To mark the occasion, we look back at some of the memorable games in which the Spaniard has skippered the Blues over the past five seasons.

Tottenham HotspurFA Cup semi-final – April 2017

With Antonio Conte resting John Terry and Gary Cahill for our FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, Azpilicueta was given the honour of captaining the team for the first time. It turned out well for the Blues as a Willian brace and late goals by Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic secured a 4-2 win over our London rivals and a place in the final.

Tottenham HotspurPremier League – August 2017

Cahill became club captain in the summer of 2017 but when he was sent off in our season opener against Burnley, vice-captain Azpi was called on to skipper Chelsea for the first time in a Premier League game when we met Spurs at their temporary home at Wembley. A hard-fought derby was settled by Marcos Alonso who gave us the lead with a tremendous free-kick and fired home the winner from a tight angle two minutes from time.

ArsenalEuropa League final – May 2019

Chelsea’s change of tactics and formation under Maurizio Sarri meant Cahill was sidelined for most of the 2018/19 campaign with Azpi captaining the team in all of Premier League games and in the latter stages of our successful Europa League run. He led the team in the final in Baku and lifted the trophy after our 4-1 trouncing of Arsenal.

Wolverhampton WanderersPremier League – July 2020

Azpilicueta became club captain following the appointment of Frank Lampard in 2019 and skippered the team in almost all of our games in a campaign which stretched to 12 months because of the coronavirus lockdown. It proved successful in the end as a 2-0 win over Wolves in our final Premier League game secured a spot in the Champions League.

BurnleyPremier League – January 2021

With Reece James preferred at right-back, Azpi was used sparingly in the first half of the current campaign but Thomas Tuchel’s preference for a back three after his appointment in January saw the Spaniard become a key player for the Blues once again. Aside from starting and playing nearly every minute in the Premier League and Champions League under the new manager, he also scored the first goal of the German’s reign with a fine finish in our 2-0 win over Burnley at the Bridge.

* includes Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup** include 2018 Community Shield