Five stars who quit Chelsea and became world class including Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah

EVERY time Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah puts in a Man of the Match performance, Chelsea fans are hit with a pinch of sadness.

Unfortunately for Blues supporters, those two are now undisputed world superstars.

De Bruyne has evolved into arguably the best midfielder on the planet since leaving ChelseaCredit: AFP – Getty

But, before they reached their current elite level, they were once allowed to leave Stamford Bridge as underplayed, underachieving youngsters.

And they’re not the only two either.

We’ve taken a look at FIVE players who failed to make the grade at Chelsea who are now superstars elsewhere.

KEVIN DE BRUYNE

NOW quite possibly the best midfielder on the planet, it’s barely-believable De Bruyne was once considered a Chelsea misfit.

Having signed from Belgian side Genk in 2011-12, the now-Manchester City star played just two Premier League games for the Blues.

On the periphery of the first-team squad, De Bruyne was loaned to Werder Bremen, before being sold to Wolfsburg for just £16.7m.

There, De Bruyne’s class shone through and his career took off, joining City for £55million in 2015.

The pass-master has won two Premier League trophies at City in easily the club’s greatest era – as part of one of England’s most dominant teams.

MOHAMED SALAH

Salah has gone from strength to strength since leaving Chelsea, including massive successes at LiverpoolCredit: AFP or licensors

SALAH joined Chelsea from Basel in 2014 – but played just 13 times in the league, scoring twice.

In 2015 and 2016, the Egyptian was loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma – before joining the latter permanently, in a deal worth around £11m.

After just one season in the Italian capital, Liverpool were surprise suitors, bringing Salah back to the Premier League in a deal worth £36.7m.

In his first season at the Reds, Salah broke the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season.

In his second season, he won the Champions League.

And in his third – and most-recent – season, Salah inspired Liverpool to Premier League success.

Salah is now easily ranked as one of the world’s best forwards – and will always be the one who got away from Chelsea.

ROMELU LUKAKU

Romelu Lukaku was barely given a sniff at Chelsea and is now thriving at Inter MilanCredit: AP:Associated Press

AFTER joining Chelsea from Anderlecht as a youngster in 2011, Lukaku was tipped for greatness.

However, he played just ten times in the Premier League, was loaned to West Brom and ultimately sold to Everton.

Lukaku immediately showed his potential and scored 53 Premier League goals in just 110 games.

The Belgian moved to Manchester United in a £75m deal where he maintained a decent scoring record, but generally underwhelmed.

Now, Lukaku is finally living up to his incredible promise, shining at Inter Milan under another ex-Chelsea man, boss Antonio Conte.

Lukaku has scored 41 goals in just 58 games at the Italian giants.

NATHAN AKE

Nathan Ake is a Man City star and Holland regular having quit Chelsea in 2017Credit: Reuters

THE Dutch defender joined Chelsea’s youth ranks from Feyenoord in 2011, before moving to the senior squad a year later.

But Ake made just seven appearances for the Blues in the Premier League and was loaned out to Reading, Watford and Bournemouth.

Ake eventually found a permanent home on the south coast and became a superstar for the Cherries.

Bournemouth fought hard to keep Ake for three years – in which he played over 100 times in the Premier League.

But with Manchester United and City both knocking, the Cherries eventually cashed in to the tune of £40m following their relegation in the summer.

Now at the Etihad, Ake is a star of both Pep Guardiola’s City and European force Holland who seems destined to only shine brighter as time goes on.

NEMANJA MATIC

Nemanja Matic left and rejoined Chelsea for nearly 20 times the original feeCredit: Getty – Pool

SIGNED from now-defunct Slovak side Kosice in 2009, Matic was tipped to become an attacking midfield superstar at the Blues.

The Serbian midfielder had played just twice in the Premier League and was loaned out to Vitesse in Holland.

But after two years – and a switch to a more defensive role – Matic was sold to Benfica as part of the 2011 deal that saw David Luiz arrive at Stamford Bridge.

But after starring at Benfica, Chelsea splashed out £21m – nearly 20 times what they initially bought him for – to re-sign him in 2014.

Matic would later join Man Utd, in 2017 – where he still plays to this day.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk