/02 season and was released at the end of the season. Petrescu€™s career ended in tragedy as he was booed from the pitch during his final minutes as a player whilst playing for National Bucaresti in their cup defeat to Dinamo Bucharest. Despite the fact that it was his final ever game as one of Romania€™s greatest ever players, Dinamo supporters hadn€™t forgotten his days as a player for their most bitter rivals - Steau Bucharest - and showered him with a torrent of abuse. It was a sad way to end what should have been a glittering finale.