Super Cesar’s ready to rule

CESAR AZPILICUETA feels he is ready to take on the captain’s armband at Chelsea next season.

And the defender has challenged the Blues’ other leaders to also step up once current skipper John Terry quits this summer.

Azpilicueta led his side out at Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham on Saturday because Gary Cahill was out with gastroenteritis.

He said: “I am ready for whatever the club decides.

“Now JT is leaving they will make a decision. I wore the armband at Wembley.

“It was a special moment for me and I am proud of it.

Hunger

“Gary is the second captain now. The club will make the decision. Obviously JT is a big loss.

“We’ll miss him but others have to take more responsibilities to lead the team.”

Azpilicueta, 27, is Chelsea’s unsung hero, a bargain buy at just £7m when the Blues signed him from Marseille five years ago.

Since then he has excelled at right and left-back and more recently in Antonio Conte’s three-man defence.

But he reckons others like Eden Hazard also have leadership qualities and will help to make up for the loss of “captain, leader, legend” Terry.

Azpilicueta said: “I am one of the players who started maybe five years ago with Eden Hazard, we came at the same time. We have Gary and ® JT until now. But we are all part of the players who help the new players who come to this club to understand the standards of Chelsea.

“And also show them what it is to be in this club and to fight for trophies. This is what we want.”

After reaching the FA Cup Final, where Chelsea will face Arsenal, Azpilicueta now has his sights set firmly on winning the Double.

And he claims the experience, winning mentality and hunger in the dressing room is something you cannot buy for all the rubles in Roman Abramovich’s wallet.

He said: “It’s not enough to get to a final. What matters is to win trophies.

“Speaking personally, I’m never tired of winning. As a club, we always look for more.

“Even last season when we finished 10th, our target this season was to win trophies.

“The manager came for it. The players were up for it.

“We knew last season we were not at our level and now we have a chance to win two.

“We have the experience of winning titles and fighting for trophies nearly every year. So this is something you cannot buy – it’s something you earn.

“For a long time now Chelsea has always fought for titles nearly every year.

“We have an amazing dressing room with players who have won a lot but we are still hungry for more. This is very important.”