It isn’t exactly outrageous to suggest that Chelsea weren’t a particularly interesting club prior to the takeover by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The Blues had won a few leagues decades earlier and some trophies in the 1990s, but they were hardly pulling up any trees in an era that was dominated by Manchester United. As a result, the number of celebrity fans that the club had was somewhat limited. In the wake of the Abramovich takeover, however, and later the arrival of Todd Boehly, the club’s fortunes changed.
José Mourinho completely altered the club’s fortunes when he won the Premier League in back-to-back seasons, adding the likes of League Cups and FA Cups along the way before other managers also helped the club reach the holy grail of Champions League wins. Of course, the club’s place in London has meant that celebrity supporters have been happy to jump on to the Chelsea bandwagon long before the riches of its billionaire owners meant that success was another reason to get on board, but it is the modern day version of the Blues that has attracted many.
Here is a look at some of the big names that support or supported Chelsea. The list is far from exhaustive, so don’t worry if someone you love isn’t mentioned here:
Lord Richard Attenborough
Born in Cambridge in 1923, Richard Attenborough was in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War before later becoming an actor and director. Known for films like The Great Escape, Miracle on 34th Street and Jurassic Park, Attenborough trained with Chelsea for a fortnight in the 1940s in preparation for his role in the film Brighton Rock, helping the club to prevent losing its home in the 1970s. He was such a big fan of Chelsea that he was appointed Life President in 2008.
Sir Michael Caine
Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, better known as Sir Michael Caine, was born in Rotherhithe, London in 1933. With that in mind, it is perhaps not all that surprising that he became a Chelsea supporter, welcomed into Stamford Bridge thanks to his roles in films such as Zulu, Alfie and The Italian Job. As he entered his twilight years he moved to Chelsea Harbour with is wife Shakira, often sending tweets in support of Chelsea when the Blues were taking part in a game or another.
Guy Ritchie
If you were to have a guess about a film director that supports Chelsea, you probably wouldn’t have to say many names before that of Guy Ritchie crossed your lips. The film director, who was married to Madonna for eight years in the early 2000s, was born in Hertfordshire and made his name with films filled with cockneys like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. When doing a press tour for The Gentleman, Ray Winstone confirmed Ritchie’s love of ‘the Chels’.
Will Ferrell
There have definitely been times in Chelsea’s past when you have needed to have a sense of humour to support the club, which might be why American funny man Will Ferrell ended up at Stamford Bridge. The star of films such as Anchorman and Elf, Ferrell is more than just a casual fan of football, being a part-owner of Los Angeles FC in the United States of America. When Chelsea prepared for their pre-season tour in 2009, Ferrell had his photo taken with John Terry wearing a 2004-2005 shirt.
David Baddiel
Speaking of funny men, comedian David Baddiel was actually born in New York before moving to London when he was younger. He became best-known for his work with Frank Skinner on the popular entertainment show Fantasy Football League. The lyricist of the song ‘Three Lions’, performed by the duo and The Lightning Seeds, Baddiel fell in love with the Blues when he saw them lift the FA Cup as a child and would go on to challenge the innate racism associated with the club’s supporters.
Jeremy Clarkson
Given the occasionally problematic nature of Chelsea’s support, is perhaps not all that surprising that an occasionally problematic person supports them. Jeremy Clarkson is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he has supported the Blues since he was a child, declaring himself as ‘Doncaster’s only Chelsea supporter’ as a youngster. When Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club became a hot topic following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Clarkson defended his decision to support the club and not distance himself.
Tim Lovejoy
For those that had Sky Sports when they were younger, Tim Lovejoy will no doubt be a familiar face thanks to his work presenting Soccer AM. He was a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge for many years, but found that when the club stopped representing his values and he was becoming annoyed with going along, so decided instead to become ‘an armchair fan’. He still loved Chelsea in the period after he stopped attending games so regularly, but admitted that his ‘idea of heaven’ was watching on TV.
Damon Albarn
Born in Canvey Island in 1968, Damon Albarn went on to be the frontman of the group Blur. As the Britbop battle pitched them up against Oasis in the 1990s, few people mentioned the footballing rivalry on account of neither the Blues nor Manchester City being particularly successful at the time. Not that Noel Gallagher was quick to forget decades later, having some choice words for his rival when the pair bumped into each other outside Porto’s Estádio do Dragão in the wake of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over City in the Champions League final.
Alan McGee
Another link between Oasis and Chelsea can be found in Alan McGee, the owner of Creation Records who is widely considered to be the man who ‘found’ the Mancunian band. Born and raised in Scotland, he was a Rangers fan first and foremost before drugs made him fall out of love with the sport. He fell back in love after a friend persuaded him to attend Chelsea matches with him, getting into the sport at around the same time that players like Frank Sinclair and Erland Johnson played for them.
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon was born in Hackney, London, so it isn’t all that surprising that she went on to support a local team. She would go on to make a name for herself in the TV soap EastEnders and films like Love Actually as well as being a singer, but things weren’t always rosey for her. For a time, though, she did live in Stamford Bridge, giving her a soft spot for the club even if she would struggle to call herself an avid support of the West London side.
Jeremy Vine
The problematic nature of some of Chelsea’s supporters has already been mentioned, but it is worth flagging up again when it comes to Jeremy Vine on account of the fact that he tends to be quite universally disliked. The radio presenter, journalist and famous cyclist was born in Epsom, Surrey but became a Stamford Bridge season ticket holder when he was younger. He had tickets for himself and his daughter above the dugout when José Mourinho was manager and even wrote him a letter for BBC Sport when he was sacked for the second time.
John Major
Given John Major’s position as a one-time Conservative Prime Minister, it should come as no surprise that he loves the colour blue to such an extent that he supported a football club that wore it. He was born in Surrey in 1943, moving to Brixton when he was young. It was through his love of Chelsea that he became involved in charities such as SeeAbility, having come in contact with them at their birthday party, held at Stamford Bridge in 1999.