'Perhaps Chelsea wouldn’t have been able to win that season had I not fulfilled my role: Eidur Gudjohnsen's honest assessment of why his Chelsea Premier League win topped Barcelona's treble
Eidur Gudjohnsen has looked back at his greatest achievements with Chelsea and Barcelona
Eidur Gudjohnsen in action for Chelsea(Image credit: Getty)
Former Chelsea favourite Eidur Gudjohnsen has admitted that winning the Premier League with the Blues in 2004/05 meant more to him than being part of Barcelona’s history 2008/09 treble-winning campaign.
The former Iceland international spent six years at Stamford Bridge following a £4.5million move from Bolton Wanderers in 2000 and would win two Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
That first title win was the first club’s first league championship since the 1950s and Gudjohnsen has explained why it means more to him than his role in the all-conquering Barca side under Pep Guardiola.
Eidur Gudjohnson in action for Barcelona
“Winning the Premier League with Chelsea, as I played such a big part in that season,” the 45-year-old tells FourFourTwo when asked which achievement meant more.
“I think only Frank Lampard played in more games than me in 2004/05 and I got a real feeling of having earned that medal. I was more of a squad player at Barcelona in the treble year; they probably would have done it without me, but perhaps Chelsea wouldn’t have been able to win that season had I not fulfilled my role.
“To be honest, the greatest satisfaction from my time at Barcelona is in playing more than 100 times for one of the best teams in the world. Sometimes, Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho were on the bench and I started. That makes me really proud.”
After his three-season spell at the Nou Camp, Gudjohnsen had short spells at 11 clubs over the final seven years of his career, including stints back in the capital at Fulham and Tottenham and admits that he did consider how these moves would affect his relationship with Chelsea fans at the time.
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Eidur Gudjohnsen had a six-month loan stint at Spurs in 2010
“Fulham, not really, but Tottenham? Yes,” he continues. “This won’t be an easy read for Chelsea fans, but I really enjoyed my time at Tottenham. We had a fantastic team under Harry Redknapp, with the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.
“I get stick from a minority of Blues fans, but it hasn’t bothered me.”
During his six seasons with Chelsea, Gudjohnsen played more than 250 times, netting 78 goals, winning the Premier League twice and the League Cup.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
