John Terry brought his incredible Chelsea career to an end this summer by signing with Championship side Aston Villa. JT’s move saw a sparkling 19-year tenure put behind him, although it was time for him to leave as he had fallen out of favour in the side while he is still able to play at a high level.
From the Premier League to the Champions League, Terry will go down as the most successful captain in Chelsea’s history, while he will also take his place as one of the great English defenders, too. He is now looking forward to his season in the Championship with Aston Villa which will constitute an interesting change of pace for a defender that now has no pace! Interestingly, Villa were Chelsea’s opponents as Terry made his debut back in 1998 in a 4-1 cup win for the Blues.
The landscape for both sides is markedly different now, but which men made it to the field along with Terry as a legend was born:
Dimitri Kharin
Just look at that kit. Simpler times. Image source: legioner.kulichki
Michael Duberry
The central-defender formed a solid partnership with Lambourde in their win over Aston Villa. Image Source: Twitter
Bernard Lambourde
Both Lambourde and Duberry would have no idea their long-term successor was sitting on the bench that day. Image Source: Twitter
Dan Petrescu
The Romanian represented Chelsea for five years, leaving less then half a decade before the Roman Abramovich era. Image Source: Twitter
Celestine Babayaro
The left-back was the build-up to Chelsea's best defender on the left-flank; Ashley Cole. Image Source: Twitter
Jody Morris
Morris battled hard for a place in the Chelsea starting XI, but seemed eternally between the bench and starting. Image Source: Daily Mail
Gus Poyet
We all know Gus Poyet, and whether you love him or hate him, the man has got passion. Image Source: Twitter
Dennis Wise
Wise was with Chelsea for 11 years and loved a tackle, as shown by his red card in JT's debut game. Image Source: Twitter
Tore Andre Flo
Great in the air and also good on the ball, Flo was actually a scorer on the day, netting the third goal which really killed the contest off. Image Source: Twitter
Mark Nicholls
A Chelsea youth product that had a habit of being in the right place at the right time. However, he couldn't quite make it work with the Blues. Image Source: GetWestLondon.co.uk
Gianluca Vialli
A hat-trick on the day stole the headlines, in a match to remember for more than one reason. Image Source: ReadChelsea.com
Neil Clement
Clement came on in the 76th-minute for Nicholls, but he was just the warm up to JT. Image Source: Express
John Terry
The man, the myth, the legend. He surely could not have known he would go on to captain his side to massive success in a 19-year Chelsea career. Image Source: Scoopnest.com
Jon Harley
Came on for hat-trick hero Vialli in the 90th minute for a brief cameo. Image Source: Daily Express
It isn’t quite the star studded, hundreds of millions of pounds worth of team that Chelsea fans are currently used to. However, this was the start of a legacy that will define the Blues for years to come.
Before the whole Wayne Bridge affair and difficulties as England captain, it was just a story of a young English defender making his debut in the London side. Terry will be desperate to guide his new side back to the Premier League and it will be odd to see him not in the blue of Chelsea. However, all good things have to come to an end and it now means his shadow is not hanging over the young centre-halves in the side.
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