Desailly leaves Chelsea

Marcel Desailly has ended his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent.

The France World Cup winner has called time on his six-year career at Stamford Bridge and will return to France to consider his future.

The 36-year-old also retired from international football last week after a disappointing Euro 2004 and a record 116 appearances for France.

Desailly was signed by Gianluca Vialli for £4.6m from AC Milan in 1998 and proved to be worth every penny as he went on to make 222 appearances for the Blues, captaining the side on 94 occasions.

He was a key performer in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, winning the UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and was part of the team which secured two top-three finishes in the Premiership and reached the quarter-finals (2000) and semi-finals (2004) of the UEFA Champions League.