When people talk about Chelsea legends. It doesn’t take long for John Terry’s name to be mentioned in the conversation.
Few have had the impact that the Englishman had on the Blues during their time at the club, with him winning near enough every trophy that was on offer at Stamford Bridge.
Terry is seen as the greatest captain Chelsea have ever had, and has been keen to pass any advice he can on to the players currently making their mark in the first team.
Terry has given advice to Reece James about how to be a leader after the 25-year-old was named captain of the club at the start of last season.
Despite establishing himself as an all time great, it came as a surprise to many at the time the Englishman joined the Blues that he had chosen them over a number of other sides who were interested in signing him.
Photo by Ashley Western - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Ashley Western – CameraSport via Getty Images
Why John Terry chose to join Chelsea over Manchester United
Terry moved to Chelsea in the mid 1990s, a time when they were far from the force they are now in European football, and when the Premier League was dominated by Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.
After leaving West Ham, the Red Devils were very keen on signing the defender, who at this point was still very much featuring as a midfielder.
However, Terry said in an interview with Simon Jordan in 2024 that it was the homely feel of Chelsea that attracted him to eventually sign for them.
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He said: “I was at West Ham for two or three years before that. Jimmy Neighbour was our trainer, he was a fantastic coach, and one day we turned up and we had a new coach for our Under 13s. And I came away from the session and said to my dad ‘I’m not going back’.
“So I left there, went to Arsenal for a year, and in this time I was kind of floating between Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea.
“Arsenal had rolled out the red carpet for me, Man United had done the same. I had Sir Alex Ferguson phoning my house, and Chelsea didn’t do anything. All they offered me was a pair of boots each season and my £2 expenses for getting the train, nothing else.
“When I walked into Chelsea, I knew Chelsea was the right club for me, I just felt it was home.”
What is John Terry up to now?
Terry has enjoyed coaching spells with the likes of Aston Villa and Leicester City since retiring as a player, and now works closely with the academy at Cobham.
Terry is part of the Baller League, a new small-sided football competition for semi-professionals that is being fronted by a number of top names in the game.
One of the players drafted to compete in that was Michael Hector, who never featured for the Blues despite being signed by Jose Mourinho amid the defensive woes that came when Terry was playing for them.