Football isn’t my expertise, but I have always liked Chelsea. Peter Osgood was my idol as a young boy growing up. For me who had the skills and charisma, but then that’s me. It is such a shame he died so young!
In 1964 Chelsea Football Club scouted him and Peter made his first team debut in December of that year, scoring his first goal. His path was set and he spent the next ten years spearheading a flamboyant, dazzling Chelsea side, making 380 appearances, scoring 150 goals and capturing the spirit of the Swinging Sixties.
Any Blues fan worth their salt will know why Peter Osgood is one of our all-time greats: the FA Cup final diving header, conquering Real Madrid et al. But how did this gangly teenager from Windsor become the King of Stamford Bridge? On the 15th anniversary of his sudden passing, we look back at the early years of his incredible Chelsea career.
Only one man has ever been crowned the King of Stamford Bridge, but what was it about Peter Osgood that elevated him above his peers to such illustrious standing within the football club?
It’s clear he was blessed with immense talent on a football field. As his old manager Tommy Docherty, who we sadly lost at the end of 2020, put it, in typically jocular fashion, ‘He was great in the air and had two great feet. He was quick, skillful and brave. But he didn't have a lot after that.’
What Doc didn’t add was that, compared to some of the other legendary strikers who have graced this football club, Osgood didn’t score the most goals; others could certainly claim to be more skillful; some led the team to the highest honors in the club game. None, however, connected with the supporters quite like Ossie.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Peer (n) = aristocrat, lord, earl, duke, viscount, peer of the realm, colleague
Jocular (adj) = funny, humorous, joking, jovial, witty, flippant, lighthearted, playful, frivolous, good-humored
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