John Terry has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson made weekly phone calls in a bid to take him to Manchester United.
Terry spent 22 years at Chelsea, joining them at the age of 14 in 1995, and is considered one of the club's greatest players, having made 717 first-team appearances and won 17 major trophies. He moved to the Blues' academy from West Ham, but things could have been very different if Fergie had got his way, with the iconic Scottish manager calling Terry's family home every week to monitor his progress.
Despite United 'rolling out the red carpet' to secure his signature, Terry insists he felt a stronger connection with Chelsea. After joining their youth team in 1995, he made his first-team debut three years later in 1998.
"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," Terry shared on William Hill's podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan.
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"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.
"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."
The Chelsea stalwart also revealed the gruelling routine he endured as a teen to ensure he made it at Stamford Bridge.
"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."
Terry credits much of his success to Jose Mourinho, under whom he lifted three Premier League titles as captain. He holds immense respect for Mourinho and staunchly defends his record post-Chelsea, especially during his tenure at Manchester United.
"I would look at his time at Manchester United as being a successful one, compared to where they've been," Terry said. "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."
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