Official: Belletti to leave

[EskWeston 696]

Scored some cracking goals, but was definitely time to move on, for him and us. It's squad players like Belletti that should be making way for youngsters to get more chances.

[Kez 2,727]

What a guy, Thanks Belletti good luck with everything

[terry26 6]

Bye Bye Juls It was lovely having him and all the goals he scored that helped Chelsea (when he wasn't playing for us too)

All the best

[Sparkie 27]

Scored some wonderful goals, a great squad player and one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. Sayonara, Juliano.

It is a summary of his career that there is not much coverage at all of his retirement in the media, despite playing some pivotal roles in our history.

[Kostas 1,468]

Why hasn't his departure been confirmed at the official site?

[NattyBlue 44]

^ Don't know.

It's confirmed on Stamfordthelions twitter though, just released

"Big fan of Twitter, Juliano Belletti, joins Joe Cole and Michael Ballack in leaving Chelsea at end of this month."

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Juliano Belletti joins Joe Cole and Michael Ballack as players leaving the club when current contracts run out at the end of this month.

Signed as an attacking right-back by Jose Mourinho in August 2007, for the second and third of his three years at Chelsea Belletti was more likely to be seen in midfield.

He made that positional change under the management of Luiz Felipe Scolari who remembered the player's aptitude for the role from their days back in Brazil.

Belletti arrived at Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee with a World Cup winners' medal and a winning goal in a Champions League Final to his name. He was one of several to have made the move between Barcelona and Chelsea in the past two decades.

Mourinho lasted only a matter of weeks into Belletti's stay, but the player quickly demonstrated his abilities during his first season in England with two stunning Premier League strikes - against Wigan and Tottenham - the latter of which won the Chelsea Goal of the Season award for 2007/08.

He faced tough competition from Paulo Ferreira and later Michael Essien to make the right-back berth his own that year but a total of 38 (six as sub) appearances suggest he was the favoured choice, particularly at Stamford Bridge.

It was as a sub that Belletti made his mark in the Champions League Final, replacing Claude Makelele in the last minute of extra time, before coolly slotting home a penalty in the shootout, his first touch, only to see the side lose out.

The arrival of Jose Bosingwa during the summer that followed saw Belletti, who was turning 32, lose his status as the choice when an attack-minded right-back was needed and he remained in England with the reserves when the first-team embarked on pre-season tour. However within weeks of the start of the 2008/09 campaign he was asked to play holding midfielder against Tottenham and cemented his popularity by scoring against big local rivals for a second season running, earning his own White-Stripes-inspired song.

He also played as an attack-minded right midfielder in a season that yielded 9+25 appearances and three goals, including one in a last-gasp turnaround against Stoke at home.

Last season's 13+9 games were a mix of right-back and midfield appearances. He started the big home wins over Blackburn, Wolves and Sunderland but unfortunately his last significant act was conceding a Cup Final penalty at Wembley. Happily Petr Cech negated its impact. He leaves the club with FA Cup and Premier League winners' medals.

A thoughtful and popular figure, Chelsea Football Club would like to thank Juliano for his contribution. He played 54+40 games and scored five goals.

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2067357,00.html

[DYC. 7,542]

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2067357,00.html

Bye Bye Juliano

[crazy1 24]

all d best belleti..............we love u................do well in future...........thanks for all d things u gave for this club.........

[Milan 17,854]

What a professional and legend! I really love this guy and wish him all the best in the future.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Belletti to seek pastures new

On a day that Chelsea confirmed midfielders Joe Cole and Michael Ballack are to leave the club, the West London outfit have also announced fans’ favourite Juliano Belletti is set for a move.

Belletti has featured 94 times for Chelsea since his cut-price move from Barcelona in 2007. Signed by José Mourinho, Belletti has played for six different managers in the three years he has spent at the club.

In truth, Belletti was already a Blues hero by the time he came to Stamford Bridge after having scored the winning goal in the Champions League final for Barcelona against Arsenal, and goals against Tottenham and Wigan in his impressive first season earned him his own White Stripes-inspired chant.

Belletti has featured in a number of positions in his Chelsea career, including right-back, left-back, centre midfield and right midfield, and his versatility made him a popular option under Luiz Felipe Scolari in particular.

TalkChelsea wish Juliano the best of luck for the future, and thank him for his contribution to the Chelsea cause.

Click here.

[NoFear 23]

A real cult figure with the fans !! All the best to him.... Buuuuulllllleeeeettttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.......................

[diskoviolente 425]

SHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !

Take Care Juliano, truley one of my favs.

So sad to see all these legends leave, but i think it needed to be done.

Thanks for great memories, Julio !

[zolayes 14,489]

served us well ..when he dropped to just cover never complained ,,,wish him well

[terry26 6]

am quite sad at this one really

but good luck to you juls great player

[toddandrewblue 19]

Will miss you Juliano. Best of luck, and thanks for all you gave us!

[LDN Blue 7,903]

We'll miss you Julianooooooooooo

....BELLETTI!

[EskWeston 696]

Earned himself a bit of cult status here, but definitely needed to be moved on....