One of Chelsea's Champions League heroes from 2012 has announced his retirement.
Nine years after Roman Abramovich completed a takeover of the West London club, they finally achieved their long-term target on the continental stage.
Faced with the task of overcoming Bayern Munich at the German club's home ground with a number of suspensions, Chelsea dramatically earned success against the odds.
A last-gasp equaliser in normal time from Didier Drogba was followed by goalkeeper Petr Cech saving a penalty from Arjen Robben in extra time, while Chelsea also trailed in the subsequent penalty shootout.
However, Roberto Di Matteo's side incredibly came through that adversity to win 4-3 on penalties, every player who took to the pitch on that famous May night permanently etched in the club's history.
Happy retirement Ryan Bertrand! 👏 pic.twitter.com/5K3b45fBsy
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 18, 2024
Bertrand announces retirement
A forgotten story from the occasion is Ryan Bertrand being handed a start in the final. It was the first time in history that a player had made his debut in the Champions League showpiece.
The left-sided academy graduate was featuring for just the 16th time in a senior shirt for the Blues and would be deployed on the left-hand side of a five-man midfield.
Bertrand - then 22 years of age - would play the opening 73 minutes before being replaced by Florent Malouda, exiting the pitch with the game still goalless.
On Tuesday morning, 12 years on from that famous night in Munich, Bertrand has revealed that he is hanging up his boots at the age of 34-year-old having been without a club for a year.
BREAKING: Former Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand announces his retirement from football 🚨pic.twitter.com/CiBxg3rFU8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 18, 2024
What were Bertrand's numbers?
Bertrand brings an end to his career having made a total of 485 appearances in all competitions, representing as many as nine different clubs.
A total of 11 goals and 25 assists came from those outings, with almost half of his matches (240) being played in the colours of Southampton.
At Chelsea, Bertrand would feature on 57 occasions, 38 of which came in the season that was played after the Champions League success.
His last first-team appearance came all the way back on December 22, 2021, playing the final 30 minutes of Leicester City's 3-3 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
Between 2012 and 2017, Bertrand also accumulated 19 caps for England, with his one appearance at a major tournament coming at Euro 2016.
Darren Plant
