How a coach helped Chelsea & Azpilicueta sleep for success

Cesar Azpilicueta captained Chelsea in their 2021 Champions League final win over Manchester City in Porto [Getty Images] Cesar Azpilicueta will forever be remembered as an all-time Chelsea great by the club's supporters. Making over 500 appearances and winning nine major honours in his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard transitioned from being a back-up right-back to one of the club's most successful players - all with the help of a sleep coach. Dr Vinay Menon was brought to Chelsea by former owner Roman Abramovich and spent nearly 14 years leading a recovery revolution at the club's Cobham training facility.

"Vinay, I will always be grateful for because he was a big part in my career, 100%," Azpilicueta told BBC Sport. At 36, Azpilicueta is still going strong with La Liga side Sevilla after notching more than 800 career games for club and country. "Now you try to do everything you can to prepare your body and your mind to sleep well because it's a big part of the performance," Azpilicueta added.

"I believe that you have to train yourself to have a good sleep and to recover. " East meets west London - the mentor who changed Chelsea How do athletes manage sleep? How sleep transformed Azpilicueta and Chelsea Vinay Menon worked with managers including current England head coach Thomas Tuchel, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti during his time at Chelsea [Getty Images] Although Azpilicueta was among the main beneficiaries of Menon's work, it was three years prior to his £7m arrival where Indian sleep guru Menon first made his breakthrough.

"When I came into the football world Didier Drogba gave me the chance," Menon told BBC Sport. "I still remember when we were having lunch, he asked me 'what you do? ' and that he wanted to try.