10 Players Who Probably Regret Joining Chelsea
9. Mateja Kezman
Jose Mourinho has swooped to capture some truly fantastic players in the past, but like all great managers, he has also erred on a multitude of occasions. He must occasionally wince when recalling the profligacy of Andriy Shevchenko, the ineptitude of Jiri Jarosik, and an Israeli centre-half in Tal Ben Haim, who looked like he had lead weights in his socks. Mateja Kezman, however, is the original flop.
Having hit over 30 league goals in each of his last two season for PSV Eindhoven, he was fast emerging as one of the most coveted strikers in European football. The Eredivisie has served as a conveyor belt for some splendid talents for Premier League audiences over the years, but ultimately, Kezman proved to be more Alfonso Alves than he did Luis Suarez.
Poached for a supposedly bargain £5.3 million in July 2004, Kezman was seen as the perfect foil for Didier Drogba. Ready to rotate between the two, it was mooted that Kezman would get plenty of chances to stake his claim as Chelseas top marksman for the next decade.
If there is one player who concocted the strikers curse at Stamford Bridge, its Kezman. When Fernando Torres spent the first three months of his Chelsea career looking in earnest for the back of the net, it was reminiscent of Kezmans first few months at the club. Unable to score in the shirt of the Blues, the Chelsea players eventually sympathised with the Serbian, allowing him to break his duct from the penalty spot, with the side already 3-0 up against Newcastle United.
He scored three more league goals for Chelsea against Norwich, and a brace against Crystal Palace before being shipped out of the club as quickly as possible. Drogba may not have exactly caught fire in his debut season, but compared to the floundering Serb, he probably looked like the best thing since sliced bread.
However, despite his difficulties, Kezman has stated that he loved the time spent in the English capital.
Chelsea was the best thing in my career. That was the climax of my career, for sure. Living and playing in London was something that I will never forget. I don't know if I made a mistake because I moved away so quickly. Maybe I do and maybe I don't regret it, but I always believe in my decisions. But the transfer to Chelsea made my dreams come true. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. Maybe I could achieve more and I could have been more successful at Stamford Bridge, but I don't regret anything." Kezman, 2011.
When Mateja Kezman is old and grey, he will look back on his career, and examine the turning points. He will note the 105 goals he notched in four years for PSV, and the subsequent big-money moves he was linked with. He will note the devastating partnership he had formed with a certain Arjen Robben, who has since left him behind to become a global superstar. He will also note that since leaving PSV, his career has resembled more of a tourist than a football player, taking in spells in Spain, Turkey, France, Russia and China. There has only been a solo season since the glory days of the Eredivisie, where he has managed to hit double digits in the league.
His international career ended in ignominious fashion with a red card in the 2006 World Cup at the age of 27, while his fledgling journeyman career was finally put out of its misery when he hung up his boots at the age of 32.
Touted for Real Madrid at one point in his career, Kezman will at point look back on his time at Chelsea, and think just how much damage did that move have on his reputation throughout the continent?