Former Chelsea and England skipper John Terry opened up on how Sir Alex Ferguson phoned him relentlessly to try and sign him for Manchester United.
Terry, who spent an impressive 22 years at Chelsea commencing from when he was just 14 in 1995, is considered one of the club's greatest stars after making 717 appearances and winning 17 major pieces of silverware. However, things could have been different for the now 43-year-old.
The defensive legend shed light on how he was pursued by none other than Ferguson, who regularly checked in on Terry's progression by ringing his home every week during his youth career, reports the Manchester Evening News. Terry claimed United pulled out all the stops to onboard him – further laying emphasis on how Ferguson was keen to have him join the Red Devils.
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TNT SportNonetheless, Terry felt a strong sense of belonging at Chelsea - his ultimate chosen club where he marked his first team debut in 1998 after joining their youth ranks three years prior.
In a chat with William Hill's podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, Terry said: "I was in the West Ham academy for two or three years and one night we found out our coach had left, so I told my dad that I didn't want to go back." He further shared: "Then I went to Arsenal for a year and at that time I was floating between Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea.
"Arsenal and United both rolled out the red carpet for me, but Chelsea didn't do anything. I had Sir Alex Ferguson phoning my house every week to speak to me and my dad, checking that I was going to school and training correctly."
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"Even with all that, when I walked into Chelsea I just knew it was the right club for me. I felt like it was my home, like when you walk into a house and just feel you belong there for the next 20 years.
"I was leaving school at 4:30pm to get to Chelsea at seven o'clock, then wouldn't get home until 11:30pm I did that for a couple of years by myself. I absolutely loved it and I fell in love with Chelsea."
John Terry reveals his massive gratitude to Jose Mourinho who steered Chelsea - bolstered by Terry as captain - to notch up three Premier League titles. The ex-England skipper still cherishes his old manager's memory, robustly defending Mourinho's managerial track record post his second departure from Chelsea in 2015 and especially his tenure at Old Trafford which saw them bag the Europa League and the League Cup.
"I would look at his time at Manchester United as being a successful one, compared to where they've been," added Terry. "When you see the press conferences of him talking about how he won three Premier Leagues and all the other managers won two, I think he's spot on with what he said.
"Was he harsh on some of the United players at the time? Did they deserve it? They clearly did otherwise he wouldn't say it."
