John Terry insisted a retired Chelsea star could still play in the Premier League
The Blues icon's comments came three years after the star retired from football
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By STEFAN BURGHILA
Published: 07:17 EDT, 19 March 2025 | Updated: 07:17 EDT, 19 March 2025
Chelsea icon John Terry has claimed one of his former team-mates could still fit into any Premier League side, despite retiring three years ago
The 44-year-old centre back enjoyed a storied career at Stamford Bridge, alongside some of the best midfielders in the world in front of him, such as Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Juan Mata.
However, in an interview with talkSport on Wednesday, the Blues icon was full of praise for former team-mate John Obi Mikel, outlining that the former Nigeria international could be a great addition to any Premier League side even after his retirement.
The 37-year-old played his last football game for Kuwait SC back in October 2021.
'He was brilliant,' said Terry. 'To have him in front of me playing was brilliant. He covered so much ground.
'I still play in ex-Legends games now and stuff and he can still play. He could still play in the Premier League today. He had it all didn't he?
John Terry expressed his belief that former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel could still be a great addition to any Premier League side
The Nigerian midfielder - who starred at Stamford Bridge between 2006 and 2017 - retired three years ago in Kuwait
Obi Mikel was a significant part of Roman Abramovich's push to success in his first years at Chelsea
'Those holding midfielders like Makelele get recognised. There's certain players in that role that don't get the credit they deserve. And Obi was one of them.'
The duo shared the Stamford Bridge pitch between 2006 and 2017, featuring in 266 games together for more than 17,000 minutes.
Both stars lifted numerous major trophies, such as the Premier League in 2010 and 2015, as well as the Champions League in 2012.
The former Nigeria international appeared for the entire 120-minute game against Bayern Munich, in a clash well-remembered by the Blues fans.
Obi Mikel arrived at Stamford Bridge in July 2006 from Lyn FK and was a significant part of Roman Abramovich's push to success.
In total, the Nigerian midfielder racked up 372 appearances for the Blues and scored six goals while adding 12 assists.
However, Terry's words might seem an exaggeration as the Blues have £115million signing Moises Caicedo in their midfield.
Previously, Obi Mikel praised the Ecuadorian, saying he would become the club captain one day should he continue delivering his impressive performance this season, following a nightmare campaign last year.
The 44-year-old outlined the significane of having a top holding midfielder such as Obi Mikel in front of a centre back
Terry and Obi Mikel marked their career for the Blues with a spectacular Champions League triumph in 2012
'We've talked about Moises Caicedo and how much we thought, of course, he didn't start his Chelsea career really well and a few games into his Chelsea career, there were loads of mistakes,' Mikel said on his The Obi One Podcast.
'Everyone was thinking, "Why did we pay so much money for this guy?" Now we can see those performances that he was performing at Brighton and stuff like that so, absolutely fantastic player.
'Now you can feel this is the Moises Caicedo that we all know and also when you watch him, when you look at him right now, you can see that there's a bit of confidence there.
'I think he maybe will go on to captain the team.'
Maresca's side, meanwhile, sit in the fourth place in the Premier League standings following a dismal 1-0 loss by Arsenal on Sunday.
The Blues were knocked out of both the FA Cup and Carabao cup but continue their fight in the Conference League quarter-finals, where they are set to face Legia Warszawa.