Free agents, forgotten men in Hungary, Russia, China and Brazil, and an incredible body transformation... what happened to the Chelsea players who suffered defeat in their last Club World Cup final appearance nine years ago?

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Chelsea will be aiming to win the Club World Cup for the first time in their 117-year history when they collide with Brazilian club Palmeiras in Saturday's final.

Thomas Tuchel's European champions secured their place in the showpiece by edging out a 1-0 victory over Asian counterparts Al-Hilal on Wednesday night, with Romelu Lukaku netting the only goal of the game.

Now the Blues will look to get the better of last season's Copa Libertadores winners in this weekend's Abu-Dhabi final, something they failed to achieve when they last got there in 2012.

Romelu Lukaku's goal booked Chelsea a place in the Club World Cup final on Saturday night

The Blues will be hoping to go one better than they managed in the showpiece nine years ago

Paolo Guerrero's late strike handed Corinthians a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the 2012 final

After winning their first Champions League in May of that year, Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup the following December and progressed to the final after beating Mexican outfit Monterrey in the last-four.

However, Rafa Benitez's side came unstuck when they met Corinthians in Yokohama, as Paolo Guerrero's late strike ensured the Brazilian's lifted the trophy.

It was a disappointing evening for the Chelsea stars involved, who missed out on a chance to etch their names even further into the history books. But what has happened to them? Sportsmail takes a look at where they are now.

Sportsmail has taken a look at where the Blues players involved in that defeat are today

PETR CECH - CHELSEA TECHNICAL AND PERFORMANCE ADVISOR

After missing out on the Club World Cup, Cech helped Chelsea add the Europa League to their collection at the end of that season, before going on to clinch the 2014-15 Premier League and League Cup in his final year at Stamford Bridge.

The legendary goalkeeper then spent four years with London rivals Arsenal, where he brought the curtain down on his iconic 20-year career in 2019.

After hanging up his gloves, he joined Frank Lampard in returning to Chelsea that summer, taking on an advisory role upstairs to assist his former team-mate as head coach.

Lampard only lasted 18 months in his position, but Cech still remains a key figure in SW6 alongside Roman Abramovich's right-hand woman Marina Granovskaia. 

Petr Cech has been a technical and performance advisor at Chelsea since the summer of 2019

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC - FREE AGENT

The Serbian defender spent another five years at Chelsea after the shortcoming in Yokohama, scoring the winning goal in their Europa League triumph the following May.

He then played a key part in the Blues' 2014-15 Premier League title win under Jose Mourinho, featuring in all 38 of their league outings that year and also capturing the League Cup.

Ivanovic secured a switch back to his home country in February 2017, racking up 125 appearances in a three-and-a-half year spell with Zenit St Petersburg.

In September 2020 he secured a return to the Premier League with West Brom, only to make 13 appearances in a miserable stint with the relegated Baggies.

After departing the Hawthorns last year, the 37-year-old remains available to snap up on a free transfer. 

Branislav Ivanovic went on to score the winner in the Europa League final later that season

The 37-year-old is currently a free agent after a disappointing spell with West Brom

GARY CAHILL - BOURNEMOUTH (PLAYER)

Cahill, who had only joined the club 11 months earlier, went on to enjoy his best years in a Chelsea shirt under Benitez's successor Mourinho and his eventual replacement Antonio Conte.

The former England centre-back was integral in Premier League title victories under both managers in 2014-15 and 2016-17 respectively, yet his Blues career ended on a sour note in 2019.

After being afforded a mere two league appearances by Maurizio Sarri in his final season, he spent another two years in the English top-flight with Crystal Palace before dropping down to the Championship at Bournemouth.

Cahill is still on the Cherries' books today, where he is playing under former international team-mate Scott Parker. 

Gary Cahill is now on Bournemouth's books after a two-year stint with Crystal Palace

DAVID LUIZ - FLAMENGO (PLAYER)

Luiz, who arrived at Chelsea in January 2011, got his hands on the Europa League later that season before flattering to deceive as part of Mourinho's squad the following year.

After struggling to pin down whether he was best suited to central defence or holding midfield, Mourinho moved the Brazilian on in the summer of 2014, offloading him to PSG for a staggering £50million.

It was only two years before he returned to the Bridge, with Conte's decision to bring him back in 2016 proving a masterstroke as they romped home to the title in record-breaking fashion.

But ex-team-mate Lampard's appointment as head coach in 2019 marked the end of Luiz's second Chelsea chapter, as he was sold to Arsenal that summer.

His time at the Emirates proved unsuccessful, nevertheless, and after an underwhelming couple of years in north London he moved back to Brazil with current club Flamengo last September.

David Luiz left Chelsea in the summer of 2014 before heading back to the club two years later

The defender is now plying his trade back in Brazil with Flamengo after leaving Arsenal in 2021

ASHLEY COLE - EVERTON FIRST-TEAM COACH

Like Luiz, the superstar left-back only spent another year-and-a-half at the club after the Club World Cup humbling, calling time on his glittering eight-year Chelsea career in 2014.

Cole headed for Italy upon his departure from the Bridge, but when his form plummeted during a spell with Roma he jetted to the States to sign for LA Galaxy in January 2016.

He enjoyed three years in the US before returning to English football, reuniting with Lampard as one of the Derby manager's experienced players at Pride Park.

After that short-term stint in the Championship, the ex-England international followed Lampard back to Chelsea to become an academy coach in 2019.

And on the back of his old team-mate's appointment at Everton in January, Cole was hired as a first-team coach at Goodison Park last week.

Ashley Cole is now a member of old team-mate Frank Lampard's backroom staff at Everton

RAMIRES - FREE AGENT

Following the 2012-13 campaign, Ramires remained an important member of the Chelsea squad under Mourinho, claiming his first Premier League title at the Bridge in 2015.

However, as Mourinho's tenure unraveled in the first half of the 2015-16 season, the Brazilian midfielder failed to impress and was subsequently offloaded to China that January.

He lasted three-and-a-half years with Jiangsu Suning, featuring 71 times for the Chinese Super League outfit before returning to Brazil.

Ramires signed for Chelsea's Club World Cup opponents this weekend, Palmeiras, in 2019 but departed by mutual consent a year later. 15 months on, he is still yet to find a new club. 

Brazilian midfielder Ramires is currently a free agent after spells in China and Brazil

FRANK LAMPARD - EVERTON MANAGER

Despite missing out on world glory, the 2012-13 season eventually proved a historic one for Lampard, who became Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer in their penultimate Premier League match against Aston Villa.

The iconic midfielder renewed his contract for one more year, though at the end of Mourinho's first season back at the Bridge he failed to earn another extension and instead waved goodbye to Blues supporters in 2014.

He came back to haunt his former club the following year, bagging a famous equaliser against them during his one season with rivals Manchester City, and after a subsequent spell with New York City FC retirement came in 2017.

Frank Lampard broke Chelsea's goalscoring record that year and returned as manager in 2019

Lampard then transitioned into management, narrowly missing out on Premier League promotion with Derby before taking up his dream job at Chelsea in 2019.

After finishing fourth and reaching the FA Cup final in his debut campaign, he was controversially sacked by the Blues amid a dismal run of form the following season. 

The 43-year-old finally sealed a return to management with Everton at the end of January, winning 4-1 in his first game in charge against Brentford.

The legendary midfielder is now in charge of Everton after being sacked by Chelsea last year

VICTOR MOSES - SPARTAK MOSCOW (PLAYER)

Moses ended his first season at Chelsea with a Club World Cup runners-up medal and the winners' equivalent in the Europa League, yet he spent the next three out on loan with Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham.

He returned in 2016 and became a pivotal member of Conte's title-winning side at right wing-back, appearing in 34 of the Blues' 38 matches that season.

Nevertheless, like most of his colleagues the Nigeria international's form deteriorated the following year, meaning he was sent on loan again to Turkish club Fenerbahce for the next two.

Moses then enjoyed further loan stints at Inter Milan, where he reunited with Conte, and Spartak Moscow before finally leaving permanently to join the Russian outfit on a full-time basis last summer. 

Victor Moses finally left Chelsea permanently to join Spartak Moscow last summer

JUAN MATA - MANCHESTER UNITED (PLAYER) 

The Spanish midfielder, Chelsea's Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013, was one of a host of stars ushered out of the Bridge by Mourinho in the summer of 2014.

At his best when given the licence to roam freely in attacking midfield, Mata failed to win Mourinho over as a No 10, with Brazilian star Oscar's superior energy and aggression off the ball instead preferred.

As a result, Mata left the Blues at the end of that season and sealed a £37million transfer to rivals Manchester United, where he remains today.

Though while he has featured 277 times in his seven-and-a-half-year United stint, the 33-year-old is now an Old Trafford outcast with no Premier League appearances under his belt this term.

Juan Mata is now an outcast at Manchester United after leaving Chelsea in 2014

EDEN HAZARD - REAL MADRID (PLAYER)

There was much anticipation when Hazard, considered one of the most promising attackers in European football at the time, rocked up at Chelsea in 2012 and he quickly began showcasing his mercurial talent that season.

The Belgian forward recovered from their Club World Cup disappointment to claim his first trophy in the Europa League that season, and over the next six years he cemented a legacy as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players.

After registering 110 goals in 353 games and winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and a second Europa League, Hazard completed a dream £150million move to Real Madrid in 2019.

Yet, his two-and-a-half-year Bernabeu stint has so far proved more of a nightmare, with a series of injury problems restricting him to just 62 appearances and derailing his form in the process. Reports suggest Hazard could be on his way out of Los Blancos this summer.

Eden Hazard is enduring a nightmare spell at Real Madrid after joining from Chelsea in 2019

FERNANDO TORRES - ATLETICO MADRID UNDER 19s MANAGER

The £50million striker had a torrid time in Yokohama, however he ended the season on a high by rediscovering his best form under Benitez and getting on the scoresheet in their Europa League final win over Benfica.

He was in and out of the side under Mourinho the next year, rotating with fellow strikers Demba Ba and Samuel Eto'o, before joining AC Milan on loan in 2014.

After just six months with the Italian club, Torres returned to Atletico Madrid on loan the following January and eventually signed for his boyhood team permanently again in 2016.

He departed for a second time in 2018 to conclude his playing career with Japanese side Sagan Tosu, but after hanging up his boots the 37-year-old is now back at Atletico as manager of their Under 19s team.

Torres has also completed a remarkable body transformation since bowing out as a player, with the previously-slender striker acquiring a much more bulkier frame in retirement. 

Fernando Torres spent another 18 months at Chelsea after their Club World Cup defeat

The ex-striker, now Atletico Madrid's Under 19s manager, is looking much bulkier these days

OSCAR - SHANGHAI PORT (PLAYER)

A substitute in the Club World Cup showpiece, Oscar's debut season at Chelsea was a rewarding one despite their defeat against Corinthians, and he then became one of Mourinho's most important players over the next two years. 

But when Conte arrived at the Bridge as Mourinho's replacement in 2016, the Brazilian midfielder fell out of favour very quickly.

Oscar only featured 11 times under Conte in the first half of the 2016-17 campaign, meaning he decided to call time on his three-and-a-half year Blues career and seal an eye-watering £67million transfer to China in January 2017.

The 30-year-old remains with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port today, winning the title with them in 2018 and making close to 150 appearances.

Oscar is still playing for Chinese club Shanghai Port after departing Stamford Bridge in 2017

CESAR AZPILICUETA - CHELSEA (PLAYER)

The only man in this list who remains a Chelsea player, Azpilicueta came off the bench in the defeat against Corinthians, but he soon went on to become a mainstay in the Blues' defence.

While operating at right-back, left-back, right wing-back and as part of a three-man defence, the Spaniard has been one of Chelsea's most consistent performers of the last decade.

He has two Premier League titles, as many Europa Leagues, the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League to show for his 10-year stay in west London, earning him a special place in Stamford Bridge's history.

However, Azpilicueta, who has been club captain since 2019, is out of contract this summer and does not appear close to an extension.

Cesar Azpilicueta is the only player who remains on Chelsea's books today

MARKO MARIN - FERENCVAROS (PLAYER) 

Marin's first and only season in Chelsea's ranks proved majorly underwhelming, despite some dubbing him the 'German Messi' upon arrival from Werder Bremen that year.

The 5ft 7in winger only made 16 appearances in 2012-13 and, after generally failing to impress, was subsequently sent out on loan to Spain, Italy, Belgium and Turkey over the next three years.

He finally departed the Blues permanently in 2016 to join Greek club Olympiacos, before spending two years in Serbia with Red Star Belgrade.

After a spell in the Middle East with Al-Ahli Saudi FC, Marin is now playing in Hungary with Ferencvaros. 

Marko Marin, once dubbed the 'German Messi' is playing out in Hungary with Fenecvaros