The ‘Number Nine’ curse has been plaguing quality strikers at Chelsea for a long time now. Among all the names, the latest addition was not supposed to be in this list, but instead quash the curse. Romelu Lukaku was bought for a record 100 million transfer fee, and was seen as just the right man to break the spell. Unfortunately a year later, he has returned to Inter and all things considered, was arguably the worst among the many names.
The curse is for real, and it’s time to take a look at its origins and how many victims have fallen prey to it.
Chris Sutton (1999-00)
Signed for: £10 million
Appearances: 39
Goals: 3
The first victim of this curse, or in other words, the man to start this curse is Chris Sutton. The English striker is best known for his partnership alongside Alan Shearer in Blackburn’s impressive title winning campaign of 1995. He failed to produce anything of note at Chelsea, scoring just one league goal in 28 appearances. He was sold to Celtic for £6 million after just one season.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2000-04)
Signed for: £15 million
Appearances: 177
Goals: 87
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink does not deserve to feature on this list, given his impressive numbers. He was signed for a record fee and repaid it in his four years. In 2000-01, he became the first Chelsea player to win the Golden Boot in the Premier League era. In the summer of 2004, he was sold to Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
Mateja Kezman (2004-05)
Signed for: £5.3 million
Appearances: 40
Goals: 7
Chelsea won the league in record-breaking fashion this season, but Mateja Kezman’s contributions were far less significant. Interestingly, despite producing sub-optimal numbers, Kezman describes his time at Chelsea as “best ever he had in football”.
Hernan Crespo (2003-04, 2005-06)
Signed for: £16.8 million
Appearances: 73
Goals: 25
The Argentinian was signed for a considerable fee and came in with a lot of expectations. However, after an underwhelming first season, Crespo was loaned out to Milan for the 2004-05 season.
Upon his return, he scored 13 goals in 42 appearances en route to winning the Premier League title. But despite that, he never really settled in London and never produced his peak form. He spent the final two years of his contract on loan at Inter, before being sold to them in 2008.
Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07)
Signed for: £8.5 million
Appearances: 20
Goals: 0
This marks the beginning of the worst of this curse. Khalid Boulahrouz, a right-back, was infamously handed the number nine shirt by Jose Mourinho. Needless to say, Boulahrouz, who was signed from Hamburg, failed to score a single goal for the club. He was subsequently loaned out to Sevilla, before being sold to Stuttgart in 2008.
Steve Sidwell (2007-08)
Signed for: Free
Appearances: 25
Goals: 1
Another shocker in terms of handing the number nine shirt, Steve Sidwell, a midfielder signed from Reading, was given the ‘huge’ responsibility. His nightmare lasted just one season, before being sold to Aston Villa.
Franco di Santo (2008-09)
Signed for: Came from academy
Appearances: 16
Goals: 0
The only sense in this deal was that Franco di Santo was a striker wearing the number nine shirt. However, the Argentinian was too young to be able to lift the curse and as such, spent just one year at the club. He was shipped to Blackburn on loan and then sold to Wigan.
Fernando Torres (2011-14)
Signed for: £50 million
Appearances: 172
Goals: 45
The hottest striker among all to arrive at Stamford Bridge was arguably Fernando Torres. The Spaniard was Europe’s hottest property when he handed a transfer request at Liverpool. But despite winning a host of trophies and scoring the odd ‘important’ goal, Torres failed miserably in replicating his absolute best form in Chelsea blue. For every trophy he won, there was an inexplicable chance missed for Torres at Stamford Bridge.
Radamel Falcao (2015-16)
Signed for: Loan
Appearances: 12
Goals: 1
Perhaps the beginning of the end of Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea was the absurd decision to gamble on Radamel Falcao. Despite his reputation, Falcao had clearly failed in the Premier League with Manchester United the season before. The deal was a loan with the option of buying, but after 1 goal in 10 league appearances, at least common sense prevailed in not extending his stay.
Alvaro Morata (2017-19)
Signed for: £60 million
Appearances: 72
Goals: 24
After Diego Costa’s well publicised fall-out with Antonio Conte, Alvaro Morata was bought in for club’s then record fee to lead the line. Despite starting strongly, Morata rapidly became a victim to the curse. The Spaniard switched to number 29 next season to try to break the curse, but by then, it was too late and Morata was unable to revive his Chelsea career.
Gonzalo Higuain (2019)
Signed for: Loan
Appearances: 19
Goals: 5
Morata’s second season didn’t even run its full course as he was loaned to Atletico Madrid in January. Replacing him was Argentinian Gonzalo Higuain. Reuniting with former manager Maurizio Sarri was expected to bring out the best in Higuain. However, the exact opposite happened during his six month stay at the club at the end of which both him and the manager departed.
Tammy Abraham (2019-21)
Signed for: Came from academy
Appearances: 79
Goals: 30
Following a transfer ban, academy player Tammy Abraham wore the number nine shirt for two seasons. His numbers were quite impressive compared to his predecessors. But Thomas Tuchel wasn’t convinced with him and in the summer of 2021, sold Abraham to Roma in order to accommodate the next failure.
Romelu Lukaku (2021-22)
Signed for: £100 million
Appearances: 44
Goals: 15
Signed for a club record fee, Romelu Lukaku was seen as the ideal player to finally break the curse. He was also seen as the final piece of the jigsaw for the Blues to close the gap to Liverpool and City. A few months, a loss of form, injuries and an infamous interview later, it was inevitable where Lukaku was heading for.
The Belgian not only failed to break the curse, but his off-field antics and mammoth transfer fee make him the worst performer in this list. After just one season, he is loaned back to Inter for a tenth of the transfer fee that was paid to acquire his services.
Overall, Lukaku made 59 appearances and scored 15 goals as a Chelsea player. But his numbers from his latest season alone are enough to prove how horrible his time at the club has been.