Chelsea Hall of Fame: Gus Poyet

Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez, more commonly referred to as Gus Poyet, was born 15^th November 1967, in Montevideo in his native Uruguay. The Uruguayan would prove to be one of Chelsea’s greatest and most loved midfielders, with a character to match the flair of his game. He is also another Chelsea legend that would go on to try his hand at management, and clearly feels more than at home in England.

Before England

Poyet made his name after moving to Real Zaragoza in his early twenties. He quickly exhibited his skills as a powerful central attacking midfielder, with a knack of scoring goals. Whilst playing for the Spanish club, Poyet scored 63 goals in 239 appearances, winning both the Copa Del Rey and Cup Winners Cup (in a run that would see his side defeat both Chelsea and Arsenal) in the process. The midfielder however left for England in 1997 when his contract was up and joined Londoners Chelsea.

Making a Name in England

Despite featuring against both Chelsea and Arsenal a few years prior to his move, Poyet’s name was one that many Premier League fans weren’t familiar with. That however would soon change. Poyet started the season in stunning style before suffering an early cruciate ligament injury. He would however return in time to send Chelsea to the 1998 Cup Winners Cup Final, a stage he was familiar with, by scoring a crucial Semi-Final second leg goal against Italian side Vicenza. Poyet would help lead Chelsea to a 1-0 victory in the final, bringing European success to Stamford Bridge for the first time in years.

A Good Head on His Shoulders

Poyet would continue to impress Chelsea fans in the following season, scoring the only goal with a strike from the edge of the box in a European curtain raiser – the Super Cup, in which Chelsea proudly defeated European Champions Real Madrid. A Boxing Day goal at The Dell gave Poyet his 11^th of the campaign by Christmas and left Chelsea sitting at the dizzy heights of the top of the Premiership. Poyet however suffered an injury in this match which ensured he would be out for three months, he later returned to head Chelsea into the Champions League and would finish the season on 14 goals, making him the second top goal scorer.

A Scorer of Great Goals

The following season, Poyet would continue where he left off, proving that he was one of Chelsea’s most consistent players. On the opening day of the campaign, Gianluca Vialli’s side would beat Sunderland 4-0, with Poyet scoring one of the goals of the season. A flowing Chelsea move resulted in a chip from the magician Zola in which Gus preceded to scissor-volley the ball into the net, a good start to the season you could say. Poyet would again prove instrumental to arguably one of Chelsea’s best seasons as they reached the Champions League Quarter Finals. He would again step up the mantle on the big occasions, scoring twice as Chelsea defeated Newcastle 2-1 in an F.A Cup Semi Final; both goals with his notorious head with the second being a particularly fine header. Chelsea went on to win the trophy but unfortunately for Gus the following season would offer limited chances under new manager Claudio Ranieri. He ultimately finished the season (still with an impressive goal tally) and left for White Hart Lane for a fee of £1.5 million.

Taking a Shot at Management

Like many other footballers, Poyet has taken a stab at a career in management. Linking up with former team mate Dennis Wise, the Uruguayan coached at Swindon Town for a brief period before moving to Leeds with the ex-Chelsea captain. Poyet became a much loved face at Elland Road and continued his managing career as he had left his playing one; always animated. Poyet could be found on the touchline or bench always with an emotional face of some sort. It was this passion and commitment to the game that earned Poyet so many fans around the country. Despite a rather unsuccessful spell as a coach at Tottenham (bar League Cup glory over Chelsea), Poyet has since returned to management with south coast side Brighton and Hove Albion. He has enjoyed a winning start as his side were 3-1 winners away at Southampton, condemning the Saints to their first defeat in 15.

Chelsea Appearances and Honours

145 appearances -49 goals

English FA Cup: 2000

UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1998

European Super Cup: 1998

Poyet’s Scissor Kick in 1999