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Damien Anthony Duff (born March 2 , 1979 in Ballyboden , Dublin ) is an Irish Footballer . He currently plays as a Winger for FA Premier League club Chelsea and internationally for the Republic Of Ireland . BLACKBURN ROVERS CAREER Duff was signed by Blackburn as a trainee and stayed with the club for seven years, making over 200 appearances and scoring 35 goals. During his time in Lancashire , he helped the club achieve promotion to the Premiership in 2001 (where it has remained ever since) and win the League Cup the following season. In the run-up to the 2003-4 season, Chelsea made a series of bids for Duff, with a £ 17m offer eventually triggering a release clause in the player's contract. CHELSEA CAREER Duff completed his move to West London in July (the transfer fee of £17m was at the time a club record), and there were high hopes for the Irishman. His first season at Chelsea was somewhat plagued by injury, and crucially he missed the latter stages of the season, including the Champions League semi-finals. Duff scored five goals that season with his goal against Newcastle in a 5-0 demolition particularly underlining his talent. Intercepting a throw from his international team-mate, Shay Given , he chipped the ball over the last man's leg and took a few touches before volleying the ball into the bottom corner of the net past his compatriot. Another individual effort came against Lazio in a 4-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico . Receiving the ball on the left wing, he dribbled past four defenders before slotting the ball in at the far post with his right foot. He was instrumental in securing for Chelsea the club's highest league finish for 49 years as well as the Champions League run, but the season ultimately ended trophyless and with the sacking of manager Claudio Ranieri . The arrival of Dutch winger Arjen Robben and new manager José Mourinho posed a threat to Duff's place in the starting line-up for the 2004/2005 season, but an injury to Robben at the start of the season saw Duff as the only available winger. Mourinho, however, didn't play Duff in the early part of the 2004/2005 season, but preferred a more narrow approach. Duff eventually got into the side after four games and, when Robben came into the side, his versatility saw him move to the right wing and form a ferocious wing partnership with Robben. The season proved to be successful for both Duff and Chelsea. He scored ten goals, including a crucial strike in a 4-2 win against Barcelona in the Champions League, while the team won the Premiership title and the Carling Cup (in which Duff scored what proved to be the winning goal in the semi-final against Manchester United ). Duff is now one of the most feared wingers in Europe with pace, accurate crossing and impressive finishing combined with his much improved versatility, such as an ability to play on the right-wing, as a second striker or at left-back. Duff proved to be a pivotal player for Chelsea in 2004/2005 and has already netted three times this season, in wins against Tottenham Hotspur a last minute srike against Newcastle and in the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool at Anfield . Duff is considered to be one of Chelsea's major attacking threat. Recently Duff's form has suffered as a result of injuries and is no longer the first choice for Chelsea. This is due both to the arrival of Shaun Wright-Phillips (fee £21 million) and the emergence of Joe Cole into a world-class wide man. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND CAREER Duff has won over 50 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring six goals. He played at the 2002 World Cup and scored a goal against Saudi Arabia as Ireland reached the second round. Recently he played a key role with Ian_Harte to help Ireland to a 3-0 victory over Sweden . Duff also scored in this game. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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