10 Players Who Did Nothing At Chelsea (But Excelled For Their Country)
7. Maniche
Many would forget that the star of Euro 2004 actually did end up at Chelsea after all, albeit very briefly. Having been a pivotal cog in the Porto machine that won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho two years earlier, Chelsea pounced to sign the mousey-haired midfielder on loan from Dynamo Moscow for the latter half of the 05/06 season. His time at Stamford Bridge was so anonymous that he might as well have stayed in Russia for all the difference it would have made. The Champions League winner made eight appearances for the Blues, was shown a red card during his first start and failed to register enough games to pick up a league winners medal. Its no wonder Mourinho refused to take up the £5 million option of making the deal permanent. For his country, particularly during the mid-00s, Maniche was arguably one of the most coveted players in Europe. Following on from Portos ground-breaking success, Maniche took his electrifying form into his first international tournament, scoring two goals - including a Goal of the Tournament contender against Holland in the semi-final - and was subsequently included in the Team of the Tournament. Real Madrid presidential candidate Lorenzo Sanz was already promising to deliver the Portuguese midfielder should he be elected. During the 2006 World Cup, just weeks after his Stamford Bridge nightmare had ended, he once again scored two goals - including another winner against the Dutch - and was the only player from his country to be shortlisted for the Adidas Golden Ball. While his time on the international scene can be summarised by these two tournaments, having fizzled out during the years after, its worth noting just how impressive these showings were for Portugal - a final in Euro 2004 and a semi-final in the 2006 World Cup. Maniche was fundamental to both of these achievements, and while his eight appearances in west London were forgettable, his 53 Portuguese caps were anything but.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
