7 forgotten Chelsea wonderkids still playing in obscure leagues worldwide
Chelsea boast one of the most successful youth academies in world football, although not all of their youngsters make the grade at Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, plenty of their former academy players are forced to craft a career away from where they started and you’d be surprised by where some of them are playing today.
Having taken a closer look at their former wonderkids, here are seven of them currently playing in obscure leagues around the world.
Kylian Hazard – Royale Union Tubize-Braine
While his two older brothers Eden and Thorgan are international superstars, Kylian has often gone under the radar.
The attacking midfielder spent two years on the books at Chelsea between 2017 and 2019, but he never made a senior appearance for the club.
He’s since returned to Belgium and now aged 29, he currently plays for Tubize-Braine in the third tier.
Mukhtar Ali – Al-Ettifaq
The Saudi Arabian midfielder was picked up by Chelsea in 2008 and he went on to spend nine years in the academy before he left the club in 2017.
Following a stint with Vitesse, Ali returned to Saudi Arabia in 2019 and joined Al-Nassr, where he briefly played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
He’s since been on the move once again and now plays for Al-Ettifaq. Steven Gerrard was still in charge when Ali joined the club, but he left the club one day after the 27-year-old had arrived.
Joao Rodriguez – PSKC Cimahi
The Colombian forward spent six years on the books at Chelsea between 2013 and 2019.
During that time, he had loan spells with nine different clubs and, unfortunately, never got the chance to make a senior appearance for Chelsea.
Since leaving Stamford Bride, Rodriguez has had stints in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and now plays for PSKC Cimahi in the second tier of Indonesia.
Dynel Simeu – KF Teuta
After rising through the ranks at Chelsea, the club cashed in on Simeu back in 2022 when Southampton came in with a £1.5million offer.
Despite being a highly rated prospect at the time, the defender struggled to make a breakthrough at St Mary’s and he was released last summer, having never played a senior game for the club.
The 23-year-old has since got himself a new club and now plays in the Albanian top division for KF Teuta.
READ NEXT: The jaw-dropping Chelsea academy XI that would win the Premier League
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Chelsea’s top 30 goalscorers of all time?
Harvey St Clair – FC Tulsa
After sensing his opportunities at Chelsea were going to be limited, St Clair opted to leave the club in 2018 to join Italian side Venezia.
“It was only Chelsea or Venezia, so I just felt that the best thing for my football development was Venezia,” the defender told GOAL after making the switch.
“The opportunity arose and I liked the fact that it was a new challenge.”
In 2023, his time at Venezia came to an end and after spending several months without a club, he’s since been picked up by FC Tulsa, who compete in the second tier of the United States.
Faiq Bolkiah – Ratchaburi
Bolkiah, a member of the Brunei royal family, spent two years in the Chelsea academy between 2014 and 2016.
After leaving Chelsea, he continued his development in the Leicester City academy, but he didn’t make his senior breakthrough until he joined Thai outfit Chonburi in 2019.
Now aged 26, the Brunei international currently represents Ratchaburi in the Thai League 1.
George Mells – South Melbourne
The Melbourne-born midfielder spent two years in the Chelsea academy and played alongside the likes of Dominic Solanke, Mason Mount and Declan Rice.
Mells also enjoyed a stint with Southampton before he eventually returned to Australia in 2015 to join Adelaide United.
He’s since played for six different clubs in his native country and currently represents South Melbourne in the second tier of Australia.