Club snapshot: Chelsea - soccer - Brief Article

* This summer, Chelsea were spectacularly purchased by Russian autocrat Roman Ambramovich. The new owner spent 140 million [pounds sterling] to acquire the team--60 [pounds sterling] in shares and 80 [pounds sterling] in debt clearance. He then spent more than 100 million [pounds sterling] on the transfer market to acquire stars such as Adrian Mutu, Damien Duff, Hernan Crespo, Glen Johnson, Juan Veron, Joe Cole, and Wayne Bridge, among others.

* Chelsea were invited to participate in the first Champions Cup tournament, in 1955-56, but withdrew at the request of the Football Association, which was worried that there would a problem with the team's fixtures. Chelsea never again qualified for the European Cup. They did, however, qualify, for the Champions League last year.

* Chelsea were formed after Fulham rejected an offer to rent Stamford Bridge from its owner, H.A. Mears. Rather than sell his property to the Great Western Railway, Mears teamed with Frederick Parker to form the club, which gained entrance in the Second Division in 1905.

* Jimmy Greaves holds the club's one-year scoring record, tallying 41 of its single-season club record 98 First Division goals in 1960-61. Despite that, Chelsea only finished 12th that season.

* Chelsea is one of five English clubs to have earned only one top-flight domes, tic championship, earning theirs in 1954-55. The others are Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, and Nottingham Forest. has also twice earned the FA Cup (1970, 1997).

* In 1998--in their eighth attempt--Chelsea finally earned a European trophy, winning the Cup-Winner's Cup with a 1-0 win over Stuttgart. The lone goal scorer, Gianfranco Zola, hit the winner in the 71st minute, just 22 seconds after entering the match as a substitute.