THE MAN OF MYSTERY KNOWN AS Roman Abramovich has many guises — ruthless businessman, shrewd politician and international playboy — but few would have him down as a health visitor. Wayne Bridge knows better. Chelsea’s billionaire owner was one of many well-wishers from the club who visited him at home as he recovered from a badly broken ankle, although he did not linger long enough to join Bridge’s former schoolfriends on the PlayStation. With his own football club to play with, the Russian has no need for computer games.

After eight months out, Bridge returned to Chelsea’s first team in last week’s penalty shoot-out defeat by Charlton Athletic and is speaking for the first time about his ordeal, with afternoon tea with Abramovich and a hospital meal washed down by a drink from the Carling Cup the most memorable pick-me-ups.

“Roman even came to see me at home, which was funny because I had all my friends round and they were in awe of him,” Bridge said. “My mate Shane from home opened the door to him and was a bit gobsmacked, he didn’t know what to say really.

“We were sat around playing computer games and watching telly and he just popped in unannounced. He was just asking how I was and wanted to know I was OK. It’s brilliant that he takes the time to do that. He loves all the lads and is always coming down after games to talk to us. It says something about the spirit at the club when the owner is making house calls.

“The manager came to see me as well and the lads brought the Carling Cup into the hospital. They were all phoning me up after the game and singing songs down the phone.”

The visit from Abramovich was the only laughing matter in a nightmare season for Bridge, whose emotions could not have been different from his team-mates as they celebrated Chelsea’s centenary year with the club’s first championship for 50 years. After a fair but firm tackle from Alan Shearer in an FA Cup tie away to Newcastle United in February, the 25-year-old broke two bones in his right ankle, the fibula in the same leg and ripped his ankle ligaments, leaving him facing a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

“It was a nasty injury and the surgeon told me as much,” Bridge said. “He told me it was bad and to get it into my head that it was going to be a long one. I was a bit emotional at the beginning, but as soon as I came out of hospital and began training again it got easier. I’m back much earlier than expected.”

Even before the injury, Bridge was enduring the most difficult season of his career. After making 113 successive appearances for Southampton and impressing for Chelsea under Claudio Ranieri the previous year, he was dropped for the first time in his life by José Mourinho and even suffered the ignomony of being substituted at half-time in a Premiership match against West Bromwich Albion.

“I started off the season playing but then got dropped,” Bridge said. “I wasn’t playing very well and the gaffer told me so. He told me my last few performances weren’t up to the standard they should be and I agreed with him. There was one game against West Brom when I was brought off at half-time and after that I knew I had to change something.

“It’s different when a new manager turns up. The formation changes, the way he wants you to play. He didn’t want me to bomb on all the time, which I was doing a lot the season before. He gave me a chance at first but I had a couple of bad games and when you do that with the squad we’ve got it’s difficult for him to keep playing you. He had to give others a chance.”

The £8 million signing of Asier Del Horno in the summer has increased competition at left back, but Bridge remains positive. Having coped with the news last season that Chelsea wanted to sign Ashley Cole, his England team-mate, Bridge is ready for anything and determined to fight for his place.

“Chelsea are a massive club so will always be trying to sign top-quality players,” he said. “If they sign them they sign them, there’s nothing I can do about it. I wouldn’t have taken it personally if they’d have signed Ashley, but hopefully I can do well enough that they won’t need anyone else.

“I want to stay here and prove I’m good enough to play. Mourinho is a great manager who I’m learning from and I want to play for him. I’ve got to learn something from last year and not let it happen again.

“The big thing I learnt was that the standard has got to stay up there all the time. If you have one bad game you’re going to be replaced, so once you’ve got the jersey you’ve got to work so hard to keep it. Paulo (Ferreira) is going through it at the moment, but he’s big enough to do what I did and fight for his place. One day he’ll be back.

“Del Horno has done well but I believe in my ability and think I played well the other night. It’s just brilliant to be playing again and on the day of the game I was so excited. I usually have a bit of a kip in the afternoon but there was no way I could sleep, I was so nervous.”

Bridge’s annus horribilis was improved slightly by collecting Premiership and Carling Cup winner’s medals, but he is convinced that things can only get better, with more silverware and an England call-up on the horizon. “I watched all the games and was buzzing that they won, but was obviously disappointed that I couldn’t play a bigger part in the season,” he said. “I got a couple of medals which is good and want a lot more this season. Obviously the World Cup squad is something I’ve got my eye on, but the most important thing at the moment is playing some games for Chelsea.

“The way it’s going we look unstoppable. The title is ours to throw away and the way we’re going we can only throw it away ourselves.”