10 Hardest Men Who Ever Played For Chelsea

There's a reason Ruud Gullit was made player-manager a year after joining the Blues from Sampdoria in 1995.

The Dutchman, who stands an imposing 6'3", never had any trouble commanding the respect of his dressing room, having arrived at Stamford Bridge with a reputation for being one of the game's most accomplished players.

But Gullit had grit to back up his considerable skill. The midfielder battled through the hard-knocks of the Netherlands and Italy before landing - as one of the few foreign players - in England's hoofball-heavy top flight at the ripe old age of 32.

And yet he rolled with the punches every step of the way, and you seldom caught him riding around on the turf - no matter how hard he was kicked by some of those less skillful mid-90s brutes.