In the wake of Chelsea’s 5-1 mauling of MK Dons away in Buckinghamshire, the man Chelsea fans refer to as “Captain. Leader. Legend.” confirmed his time was coming to an end.
Terry revealed he knew his fate before the 1-0 win at Arsenal earlier in the month after meeting with the club the previous week.
In a time of rapid transformation and no less than 13 managers, under Roman Abramovic, Terry has been the one constant at centre-half. Joining the west London club from the West Ham youth setup at the tender age of 14, Terry played his first match in his number 26 shirt as a substitute in October 1998 in a League Cup match with Aston Villa.
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The uncompromising defender would go on to achieve many of the games great accolades, being selected in the FIFPro World XI in five years running between 2005 and 2009.
Under his leadership, Chelsea won the Premier League four times, the FA Cup five times, a League Cup, a Europa League and of course the UEFA Champions League in 2012.
For many though, it would be a match against QPR at Loftus Road in 2011, an altercation with tourists from the United States at Heathrow in September 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, his affair with Wayne Bridge’s wife, and Terry changing into a Chelsea kit to celebrate the Champions League final win when he did not play due to suspension for kicking out at Alexis Sanchez playing for Barcelona, for which John Terry will be most remembered.
The scenes involving Terry and Anton Ferdinand at Loftus Road in particular, were amongst the ugliest in Premier League history, and came a matter of weeks after the Luis Suarez incident. Terry would be suspended from playing with England, stripped of the England captaincy for the second time, and Fabio Capello would eventually fall on his sword over the incident.
However, Terry’s status as one of the hardest tackling and toughest centre-halves in the game may never be seen again, as John Stones, the man who many believe is Terry’s successor, shows just how much the game is changing.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown wasted no time stating his belief that despite Terry’s iconic standing in the game, Tony Adams tackled harder and was a greater leader on the pitch. However, Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher both believed Terry will leave behind a legacy as the greatest central defender to play in the Premier League.
Terry has revealed that his agent telephoned Chelsea Football Club after Christmas with six months left on his contract and the club confirmed there would be no renewal. Terry sought a meeting with the club so that he could hear the news himself, which occurred the next day.
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Terry has said he will not play for another Premier League club, which signals a move to China or the United States may be in the offing. No doubt Terry’s agent will be fielding calls this morning.
Of the 2012 Champions League winning side, only John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill will remain at season’s end. Just where Chelsea Football Club goes for new leadership and to rebuild the squad remains to be seen.
“Ideally I would have loved to stay, but the club’s moving in a different direction. No doubt they’ll sign one or two great centre-backs. I want to come back as a Chelsea supporter in years to come with my kids and see the team doing great,” Terry said.
Terry’s value to Chelsea was no doubt in his loyalty and his passion for the club and that he was to their fans like Steven Gerrard, Paolo Maldini or Francesco Totti. Whether we will see this again at Chelsea is an open question.
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