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It was 12 years ago today that Chelsea swooped in the January transfer window to secure the signature of Gary Cahill. When he arrived on 16 January from Bolton Wanderers, the then year-old had become a key member of a Trotters side which often punched above their weight and started to make his mark on international football, with a handful of England caps to his name.

Few could have predicted the size — and speed — of the impact Cahill would have following that move. The defensive resilience was there from the start, not least his uncanny ability to be in the right place to throw himself bravely in front of opposition shots, but his use of the ball and ability to thread passes down the channels also improved steadily and significantly.

Within four months of moving to west London he was a European champion, with Premier League titles following before long. Gary was a key figure in those triumphs, which provided many of his most memorable moments as a Blue. Each time, Cahill was rewarded for the overall quality of his performances by being named in the PFA Team of the Season, an honour he achieved on three separate occasions during his time at the club.

Having picked up an injury in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, there was a real chance he would not make the ultimate showpiece. But with Terry and Branislav Ivanovic suspended, both Cahill and David Luiz were asked to play through the pain barrier for what proved, as they must have been dreading given so much training missed in the preceding weeks, the maximum minutes.

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Cahill played his full part in standing up to wave after wave of Bayern Munich pressure as we defied the odds to overcome the Germans on penalties in their own stadium. Having only joined the club four months previously, Cahill had ended his first season at Stamford Bridge by helping us win two major trophies, the other being the FA Cup, and a year later his medal collection was bolstered further when we lifted the Europa League trophy courtesy of a win over Benfica, the defender making a pivotal block in the dying seconds to prevent the Portuguese side from forcing extra time.

It was a decision which went down well with fans and team-mates alike. Consistent and reliable whenever called upon, it was a huge honour for a man who never let us down. Friendly, humorous and always happy to help, Cahill is as genuine a person as you are ever likely to meet. He always led by example. He said farewell to the Stamford Bridge crowd in May , when brought on near the close of our final home game that season, a win over Watford.