The France international defender grew up as one of a handful of kids playing football in the surrounding villages, where his parents both worked in the medical profession, and has risen to become a serial winner.

'It’s a farming village and there were maybe 300 people, with maybe five young children, because there were a lot of older people, or people who worked on the farms. My mother is a doctor, a general practitioner. And my father, he is working as a resuscitation nurse in the hospital.

'When I was young, I was quite close to wanting to be a vet, because animals were always close to me, you know.

'I started playing football at four. I was a goalkeeper, because my father was a goalkeeper. He put me on the field, because he loved football – he still does – and he said to me: "Okay, now it’s the time for you to start playing too".'

The rest, as they say, is history, and now the 26-year-old is enjoying a year to remember, having gone to the FIFA World Cup off the back of a UEFA Conference League triumph with his former club Crystal Palace, then returned to London to begin the next chapter of his career with Chelsea.

'It’s going good,' he says of the season so far. 'I think we are in a better way, and you know, it was really quick for me, because I just left the national team, I had just a little bit of holidays and then I came back directly to playing the first game. So no, it was strange, but now I feel really settled in the team, so this is really good for me.

'It is fun, and it is a big team, you know – the players here are the best in the league. So I’m really happy to represent the badge and to be part of this big journey.'

Elsewhere in the programme, club historian Rick Glanvill reflects on the impact Matthew Harding made on the club, as we mark the 30th anniversary of his tragic death in a helicopter crash on the way back from an away game at Bolton Wanderers in October 1996.

The team that Harding’s investment helped to build went on to become one of the most cherished in Chelsea history, and their 6-1 win at White Hart Lane in December 1997 is the focus of our Greatest Games feature.

Then there is all the info you need on the game ahead, plus the latest from around the club, including columns from Xabi Alonso and Reece James. So be sure to pick up your copy from the programme sellers around Stamford Bridge or order online from our publications partner, Reach Sport.