Chelsea players celebrate Mason Mount’s goal against Real Madrid
28 May 2021 - Chelsea

Against the odds

Chelsea
Theo Milki

Champions Journalist fan reporter Theo Milki knows his team are the underdogs – but Chelsea were second favourites in 2012 too

The dust has finally settled after a chaotic and nerve-racking final day of the domestic campaign. We now know our fate: we will be playing in the Champions League once more next season. It was a season like no other with a mix of eventful, painful and cheerful moments as a Chelsea fan. However, it’s far from being over as our focus turns to Saturday.

It’s been nine years since our previous Champions League triumph, when Didier Drogba slotted in the winning penalty to turn Bayern’s stadium blue for the night. Every single Chelsea fan will forever remember where they were that night and how they reacted when that goal went in. However, it’s a distant memory for us now. A lot has changed at my football club since that evening: legends have retired and returned in different roles; managers have come and gone; and academy graduates have established themselves as first-team regulars. A new dawn, yet the same challenges and objectives. 

Didier Drogba celebrates with the Champions League trophy in 2012.

I would be lying if I said that the idea of facing Pep Guardiola’s relentless Manchester City doesn’t frighten me, but then this is uncharted territory for them. We, on the other hand, have been here before. As Chelsea fans we have suffered on the biggest of stages, just as we have shed tears of joy and jubilance; I have experienced every possible emotion while watching my team in Champions League finals.

Not one player remains from that 2012 winning squad, but the historical importance of that victorious campaign will forever be embedded in the DNA and crest of the club. Those 11 players who step out on the pitch at the Estádio do Dragão, no matter their age or how long they have been at Chelsea, will understand the importance of such an occasion and what it means to the club and fans.

“We’ve done it before!” has echoed around the Bridge in recent years, giving us that hope to keep dreaming. I’m now getting mentally prepared for Saturday and realising that a win would mean the world to me. Maybe underdogs once again – but could it be written in the stars once again?

Our Champions Journalist fan reporter:
Theo Milki
Growing up between Fulham and King’s Road in London, there is only one team Theo was ever going to support – and he has been a devoted Chelsea fan all his life. Living so close to Stamford Bridge, he has run into all-time favourite player Frank Lampard several times in his neighbourhood, citing the Blues’ record goalscorer as a role model on and off the pitch. Lampard was also captaining the club on the night of their greatest triumph and Theo’s own high point as a supporter: the 2012 Champions League final win against Bayern.
About Champions Journalist fan reporters: These blogs have been written by winners of our annual Champions Journalist competition as well as a selection of editors from various fan page accounts. Together they offer their unique insights from the group stages all the way to the final.
Champions Journalist
With thanks to our Champions Journalist winner
Theo Milki
Champions Journalist is an annual competition that gives fans a chance to write about their club for Champions Journal.