ROMAN’S EMPIRE WAS BUILT BY HIS BILLIONS

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH’S arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2003 changed football and he will depart as the most successful owner in modern English club history.

Chelsea weren’t no-hopers before the Russian bought the club from Ken Bates for £140million. They finished an average fifth place in the Premier League in the five seasons previously, and won the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000, and the League Cup in 1998.

But having only won a single topflight title previously (in 1955), under Abramovich’s ownership Chelsea have won the Premier League five times, the Champions League twice, the FA Cup a further five times, the League Cup three times and the Europa League twice. Their average league finish in his time as owner has been third.

Abramovich spent mountains for that success, or to be precise, close to £1billion, net, on transfers, and £3.7bn on wages since 2003.