Saying goodbye is never easy, but there comes a time in the career of every club legend where a parting of ways must be taken in. For Chelsea, that point may be reached with Cesar Azpilicueta in the summer of 2022.
As things stand, the long-serving Spaniard is due to see his contract expire at the end of the season. If no fresh terms are thrashed out, then he will be dropping into a free agent pool.
If he is to walk away from Stamford Bridge, with still no guarantee that will happen, then said path will be trodden with plaudits raining down on him like confetti. There may even be a few more trophy celebrations to take in before then.
Looking at online betting markets from Paddy Power, Chelsea are currently 5/1 for Premier League title glory and 6/1 to successfully defend their Champions League crown.
Azpilicueta already has winners’ medals from both of those competitions to his name, but space can always be cleared on the mantelpiece for another memento. For him, ambition in the present burns as bright as ever.
Our skipper and Ballon d’Or nominee. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/r4kQBnu9SC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 11, 2021
It is also safe to assume that Stamford Bridge would relish the opportunity to throw a suitable farewell party to an adopted west Londoner if ties are to be severed at the end of a campaign that still promises so much. Few in the wider sporting world would begrudge Azpilicueta another moment in the sun either.
A decade of service with English football heavyweights will have been reached by Azpilicueta when a curtain comes down on the 2021-22 season. In that time he has scaled unimaginable heights.
Bargain
There will have been plenty who had never heard of the unassuming defender when he was snapped up from Marseille in August 2012. It did not take long for him to make a mark, with a £7 million transfer fee being made to look like the shrewdest of all bargains.
Given some of the money that has been flung about by Chelsea down the years, to have acquired Azpilicueta for such a price represents some seriously good business.
He will have passed the 450-appearance mark for the club by the time his current deal runs down, with his enviable haul of honours including two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, League Cup, a couple of Europa League wins, a UEFA Super Cup and a Champions League triumph.
If you are looking to define value for money, see above.
Dreams come true. Thanks for your support to achieve this. More to come 💪🏻 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/WhXdy8W0jr
— César Azpilicueta (@CesarAzpi) May 30, 2021
Azpilicueta has also filled captaincy duties with the Blues, with his leadership and versatility marking him out as a perfect candidate to take on role, while 36 caps have been earned with his country.
There is now talk of Barcelona wanting to take him back to his homeland, which goes to show how highly he is regarded in the global game and that do you do not need to dominate headlines in order to earn far-reaching respect.
Azpilicueta has been something of an unsung hero at times for Chelsea, one who can sail under the radar, but if a man affectionately known as ‘Dave’ is to depart then he will do so with a place in club folklore secured and enjoying a standing as one of the Blues’ finest pieces of transfer business.
