Chelsea Captain, John Terry who has won 14 major honours during his 22 years of service at Chelsea is slated to exit the blues at the end of the season but the question has been what next for this great hero who came to Chelsea at 14 years.
The former England centre back announced he will leave Chelsea after the season, bringing to an end his 22-year association with the club he joined from school. Terry had maintained he wanted to finish his career at Stamford Bridge and said he would find it difficult to play against a team he has represented 713 times, leading them out as captain in a record 578 games.
It was announced via a joint-statement with Terry then posting this Instagram pic afterwards. Terry has come through Chelsea’s ranks and has enjoyed 22 years of service at the club. The iconic centre back has won 14 major trophies there – including the 2004-05 league title. And a year later he led the Blues to a successful defense of their Premier League crown.
Terry’s wife, Toni, took to Instagram to thank the club’s fans for their support with this snap
JOHN TERRY’S CHELSEA HONOURS AND CAREER BY NUMBERS…
4x Premier League (2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-15)
1x Champions League (2012)
5x FA Cup (2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
1x Europa League (2013)
3x League Cup (2005, 2007, 2015)
19 – Number of years since he made his Chelsea first-team debut
713 – Number of Chelsea appearances
6 – Number of appearances on loan at Nottingham Forest in 2000
78 – Number of England caps
40 – Number of Premier League goals he has scored for Chelsea
578 – Games as captain of the Blues, a club record
26 – Number on the back of his Chelsea shirt
14 – Number of major titles he has won as Chelsea captain (four Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League)
17 – Age when he made his senior Chelsea debut as substitute in League Cup game against Aston Villa
6 – Number of times he has been sent off in the Premier League
Terry has barely played this season, leaving him determined to squeeze as much as he can from the twilight of his playing career.
When Terry’s representatives were instructed last year to look into all his options they discovered the big-spenders in China and the United States preferred to spend their millions on strikers rather than centre halves.
Interest from the Middle East did not materialise as expected although there was the chance of a move to Brondby in Denmark, where he is friends with the owner. At the same time, it became clear he still has many admirers in English football after a glittering career at Chelsea in which he won all honours, including four league titles and the Champions League.
Despite being suspended for the final, Terry held aloft the Champions League trophy in 2012
His last major honour at Chelsea came two seasons ago as he lifted the title for a fourth time
In a statement released on Monday, he said: ‘After 22 years there is so much to say and so many people to thank at this great football club. From coaches, team-mates and staff to the fans who have given me so much support down the years, I can’t thank you enough. ‘The club and I have always had a fantastic relationship, which will continue beyond my playing days. We had some really positive talks but with everything taken into careful consideration I have decided it’s the right time for me to leave. I’ve always been conscious that I depart at the right time, in the right way, and I feel that the end of this season is the right time.
WHERE WILL TERRY GO NEXT?
CHINA
The current favoured location for ageing stars looking for a new adventure and a colossal pay day. As long-time skipper of the Blues, Terry already has a strong following in Asia and even embarked on his own ‘Captain China Tour’ in 2015. Two of Terry’s ex-managers are currently in charge of Chinese clubs, with Luiz Felipe Scolari at Guangzhou Evergrande and Sven-Goran Eriksson in the second tier with Shenzhen FC. He would join a cabal of former Chelsea men in the country, with Oscar, Ramires, John Obi Mikel, Oscar, Alexandre Pato and Ricardo Carvalho all signed up.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Terry’s former Blues team-mate Dan Petrescu is managing in the UAE with Al Nasr and the Romanian has suggested recently he would be keen to make his friend an offer. There is enough money in the league to make it a viable option, and a personal relationship with the boss cannot hurt. Al Nasr are based in Dubai, a destination Terry has been known to favour for holidays, so, despite the relative lack of profile, do not rule it out.
THE UNITED STATES
Terry revealed in an interview at the end of 2015 he could see ‘maybe there is a time’ when he would look to go to play in America, making Major League Soccer a possible destination. Several of his England contemporaries – Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham – crossed the Atlantic to close out their careers, and Terry would not want for suitors.
ELSEWHERE IN ENGLAND
Whether or not Terry will consider a move to another English club at this stage of his career is an open question. His statement did not rule it out, but a strong suspicion remains that he will head for new shores when he hangs up his blue shirt. Bournemouth have been touted as the likeliest option, with Eddie Howe on the lookout for defensive reinforcements and Jack Wilshere’s loan move showing their ambition to move for big name players. West Ham appear the likeliest London club to throw their hat in the ring, should he wish to stay in the capital.
PORTUGAL
An Instagram post from February appeared to confirm Terry was learning Portuguese. Would one of the country’s bigger names – Benfica, Porto or Sporting Lisbon – be tempted to take him on, or might he look lower down the table if a coaching opportunity came into the bargain?
AUSTRALIA
Terry led Chelsea in a glamour friendly against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium, which attracted a crowd of some 83,598, in June 2015. There would certainly be plenty of interest in making Terry one of the A-League’s marquee players.
