Abramovich breaks his silence with message to Chelsea fans in programme heralding a decade of Roman rule

Abramovich breaks his silence with message to Chelsea fans in programme heralding a decade of Roman rule
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who rarely ever speaks publicly or to the press, has broken his silence to thank Chelsea fans for a decade of support under his rule.
The Russian billionaire, who took over in July 2003, wrote a message in the matchday programme for the home game against Hull.
It read: 'We have had a great decade together and the club could not have achieved it all without you. thanks for your support, there's to many more years of success.'

Scroll down to see the programme page

Happy times: Roman Abramovich lifted the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012

A decade of success: Abramovich has helped create a side that has become used to winning silverware

Since Abramovich arrived, the club have enjoyed triumphs that they had never known before.
As well as three Premier League titles, Chelsea have won the Champions League, Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
In that time he has spent £713m on 72 players... click here for an analysis of each one.