Ranking top 5 players to play for both Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund in recent years
Chelsea will face German giants Borussia Dortmund in the next round of the UEFA Champions League.
The first leg of the round of 16 encounter will take place on February 15 at Signal Iduna Park. The Blues will then host the reserve fixture two weeks later, on March 7 at Stamford Bridge.
It's Dortmund in the last-16! 👊
#UCLdraw https://t.co/rXiYWS8XpF
It will be the very first time in the history of the UEFA Champions League that Chelsea will face Borussia Dortmund. As such, it is expected to be a cracking encounter.
While the two clubs are outright strangers to each other in Europe, a couple of players have been privileged players for both teams in their careers. As such, this article will look at the most recent five of them.
#5 Thorgan Hazard
Very few Chelsea fans will remember Belgian forward Thorgan Hazard, who was once a Blues player alongside his brothers Eden Hazard and Kylian Hazard.
The 29-year-old forward joined the West London club from French side Lens in the summer of 2012. He, however, made just one appearance with the Blues U-21 side before joining Zulte Waregem on loan.
Thorgan Hazard - Lens to Chelsea (2012) https://t.co/Gi7RqZ3UAe
Hazard is currently a Borussia Dortmund player and will be hoping to face his former team in the round of 16 by February next year.
Since joining BVB in the summer of 2019 from Borussia Monchengladbach, Hazard has scored 18 goals and provided 21 assists in 120 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
#4 Michy Batshuayi
Another player who has been privileged to play for both Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund in recent years is Michy Batshuayi.
The Belgian forward wasn't really a regular figure at Stamford Bridge despite spending six full seasons as a Blues player.
Recall that the West London club signed Batshuayi from French side Olympique de Marseille in the summer of 2016 for £33.2 million.
He managed just 77 appearances with the Blues' first team, registering 25 goals and six assists. Batshuayi was also the subject of several loan transfers away from Chelsea.
Streets wont forget Michy Batshuayi’s loan spell at Borussia Dortmund. 🦇 https://t.co/Vu5FQgFHq5
One of which included a six-month January move to Borussia Dortmund in 2018. The Belgian, however, excelled at the German club, scoring nine goals and providing one assist in 14 appearances.
#3 Andre Schürrle
The former German international also played for both Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund during his relatively short club career which ended in 2020.
Andre Schürrle joined the Blues during the summer of 2013 from German club Bayer Leverkusen for a transfer fee in the region of £18 million.
He spent one-and-a-half seasons with the Blues, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists in 65 appearances. He also received a Premier League medal for his contribution to Jose Mourinho's title-winning team in 2015.
@Andre_Schuerrle #CFC
Andre Schurrle has announced his retirement at the age of 29:
🏆 🏆 DFB-POKAL
🏆 DFL-Super Cup
🏆 Premier League
🏆 World Cup
Thanks for all of your contributions in a Chelsea shirt 🔵 @Andre_Schuerrle #CFC https://t.co/Qr8dhgihGb
Schürrle also had a short spell with Borussia Dortmund after joining the German giants in the summer of 2016. He registered eight goals and 10 assists for BVB in 51 appearances.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The Gabonese striker will most certainly be relishing the opportunity to return to Signal Iduna Park in February next year with Chelsea.
Recall that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spent a total of four-and-a-half seasons with Borussia Dortmund, where he became one of the club's all-time goal scorers.
The 33-year-old striker joined BVB in the summer of 2013 from French club Saint-Étienne. He went on to score a total of 141 goals and registered 36 assists, making him the club's eighth all-time top scorer in history.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Borussia Dortmund record:
141 goals
🇬🇦 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Borussia Dortmund record:
🤝 213 apps
⚽️ 141 goals
A legend will be returning with Chelsea in the #UCL last 16. 🌟
#CFC https://t.co/0ZOaqfSdDM
Aubameyang currently leads the attack for the Blues following his move from Barcelona this summer. He has so far scored three goals and laid down one assist this season.
#1 Christian Pulisic
A list of players to represent both Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund in recent years wouldn't be complete without the mention of Christian Pulisic.
The 24-year-old American winger rose through the ranks of the BVB youth teams, playing for their U-17 and U-19. He eventually made his first-team debut in January 2016 during a friendly game against Union Berlin.
Pulisic will then go on to make a combined total of 127 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, registering 19 goals and 26 assists. He won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 with BVB.
The winger officially joined Chelsea in January 2019 but was loaned back to Borussia Dortmund to see out the remainder of the 2018-2019 season.
Chelsea vs. Dortmund.
It's a Christian Pulisic derby 😤 https://t.co/MLXyfRhL7X
Despite not being able to secure regular minutes at Stamford Bridge, Pulisic has been able to register 26 goals and 21 assists in 131 appearances.