Chelsea Legend - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2000-2004)

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Hasselbaink returned to the Premier League in May 2000, when he was signed by Chelsea, for a club record fee of £15 million, which matched the then-transfer record for an English club; he signed a four-year contract. He scored on his "Blues" debut, helping them to win the 2000 FA Charity Shield with a 2–0 win over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. Manager Gianluca Vialli was dismissed in September, and Hasselbaink's former Madrid boss Claudio Ranieri was appointed as his replacement. Hasselbaink later stated he was "dismayed" at Vialli's dismissal, and that the players hated Ranieri and fitness coach Roberto Sassi's running-focused training methods. Despite this Hasselbaink scored 23 goals in 35 league appearances in the 2000–01 season, including four goals in a 6–1 win against Coventry City on 21 October; he finished the season as the winner of the Premier League Golden Boot.

At the start of the 2001–02 season he earned the distinction of scoring the first competitive goal at Southampton's new St Mary's Stadium as Chelsea won 2–0 on 25 August. On 13 March, he scored a hat-trick as Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4–0. He formed both a good friendship and a productive partnership with Icelandic striker Eiður Guðjohnsen, scoring 29 goals in all competitions whilst Guðjohnsen scored 23 goals in a season which also saw Chelsea reach the FA Cup final after overcoming Norwich City, West Ham United, Preston North End, Tottenham Hotspur, and Fulham. Hasselbaink was a doubt for the final due to a hamstring injury, and was substituted on 68 minutes at the Millennium Stadium as Chelsea lost 2–0 to rivals Arsenal. His total of 23 league goals was one fewer than Golden Boot winner Thierry Henry.

In summer 2002 the cause of his hamstring injury was discovered, and he underwent an operation to relieve a blockage in the arteries of his right leg which had been severely restricting circulation. During his recovery he appeared as a pundit for ITV's coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Ranieri initiated a squad rotation system for the 2002–03 season, but focused the team around Gianfranco Zola, which limited Hasselbaink's playing time. Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal agreed an £8 million transfer for Hasselbaink in the January transfer window after months of negotiations but was dismissed before the transfer went through and the deal subsequently collapsed. Though the attack was focused on Zola throughout the season Hasselbaink managed to score 15 goals in 44 games, only one goal less than Zola.

In the 2003–04 season he scored 18 goals in all competitions which, despite the arrival of new strikers Adrian Mutu and Hernán Crespo, made him top-scorer at the club for the third time in four years. On 27 March, his 32nd birthday, Hasselbaink came on as a 60th-minute substitute for Geremi Njitap and scored a hat-trick as Chelsea came from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 5–2 at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea finished the season in second place and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League; Hasselbaink played in both legs of the semi-final defeat to AS Monaco, as Chelsea lost 5–3 on aggregate.

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