The manager

Gianluca Vialli was the manager who handed Terry his Chelsea debut in a League Cup victory over Aston Villa in 1998.

I sometimes find myself boasting about being able to say I was the manager who gave John his debut. But I also kick myself because I think I should have been a bit more courageous. Not that I should have given him his debut earlier, but that once he played and showed how good he was, I should have probably made him a regular in the side. This is what Claudio Ranieri did when he took over from me.

It wasn’t just a decision I took in one day to give John his debut. I had watched him in training and playing for the reserves, and I spoke with other members of staff about him before I put him in the team. He was a bit nervous, but, like all the best players, he found his peace once he walked on the pitch.

It was obvious that even as a young man, John was a solid player and very mature for his age, you could see he was a natural leader and he was very willing to listen and learn. I was lucky to play and work with defenders like Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Marcel Desailly, and John is one of the top defenders in my list. When you want to go to war, you want to be surrounded by certain people and he would be one of my first picks.

It makes me a bit sad when I see a player like John, who has been so loyal, is coming to the end with his club because it is very rare in football nowadays. He is an example to all the new generation.

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