Chelsea legend John Terry has recalled how his father “absolutely kicked off” after he decided to sign for the blues.
The former Blues captain penned schoolboy forms with Premier League side Chelsea as a 14-year-old, but had other offers on the table for him.
While he was still at West Ham, John Terry was training elsewhere, including going to Manchester United for a two-week training camp every summer.
He even shared a car with David Beckham up to Manchester when the midfielder signed his first professional contract.
“I had the option between Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United and, to be fair, all of them went above and beyond,” Terry told The Footballers Guide to Football podcast.
“The moment I walked into Chelsea, it just felt right. And that’s going to sound really bizarre. My dad never wanted me to sign for Chelsea and on the picture of me signing my schoolboy form on the pitch, my dad refused to go on the pitch with me.”
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Terry explained how he decided to leave West Ham after they sacked his regular coach, and Chelsea – who were managed by Glenn Hoddle then – were his first choice.
He continued: “I’m waiting in the tunnel and Glenn Hoddle goes past and my dad’s going, ‘You’re not signing for this football club. We should sign for Man United.’
“But me being me, I’m going, ‘I’m 100% signing here. If you don’t come out with me, I’m going out to sign.’
“You needed a parent, so my mum says she’ll come and sign it for me, my dad’s going mad at my mum – ‘No, you wont’, that kind of thing – but there’s a picture of me and my mum with Graham Rix, signing my contract, but my dad refused and absolutely kicked off that night.”
Terry went on to play over 700 matches for Chelsea, winning every major trophy possible.
He even remembers scoring for Chelsea against West Ham – who his Dad supported – and saw him in the crowd with his uncle both “screaming abuse” at him.
Reflecting on his decision to sign for Chelsea, Terry added: “One night that probably was supposed to be one of the best nights of my life turned out to be a tough one for a young 14-year-old, to be honest.
