Chelsea Royal Hospital is a senior care institution for retired members of the British Army. The inhabitants are famously known as the Chelsea Pensioners, and the image of a splendidly uniformed Chelsea pensioner was the first emblem adopted by Chelsea Football Club in the early years following their foundation in 1905.
Some 107 years later, the latest generation of men to pull on the famous blue shirt contest the Champions League final against Bayern at Munich's Allianz Arena. The Blues have never won Europe's premier club trophy, and for a majority of the current team, Saturday could well be the last chance of a major international honour. Many of the players are well over 30, and what with the club's roots in the world of the Chelsea Pensioners, the English press has not been slow to make an ironic connection.
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