Chelsea may immortalise ‘King of the Bridge’
Osgood passed away suddenly, aged 59, after he suffered a heart attack at a family funeral.
Famous for the diving header that helped Chelsea secure the 1970 FA Cup against Leeds, Osgood was part of the side who lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup a year later.
“People will always say the best player at Chelsea has been Gianfranco Zola but I would say Peter was the greatest,” said former team-mate Ron Harris.
“He was such a strong player, a big fellow who scored goals and scared defenders. There is no modern-day comparison to Peter, he played at a time where defenders were so ruthless but he still scored fantastic goals.”
Ray Wilkins began his Chelsea career just before Osgood moved to Southampton, where he was a member of the Saints team which upset Manchester United in the 1976 FA Cup final despite being a Second Division club at the time.
“He certainly was a massive personality, he was quite daunting but we had good times,” Wilkins said.
“He was an aggressive character in his football and in his manner, but a very likeable person.”
Osgood was a physical forward, who was blessed with fine technical ability to add to his bravery.
“His first touch was the first thing I noticed,” Wilkins added.
“Balls would come up from defenders and he would control them instantly; he had two feet and was magnificent to watch. He was a joy to watch, sheer elegance. Chelsea have had many great footballers and Ossie ranks among the best.
“In the modern-day game he had the attributes required to be a fantastic footballer, his technical ability was second to none on quagmire pitches - on today’s bowling greens he would have been exceptional.”
Despite his ability, Osgood made only four appearances for England, such was the competition for places during his era.
He was, however, a member of the 1970 World Cup squad at the end of a season in which he was the First Division’s top scorer, with 31 goals, as well as scoring in every round of the FA Cup.
He joined Southampton in 1974 and scored 28 goals in 126 appearances for the south coast club, while he also played three games on loan for Norwich in 1976.
After a spell playing for Philadelphia in the United States, Osgood returned to Chelsea and scored two goals in 10 appearances in 1978-79.
After finishing his playing career, Osgood worked at Stamford Bridge as a corporate host and was also an after-dinner speaker.
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