John Terry disclosed he could have transferred to Italy in the later stages of his career and was open to the move. “When I was 33, Milan reached out to me through two different agents. It was a real possibility. However, the deal fell through, and that is fine. I was fortunate to play for Chelsea for a long time. However, joining the Rossoneri was a dream of mine.”
Terry heaped praise on José Mourinho in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: “He was my favorite coach. I recall a time when I was injured, and I should have been out for 20 days. He came to the infirmary and was talking to everybody, but he was ignoring him. I could not accept it since I was the captain. I told the doctor to inject me with something to allow me to perform. The coach looked at me as if I was crazy. He fielded me, and then he sent me five days in Dubai to recover. I played hurt for him, but I would do it again because we won the title that year.”
Terry also previewed the clash between Chelsea and Juventus: “The Blues will win two-nil. They are in fine form and have not had any problem since they lost in Turin. In my opinion, they are superior despite the absences. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are the best players of their generation. I used to study them. I did the same with Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, who is my absolute idol. He made everything look easy. I have never seen such a natural defender.”