Has Aubameyang Ended Chelsea’s No. 9 Shirt Curse?

Chelsea forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on song as the Blues defeated AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday night in the Champions League clash.

Chelsea signed Aubameyang from Barcelona on transfer deadline day as the 33-year-old sealed his return to the Premier League seven months after leaving Arsenal.

He took over from Romelu Lukaku who rejoined Inter Milan after a lacklustre season at Stamford Bridge.

The former Arsenal star was among the scorers as Graham Potter’s Blues secured a 2-0 away win at AC Milan and some Chelsea fans were of the opinion that Aubameyang has ended the number 9 curse at Chelsea.

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Jorginho had handed the Premier League side a 21st-minute lead following Fikayo Tomori’s challenge on Mason Mount.

Eleven minutes before the end of the first half, Aubameyang doubled his team’s advantage after he was teed up by Mason Mount.

With this, the former Gabon captain has now scored in his last three outings for the two-time European kings – prompting claims that he has broken the jinx on the shirt number that has proved a weight on the shoulders of strikers at Stamford Bridge.

Below are the last 9 players to wear Chelsea’s ‘cursed number 9 shirt’ – Who were they and where are they now?

The number nine jersey is generally considered to be one of the most coveted jerseys at the club. The number nine shirt is generally handed to the lead striker at a club.

Great players like Ronaldo (Brazilian), John Cruyff, Bobby Charlton, and, Alfredo Di Stefano have donned the number nine shirts for their clubs and countries and have made the number an iconic one. But when it comes to Chelsea, the number nine shirt is considered a cursed one.

Since 2006, when Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz joined the club and took the number nine shirt, players who have worn the number have not really excelled at the club. From Boulahrouz to Fernando Torres, who despite being the most expensive football in England at one time, they could not reach the heights they were expected to reach.

In the later years, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, and lastly Tammy Abraham all wore the number nine shirt but failed to convince fans. New signing Romelu Lukaku will be donning the shirt next and Chelsea fans will hope that the curse gets over soon so that the club’s record signing will deliver.

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Here, Infoexpert24 takes a look at the last nine numbers 9s of Chelsea and where they are now.

Khalid Boulahrouz

The Dutch defender joined Chelsea in 2006 and played for a season before moving to Sevilla on a season-long loan deal. But he returned to Chelsea in January 2008 after six months. In 2008, he finally moved to VFB Stuttgart.

Boulahrouz retired from professional football in 2015 after spending the final season of his career at Feyenoord. He recently joined Dutch club AZ as an assistant coach for their U18 team.

Steve Sidwell

The English midfielder played at Chelsea for only a season donning the number 9 shirt. After leaving the Blues, he moved to Aston Villa and later played for clubs like Fulham and Stoke City. He retired in 2018 after spending two seasons at Brighton & Hove Albion.

After retirement, he joined Brighton as a youth development coach and club ambassador.

Franco Di Santo

The Argentine forward joined Chelsea in 2008 but after spending a season there, he moved on loan to Blackburn Rovers. In 2010, he joined Wigan Athletic. Di Santo is currently playing for Argentine top-tier side San Lorenzo.

Fernando Torres

The Spanish striker joined Chelsea from Liverpool in January 2011 for £50 million which was a British transfer record at that time. Fernando Torres played at the club till 2015 and in the final year of his contract, he was sent on loan to AC Milan. He later moved to his first club Atletico Madrid where he spent three seasons.

He played in the J-League for Sagan Tosu in the final year of his professional career and retired in 2019. In July 2021, Torres was appointed as the head coach of Atletico Madrid’s U19 side.

Radamel Falcao

The Colombian forward joined Chelsea in 2015 on a season-long loan deal from AS Monaco. It was a disappointing stint for Falcao who scored just one goal in 11 Premier League appearances. Falcao joined Galatasaray in 2019 and continues to represent the Turkish side.

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Alvaro Morata

The Spanish international joined Chelsea in 2017 for a transfer fee of £70 million on a five-year deal. But after one and a half seasons, he was sent on loan to Atletico Madrid and then moved to the Spanish club permanently in January 2019 for a transfer fee of around £58 million.

In 2020, Alvaro Morata was sent on loan to Juventus, and in the summer of 2021, the Italian club extended his loan deal for one more year.

Gonzalo Higuain

The Argentine striker played at Chelsea for six months in joining the club on loan from Juventus in January 2019. At the end of the 2018/19 season, he went back to the Italian side. In 2020, David Beckham-owned MLS side Inter Miami signed him from Juventus where he is still playing.

Tammy Abraham

The Chelsea youth product was promoted to the Blues’ senior side in 2016 but was immediately sent on loan to Bristol City. He has also played on loan at Swansea City and Aston Villa in the last few years. He did score 18 goals in the 2019-20 season, helping the club secure continental football but lost his starting spot in the next season.

In 2021, the English forward joined AS Roma on a five-year for a reported transfer fee of £34 million. Chelsea, though, has included a £68million buy-back clause in the contract.

Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian forward joined Chelsea the first time in 2011. After spending one year at the club, he moved to West Bromwich Albion and Everton on loan in the next two seasons. Lukaku played at Manchester United from 2017 to 2019 and then at Inter Milan from 2019 to 2021. He returned to Chelsea in August 2021.

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