Chelsea signed Real Madrid ace and broke transfer record on World Cup stars

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The World Cup serves as the ultimate showcase for players seeking lucrative summer transfers, as they display their abilities on the grandest stage – and Chelsea have capitalised on this more than most.

While signing a player purely on the strength of an impressive tournament display is widely considered a gamble due to the limited data available, it can provide the final piece of the puzzle for clubs who have been monitoring a particular player for some time. For others, a strong showing with their nation can reignite careers that had stalled at club level.

There are plenty of cautionary tales for clubs to bear in mind before making their move, but Chelsea have remained undeterred. Over the years, the Blues have signed at least one player who shone at the World Cup in the six months that followed in seven of the last eight editions.

The west Londoners have long been notorious for splashing the cash in the transfer window, particularly under current owners Clearlake and Todd Boehly. With World Cup 2026 now past the halfway point, they may well be tempted to dip their toe in the water again.

There are likely to be a number of standout performers emerging from the United States , Mexico and Canada tri-nation tournament. Here are 11 stars Chelsea have signed in the past.

Fernandez emerged as one of the standout performers of the Qatar tournament in Qatar in 2022, claiming the FIFA award for best young player. At the time, the central midfielder was just 21 and only six months into his Benfica spell.

But Chelsea owner Todd Boehly felt driven to go all-out to secure the Argentinian for a club-record £107 million on deadline day in January 2023, just a month after the World Cup victory. Three and a half years on, Fernandez is fresh from his finest season for the west Londoners with 15 goals and seven assists across all competitions.

Ironically, he could switch clubs once more immediately after the current World Cup, with Real Madrid keen on signing the £120m-rated star.

Kovacic was part of the Croatia squad that shocked England en route to reaching the final in 2018, only for Zlatko Dalic's side to fall short of lifting the trophy with a 4-2 loss to France . The midfielder completed a switch to Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid a month afterwards, with his initial loan arrangement made permanent in 2019 before the club were hit with a transfer embargo.

The Croatian featured regularly under Maurizio Sarri and his successor Frank Lampard , before being relegated to a squad role under Thomas Tuchel. He departed for Manchester City as part of a major clearout in 2023 in a £30m deal.

Given how his career developed, it remains puzzling why Cuadrado faltered so dramatically in the Premier League . Jose Mourinho moved to secure the winger in January 2015 - six months after his World Cup displays with Colombia in Brazil - in a £28 million transfer.

Just one goal materialised, though, and Cuadrado was shipped out on loan to Juventus before making the switch to the Serie A outfit permanent in 2016.

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Costa opted to change his international allegiance from Brazil to Spain in time to represent Vincente Del Bosque's team in the nation of his birth. He featured twice for La Roja at the 2014 World Cup but drew a blank as defending world champions Spain crashed out at the group stage.

A month later, Costa completed his £32m move from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea and became adored by supporters during his three-and-a-half-year stint before his relationship with Antonio Conte broke down. A return to Atletico emerged in 2018, remarkably handing Chelsea a substantial £25m profit on their original outlay.

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The Brazilian enjoyed six magnificent years in west London after impressing Carlo Ancelotti sufficiently to persuade him to part with £25 million to bring him from Benfica after featuring at the 2010 World Cup. Amongst a superb collection of strikes and individual efforts, he contributed significantly to their Champions League success in 2011/12.

When Chinese club Jiangsu Suning arrived with their financial muscle in 2016, Chelsea were more than content to accept and recoup their investment.

The weight of a British transfer record, combined with persistent hamstring injuries, turned Torres' dream switch into a nightmare. Six months after lifting the World Cup in 2010 with Spain - he came off the bench in the final against the Netherlands - Torres' controversially demanded a move away from Liverpool , who used the funds from his departure to bring in Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

Torres went on to score 45 goals in 172 appearances, a far cry from the deadly striker he had proved to be at Anfield, and he rejoined boyhood club Atletico Madrid in 2014 on a free transfer. Nobody can strip him of that night in Barcelona , though.

The £30 million marquee signing of the Roman Abramovich era arrived from AC Milan a month after the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup, where Shevchenko had played a pivotal role in guiding Ukraine to the finals for the first time in their history. He netted in Ukraine's first ever World Cup victory, a 4–0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia , and slotted home the decisive goal to overcome Tunisia .

He missed in a penalty shootout against Switzerland but Ukraine advanced before falling in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Italy. To his nation, he was a hero. But in the Premier League, he was branded a flop, netting 22 times in 77 outings before returning to Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.

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Another marquee signing funded by Abramovich's wealth, Ballack departed Bayern Munich to anchor Jose Mourinho's midfield alongside Frank Lampard and Michael Essien following an impressive showing for Germany at the 2006 World Cup. Not only did Ballack wear the armband, he steered the hosts to third place and delivered outstanding displays.

Beyond two man-of-the-match awards, the German midfield powerhouse earned selection in the tournament's best XI. Yet he frequently failed to match the brilliance he'd shown at Bayern and headed back to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 on a free transfer.

One of the most contentious transfers in history was triggered after Cole had shone for England under Sven Goran-Eriksson at the 2006 World Cup. The left-back featured in every minute of England's journey to the quarter-finals before that heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Portugal .

Soon afterwards, it emerged Mourinho had illegally approached Cole by holding talks while he remained under contract at Arsenal . After a protracted legal battle and Football Association probe, Chelsea, Cole and Mourinho received substantial fines. But that didn't prevent Cole from trading north London for west London, completing a £5m switch that saw William Gallas move to the Emirates Stadium.

One Premier League crown and Champions League triumph later, and Cole will feel vindicated by his choice after establishing himself as a legendary figure at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho gave the Dutch defender the No. 9 shirt, which speaks volumes about the peculiar nature of the £8.5 million transfer following his appearances with the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup.

At 25, Boulahrouz had his prime years stretching out before him until a knee injury denied him a regular place at Chelsea. He moved to Sevilla on loan in 2007 before completing a permanent switch to Stuttgart the following year.

Gianluca Vialli utilised his Serie A contacts to bring Desailly from AC Milan for £4.6 million after he lifted the 1998 World Cup with France - a transfer viewed as a significant coup at the time given Chelsea's more modest standing in the game.

The Frenchman remains beloved by Blues supporters and skippered the team before John Terry assumed the armband in the early 2000s. Desailly became a vital component of the backline under Claudio Ranieri, before departing in 2004 for Al-Gharafa after 222 appearances for the club.

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