Kevin De Bruyne’s sumptuous goal sent Manchester City through to the semi-finals of the Champions League where they will face a glamorous two-leg showdown with Real Madrid.

The midfielder was deemed not good enough by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho but his performances since leaving Stamford Bridge have undoubtedly proved the Special One wrong.

We take a look at five former Blues stars, including KDB, that were sold far too early in their careers by Chelsea.

In transfer deals that owner Roman Abramovich must live to regret, these erstwhile Blues have been taking the plaudits ever since while plying their trade and winning trophies elsewhere.

With the Stamford Bridge outfit marooned 10th in the league table after a forgettable season of mid-table mediocrity, surely Guus Hiddink could have done with some of these stars at his disposal?

Kevin De Bruyne

Sold too soon: Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne was sold by Jose Mourinho for just £18m in January 2014.

Eighteen months later he was worth £55m after setting a new Bundesliga assists record during his time at Wolfsburg.

The Belgian playmaker has already justified his price tag by sending Manchester City through to the semi-finals of the Champions League with a brilliant strike against PSG.

Mourinho said De Bruyne was not prepared to fight for his place in the first team and criticised his mentality.

The decision has come back to haunt Chelsea as De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the most exciting players in the Premier League when fully fit having record six goals and nine assists despite a lengthy injury lay-off.

His compatriot at Chelsea, Eden Hazard, has no goals and just three assists.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku in action at Goodison
Wrong kit: Lukaku in action with Chelsea at Goodison Park

Romelu Lukaku is another Belgian who was sold far too early by Jose Mourinho.

The physically imposing striker was the hottest prospect in Europe when he netted 41 goals in 98 games for Anderlecht as a teenager.

The Blues were lucky enough to secure his signature but he was never given a proper chance at Stamford Bridge after missing a penalty which lost Chelsea the UEFA Super Cup to Bayern Munich.

Lukaku was shipped out to West Brom on loan where he enjoyed a prolific spell, scoring 17 in 35 matches.

He was expecting to be given a chance in the first team after proving himself in the Premier League but was instead sent to Everton the following season where he again bagged 15 goals in 31 games.

The Toffees made his move permanent in a £28m deal when the striker was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku will be worth almost double that if he leaves this summer in search of Champions League football after scoring 60 Premier League goals.

To add insult to injury, Lukaku bagged an impressive brace against Chelsea at Goodison Park to knock them out of this season’s FA Cup.

Filipe Luis

Short stay: Chelsea's Felipe Luis in action

Brazilian left-back Filipe Luis was another outcast in Jose Mourinho’s second spell as Chelsea manager.

Luis was an integral part of one of the meanest defences in Europe under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid when the Blues forked out £16m for his services in in summer 2014.

He was given the number 3 shirt and fans expected him to become the long-term replacement for Ashley Cole who had departed for Roma.

Instead, Mourinho moved right-back Cesar Azpilicueta to left-back and Luis made just a handful of appearances as the Blues stormed to the Premier League title.

He signed a four-year contract at Atletico Madrid just one year later and put in two near-perfect performances against Lionel Messi as Simeone’s side knocked holders Barcelona out of the Champions League.

Arjen Robben

Winners: Arjen Robben celebrates with Jose Mourinho and John Terry

Dutch winger Arjen Robben enjoyed an incredibly successful spell at Chelsea, winning back to back titles in his first two seasons with the club.

He was a vital cog on the left-wing of Jose Mourinho’s 4-3-3 system that took the Premier League by storm and his electric pace terrified international defenders.

However, his spell at Stamford Bridge was plagued by injuries and he was a substituted substitute in his final appearance for the club, coming on for Joe Cole before coming off for Ashley Cole.

He was sold to Real Madrid for £24m and made 28 appearances in his debut season for the club, scoring five goals as Bernd Schuster’s side won the title.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in a world record transfer threatened his first team place and he was sold to Bayern Munich in 2009 for another €25m.

Robben famously missed an extra-time penalty against Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea in the 2012 Champions League final.

However, the winger atoned for his error by scoring an 89 minute winner in Bayern’s Champions League final win over bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund one year later.

Nemanja Matic

Back at Chelsea: Nemanja Matic

When Chelsea signed David Luiz from Benfica in 2011, Nemanja Matic went in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

As a 20-year-old, Matic fancied himself as a play-maker and was valued at under £5 million by the Blues but was relatively unknown among the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Fast forward to January 2014 and Matic had become a defensive midfielder, gaining plaudits world-wide after winning the 2013 Europa League and being crowned Portuguese Player of the Year.

To regain the Serbian's signature, Chelsea had to fork out £21 million.

He quickly became one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, playing an instrumental role in Chelsea's 2015 title-winning side.