The Serbian defender should be well known by those following the Premier League or Chelsea from well before 2017 – as he was considered a workhorse and really efficient player by the Blues’ fanbase.
Ivanovic spent 9 years with the London side, making over 300 appearances across all competitions. His versatility saw him operate as a centre-back as well as a right-back and play under a number of managers at Chelsea.
In 2013, he even got trending after being involved in the ‘bite incident’ with then-Liverpool player Luis Suarez – who was banned for 10 matches for actually biting Ivanovic during a Premier League encounter.
Ivanovic was a tough, no-nonsense defender once called a ‘competitive animal with a big heart’ by Jose Mourinho.
Ivanovic won 3 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cup trophies, and the Europa League as well as being part of Chelsea’s first-ever Champions League-winning team in 2012.
He also won the Community Shield and EFL Cup titles, making him one of the most decorated players in Chelsea’s history.
A two-time Serbian Player of the Year and PFA Team of the Year member, he was regarded as one of the most well-rounded defenders in England during his stay with his side.
After leaving Chelsea in 2017, Ivanovic’s career started sliding downwards and he opted to retire last year – after playing his final campaign as part of a West Bromwich Albion team that got relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2020/21 season.
It’s still not known what the Serbian has been doing since retiring, but he’s definitely earned enough money to just relax at home for a few years if he wanted to.
Ivanovic has recently gotten trending on social media after a fan was able to get a glimpse of the ‘football museum’ he’s set up in his own home.
Indeed, Ivanovic has built a big enough house to have one section that is basically a celebration of his footballing career.
The museum is filled with the titles he’s won across his career along with a few more mementoes that are special to him.
In the TikTok video that has gone viral of his home tour, the ‘football museum’ seems to have a lot of jerseys from his career.
This includes the ones Ivanovic wore for the teams he represented, as well as other jerseys he probably earned from opposition players after matches.
There is also a section of the replica editions of all the trophies he won across his career, including the Premier League and Champions League crowns. These are all put together carefully in fancy showcases for those who visit the museum to see.
The Serbian has also designed a special wallpaper in one corner that shows the pre-match scenes that happened in Munich before Chelsea’s win over Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League finals.
There is an adorable little bicycle with Chelsea’s logo on it, as well as a life-size picture of Ivanovic celebrating the Champions League win.
Ivanovic must’ve spent a lot of money in creating this football museum, which is filled with priceless acquisitions. But what’s the point of having a highly decorated career if you can’t even show it off?
