Revealed: The Chelsea Premier League title winner's SON who played on the Stamford Bridge pitch as a kid and is out to beat them in the Conference League tonight

Revealed: The Chelsea Premier League title winner's SON who played on the Stamford Bridge pitch as a kid and is out to beat them in the Conference League tonight
By: dailymail Posted On: October 03, 2024 View: 151

  • Chelsea begin their Conference League campaign against Belgian side Gent
  • A familiar name could be on the opposition teamsheet at Stamford Bridge 
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A familiar name to Chelsea fans will be out to damage their hopes in the Conference League on Thursday night.

Chelsea open the league phase of their Conference League campaign against Gent, the first of their six matches in the revamped competition.

The Belgian side's squad includes the son of a former Chelsea favourite, who was part of their Premier League title winning squad in the 2004-05 season under Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea's celebrations after the final home match of the season saw players bring their families onto the Stamford Bridge playing surface.

Among those to be on the pitch was Eidur Gudjohnsen's son Andri, with photos showing the youngster with his father, as well as celebrating with Blues star Joe Cole.

The son of a Chelsea's title winner in the 2004-05 Premier League season faces them tonight
Andri Gudjohnsen is set to line-up for Gent as they face Chelsea in the Conference League
Andri was pictured with his father Eidur during Chelsea's celebrations
The Blues won their first title in 50 years

He is set to be back on the Stamford Bridge playing surface tonight, but this time in competitive action.

Andri, now 22, has followed in his father's footsteps by forging his own professional career.

The Gent star is also a forward and has netted twice in 13 matches since joining the Belgian club in the summer.

Speaking to the BBC, he admitted facing his father's former club will be a 'special' occasion.

'It's quite typical, wasn't it, to get Chelsea in the draw,' Gudjohnsen said.

'It's special for me and for him. I was born when my father played there; it's kind of a unique draw.

'The first thing I did was call my father. He already knew.

'Playing at Stamford Bridge against a team like Chelsea is one every footballer would want to play during their career.'

His father Eidur had played an invaluable role in helping Chelsea win their first league title in 50 years in the 2004-05 season, scoring 12 league goals and providing eight assists in the season. 

Gudjohnsen said it will be a 'unique' occasion to face his father's former club on Thursday
Gudjohnsen had played an important role in the season as Chelsea won the league by 12 points

The forward played 58 times in all competitions for the Blues that season, netting 16 times and providing 10 assists.

Gudjohnsen moved to Barcelona at the end of the season, ending a six-year spell at Chelsea where he scored 78 goals in 263 matches.

He later had spells at Monaco, Tottenham, Stoke and Fulham during his playing career, which came to an end in 2016.

Andri signed for Gent at the start of this season from the Danish side Lygby having played youth football for Barcelona, Espanyol and Real Madrid in Spain.

The forward has won 26 caps for Iceland, while he had also been eligible to play for both England and Spain.

Andri is the third generation of the Gudjohnsen family to be a professional footballer, with his grandfather Arnor Gudjohnsen having also played in Belgium for Anderlecht.

His penalty was saved in the UEFA Cup final shootout in 1984 as Tottenham beat Anderlecht.

Andri’s older brother Sveinn Aron Gudjohnsen could be set to face Spurs in the same competition this season as he plays for Swedish side Elfsborg.

Their younger brother Daniel is also a professional footballer, with the 18-year-old playing for Malmo.

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