There is plenty to distract from today's Champions League draw in this month's issue of Chelsea, available in shops tomorrow (Friday).

With an array of features there is enough to keep you going for the rest of the month, as cover star Michael Ballack discusses his development over the years, and the rigours of being one of the top players in the world.

'When you're young you just get on with playing,' he says. 'Although when you're constantly getting awards for being the best player in the group I think you start to realise. But when the time comes to make the step up to being a professional you really find out. You see how many players actually make it over the line and it's not many.'

Ballack, a huge celebrity back home in Germany, also talks about the demands of living in the media spotlight.

'That's a big part of being a footballer today. You can't expect your life to only be about football,' he confesses. 'The further you go in the game, dealing with the media becomes bigger and bigger to the point where you're seeing your name in the paper or on TV everyday and you need to be mentally strong to be able to deal with that.'

One Chelsea player who tends to shy away from the spotlight is defender Paulo Ferreira, who recently signed a new five-year contract. He celebrates that in Chelsea, and declares his wishes to stay at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of his career.

'I'm really happy here at Chelsea and my family love living in London - we are very settled here,' Paulo smiles.

'Every player wants to be at a big club and that's what Chelsea is, but what's also important is that it's like a family too. I really like the people here and the fans have always been great to me.'

Paulo, himself a Champions League winner with Porto in 2004, admits he is desperate to get his hands on the trophy again, this time with Chelsea.

'There are many, many top players who will go through their whole careers and never know what that feels like. I'm one of the lucky few who do and I'm very grateful for that. But as anyone who has lifted that cup will tell you, winning it once just makes you want to win it again.'

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan is a Chelsea fan used to success of his own, and he discusses what first brought him to the Bridge in the late 1960s, and what keeps him coming back.

'I was 17 and I had just finished school and like most Irish people, you go for Irish centres, so lived in Islington. Paddy Mulligan arrived at Chelsea and he had played for Shamrock Rovers who are my team from Dublin, plus Chelsea also had Irishman John Dempsey, so I guess that brought me to the Shed. It was pretty mad then,' he recalls.

He also reveals that on the F1 circuit, there are a few handy players, among them one Michael Schumacher.

'Schumacher is a big football fan and Giancarlo Fisichella, who won my last Grand Prix in Brazil in 2003, had a trial with Roma and played a lot of football with them. There was a football team in Formula One and Schumacher would get a lot of the players together.'

As past sporting heroes go, Schumacher ranks highly, but for Chelsea this month, we have Kevin Hitchcock and Tommy Langley, now a football agent, Chelsea TV pundit and Blues fan.

He counts his decision to leave the Bridge in 1980 as the worst he ever made, but is now enjoying the football played under Avram Grant.

'I walked out and it was a silly thing to do,' he admits. 'My performances suffered, my love for the game suffered, my attitude suffered and it all just went downhill.'

He is happy to get the chance to watch his side in action through his sideline in the studio.

'It's like being reborn, being at Chelsea,' he smiles. 'It's special to be a part of the success and spend time talking to the likes of JT, Lamps and Joe Cole. I love every minute of it.'

If that wasn't enough, we profile youth team hero Jacob Mellis, who has contributed valuable goals in this season's FA Youth Cup run, as well as a look to the past with the Chelsea Old Boys, together for the recent trip to Wembley. There is also another Top 10, this time looking at VIP visitors, a list that boasts royalty, Hollywood superstars and politicians.

As always, we also round up all the news and views from Stamford Bridge in the past month, and have a host of regular features including the Chelsea girls, Your Letters and Ask the Boffin.

April's Chelsea is available tomorrow at £3.25, from the Chelsea Megastore and other retail outlets.