Chelsea have a long track record of signing players off the back of World Cup performances
The World Cup is the ultimate shop window for stars looking to seal big-money moves in the summer transfer window as they put their talents on show for the world to see – and Chelsea have done their fair share of business off the back of it.
While it is generally viewed as a risk to sign a player off the back of an impressive tournament performance due to the small data sample, it can offer a conclusion for a club if they have been scouting a certain player for a while. For others, it may provide opportunities to kickstart their careers with their nations after falling out of favour at club level.
There are cautionary cases for clubs to remember when making a move, but Chelsea haven’t been put off. Over the years, the Blues have signed at least one player who starred at the World Cup in the six months that followed in seven out of the last eight editions.
The west Londoners are notorious for spending big in the transfer window – especially under Clearlake and Todd Boehly, their current owners. With World Cup 2026 reaching the halfway stage, they could be tempted to their proverbial toe in the water if there are players up for grabs from the United States, Mexico and Canada tri-nation tournament.
Looking back at their previous business, football.london picks out all 11 players who were captured by Chelsea after dazzling at the World Cup – and how they fared under the glare of the spotlight.
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Qatar 2022
Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez was one of the breakout stars of the Qatar tournament in 2022, winning the FIFA award for best young player. At the time, the central midfielder was just 21 and only six months into his Benfica career. But Chelsea owner Todd Boehly felt compelled to pull out all the stops to sign the Argentinian for a club-record £107 million on deadline day in January 2023, just a month after the World Cup triumph.
Three and a half years later, Fernandez is coming off his best campaign for the west Londoners with 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions. Ironically, he could move clubs once again straight after the ongoing World Cup, with Real Madrid interested in signing the £120m-rated star.
Russia 2018
Mateo Kovacic
Kovacic was part of the Croatia team that stunned England on their way to reaching the final in 2018, only for Zlatko Dalic’s men to fall short of lifting the trophy with a 4-2 defeat to France. The midfielder sealed a move to Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid a month later, with his initial loan move turned permanent in 2019 before the club were placed under a transfer embargo.
The Croatian featured prominently under Maurizio Sarri and his successor Frank Lampard, before being reduced to a rotational role under Thomas Tuchel. He left for Manchester City as part of a huge clearout in 2023 in a £30m deal.
Brazil 2014
Juan Cuadrado
Given how his career panned out, it’s still a mystery how Cuadrado struggled so badly in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho swooped to sign the winger in January 2015 – six months after his World Cup exploits with Colombia – in a £28 million deal. Only one goal followed, however, and Cuadrado was offloaded to Juventus on loan before joining the Serie A side on a permanent deal in 2016.
Diego Costa
Costa made the decision to switch his international allegiance from Brazil to Spain in time to play for Vincente Del Bosque’s side in the country of his birth. He made two appearances for La Roja but failed to score as reigning world champions Spain were knocked out in the group stage.
A month later, Costa sealed his £32m switch from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea and became a fans’ favourite in his three-and-a-half-year spell before falling out with Antonio Conte. A return to Atletico surfaced in 2018, surprisingly giving Chelsea a huge £25m profit on their initial investment.
South Africa 2010
Ramires
The Brazilian spent six glorious years in west London after impressing Carlo Ancelotti enough to convince him to spend £25 million to sign him from Benfica. Among a sublime showreel of strikes and solo goals, he played a key role in their Champions League triumph in 2011/12. When Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning came knocking with their riches in 2016, Chelsea were only too happy to oblige by making their money back.
Fernando Torres
The pressure of a British transfer record, coupled with tormenting hamstring injuries, turned Torres’ dream move into a nightmare. Six months after lifting the World Cup with Spain – he came off the bench in the final against the Netherlands – Torres’ controversially demanded a move from Liverpool, who used the proceeds from his sale to sign Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.
Torres went on to score 45 goals in 172 appearances, a far cry from the lethal marksman he proved to be at Anfield, and he rejoined boyhood club Atletico Madrid in 2014 on a free transfer. No one can take that night in Barcelona away from him, though.
Germany 2006
Andriy Shevchenko
The £30 million marquee signing of the Roman Abramovich era arrived from AC Milan a month after the conclusion of the World Cup, where Shevchenko had played a key role in getting Ukraine to the finals for the first time in their history. He scored in Ukraine’s first ever World Cup win, a 4–0 defeat of Saudi Arabia, and slotted home the winning goal to beat Tunisia.
He missed in a penalty shootout against Switzerland but Ukraine progressed before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Italy. To his nation, he was a hero. But in the Premier League, he was slated as a flop, scoring 22 times in 77 appearances before a return to Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.
Michael Ballack
Another big-name capture secured by Abramovich’s riches, Ballack left Bayern Munich to govern Jose Mourinho’s midfield alongside Frank Lampard and Michael Essien after starring for Germany at the 2006 World Cup. Not only was Ballack the captain, he guided the hosts to a third-place finish and performed superbly.
In addition to two man-of-the-match performances, the German midfield general was named in the tournament’s best XI. However, he often struggled to replicate the heroics he displayed at Bayern and returned to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 on a free transfer.
Ashley Cole
One of the most controversial transfers of all time was set in motion after Cole had impressed for England under Sven Goran-Eriksson at the 2006 World Cup. The left-back played every minute of England’s run to the quarter-finals before that devastating defeat to Portugal on penalties. Shortly after, it emerged Mourinho had tapped up Cole by meeting him while he was under contract at Arsenal.
Following a long legal wrangle and Football Association investigation, Chelsea, Cole and Mourinho were heavily fined. But that didn’t stop Cole from swapping north London for the west, moving in a £5m deal that saw William Gallas head to the Emirates Stadium. One Premier League title and Champions League later, and Cole will be at peace with his decision after cementing his status as a heroic figure at Stamford Bridge.
Khalid Boulahrouz
Mourinho handed the Dutch defender the No. 9 shirt, which says everything about the bizarre nature of the £8.5 million deal after featuring with the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup. At 25, Boulahrouz had the peak years of his career ahead of him before a knee injury robbed him of a regular spot at Chelsea. He joined Sevilla on loan in 2007 before sealing a permanent move to Stuttgart the following year.
Korea/Japan 2002
No player signed.
France 1998
Marcel Desailly
Gianluca Vialli used his Serie A connections to sign Desailly from AC Milan for £4.6 million after he won the World Cup with France – a deal regarded as a major coup at the time considering Chelsea’s lower stature in the game.
The Frenchman is still adored by Blues fans and captained the side before John Terry took the reins in the early 2000s. Desailly became an important member of the backline under Claudio Ranieri, before leaving in 2004 for Al-Gharafa after 222 appearances for the club.
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