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Roman Abramovich marched into the Chelsea dressing room and asked his players whether they wanted to be 'top players, or just players on top salaries' , Joe Cole has revealed.
The former Chelsea owner made the furious address after watching the Blues crash out of the Champions League at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in March 2010.
Cole, who was the sixth signing brought to Stamford Bridge after Abramovich arrived in west London, has shared a rare insight into how the the Russian oligarch operated in his new autobiography, Luxury Player, serialised in The Telegraph.
The former midfielder was benched for the two-legged affair which saw Inter run out 3-1 victors, with a 79th-minute Samuel Eto'o strike proving to be the death knell for Chelsea's European hopes that season.
And Cole recalls Abramovich being incensed at the side's performance on the evening.
He wrote: 'We would see him briefly after games. He gathered us together once in 2010, after we lost in the Champions League to Inter Milan, by then managed by José Mourinho, to ask us pointedly whether we were top players, or just players on top salaries.
Roman Abramovich marched into the Chelsea dressing room after a dismal European defeat
Joe Cole has shared a rare glimpse into how Abramovich operated during his 19-year tenure
Abramovich made the address after Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side came to west London to secure a two-legged victory which knocked Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea out of the competition
'That was the only time in seven years I saw him speak to us as a collective squad. It was also the only time I saw him angry.'
Cole said 'there was never any doubt' who was in charge during Abramovich's reign over the club, during which Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti all had spells in the Stamford Bridge hotseat.
The businessman announced in March 2022 that he had no choice but to seek a sale amid accusations that he was an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine - an allegation which led to the UK government sanctioning him later that same month.
Cole also writes in his upcoming book that he would like to talk to the former Chelsea owner about how he went from having nothing to a successful billionaire and to 'whatever it is now'.
Abramovich himself spoke out for the first time in June this year after a new book called Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC was released, detailing the sale of the club to the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium.
After agreeing to be interviewed for the book, the Russian revealed how he never wants to own another club after losing Chelsea.
Cole was the sixth signing brought to Stamford Bridge after Abramovich took over Chelsea
He said: 'Perhaps one day there would be a situation where I could attend a match and say a proper goodbye, but nothing more than that.
'I don't have any interest in any role in a football club, certainly not a professional role.
'There might be something where I could help with academies and youngsters, giving greater opportunities to people from difficult backgrounds, if there were an initiative that could make a difference.
'But as for ownership or a professional role at a club, I am done with that in this lifetime.'
Abramovich also said he would not allow himself to be distracted by the accusations towards him, including from the UK government.
'There is an old Russian saying, "The dogs bark but the caravan keeps moving," and that fits here,' he also told the book's author, Nick Purewal.
'Whatever I do, people will always accuse me of some kind of agenda. In the end, I have done what I have done simply to try to help.'
Chelsea won 19 major trophies during the Abramovich era, including two Champions Leagues and five Premier League titles.
Chelsea won the Champions League twice during Abramovich's reign - in 2012 and 2021
The club were charged in September with 74 breaches of the FA's rules on working with agents and around third party investment in players during part of the Russian's tenure.
They have been accused of breaking regulations between 2009 to 2022.
An FA statement said that the charges 'primarily relate to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons'.
The club's current US owners discovered potential issues when they carried out due diligence around their takeover.
They quickly self-reported the matter to the FA. All of the alleged offences are said to have taken place before their own involvement.
Daily Mail Sport understands that a points deduction is a sanction available to the FA but a financial sanction is more likely.
