JT answers Kalidou’s call for shirt number
JOHN TERRY hung up on Kalidou Koulibaly because he thought it was a prank call.
But Chelsea’s new €40m defender is determined to prove he is the real deal and write his own name into the club’s history.
Koulibaly got Chelsea legend Terry’s phone number from exNapoli star Gianfranco Zola and rang the ex-England captain to get his permission before asking to wear the No.26 shirt.
Terry insisted on contacting Chelsea to check it was really Koulibaly on the other end of the phone before giving him the green light and it was a lovely touch.
Koulibaly wanted the shirt because both he and his wife Charlene were born on June 20.
Senegal defender Koulibaly (31), who has signed a four-year contract, said: “It was very important for me to ask him and he gave me his answer.
Happy
“I was happy and I wanted to tell everybody that I asked him before because I don’t want to be disrespectful to a legend of the club.”
Koulibaly admits he has come close to moving to English football on several previous occasions, including when Antonio Conte tried to get him to Chelsea in 2016.
That did not work out and Napoli also rebuffed serious interest from Manchester United, Manchester
City and Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp wanted him in January 2021 to solve the club’s defensive crisis.
Napoli were notoriously difficult to deal with as president Aurelio De Laurentiis always drives a hard bargain.
Koulibaly never gave up on his hope of playing in the Premier League, in particular, for Chelsea even if he confessed it could take a while for him to find his best form.
“It’s true for a long time the Premier League wanted me to come,” he said.
“Maybe before, nobody was ready, maybe Napoli didn’t want me to come. And I’m not a player who fights to leave.
“I was always linked to Chelsea. The stars were in a good line so I am very happy to join Chelsea and the Premier League.
“I always used to watch Chelsea games like when Didier Drogba came from Marseille to London, to Chelsea it was a big step and this I remember because when they won the Champions League and he won the penalty.
“When I signed here he (Drogba) texted me and sent me a message and I was really happy and when some legends like him, Gianfranco Zola, JT and Demba Ba texted me to tell me I made a good choice.”
Since arriving at the club, Koulibaly has no doubts about the quality in the dressing room.
He added: “With my personal experience, I know that you don’t have to give a limit to your dream and my dream is to win everything with Chelsea.
“In the gym there are all the trophies on the wall that they win, and I want to be part of those trophies.”
AUGUST 31: United announce they’ve re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus in a €14m deal, pinching him from under the noses of Manchester City. SEPTEMBER 11: Makes his second home debut and scores twice to help United thrash Newcastle. NOVEMBER 22: Is left upset when United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a woeful defeat at Watford. NOVEMBER 23: Scores a crucial goal in a 2-0 win at Villarreal to boost United’s chances of a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
FEBRUARY 18: Reports of a split in the United dressing room with Ronaldo in a power struggle with captain Harry Maguire.
MARCH 6: More cracks appear when interim boss Ralf Rangnick axes Ronaldo for the Manchester derby, leaving the player fuming.
MARCH 12: Celebrates his recall with a stunning hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Tottenham, to send a clear message to Rangnick that he’s still got it. APRIL 18: Ronaldo and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez are left devastated by the loss of their newborn baby boy. MAY 7: Gets booked in the final game of the season as United finish in pitiful fashion with a 4-0 drubbing at Brighton.
JULY 2: Drops a bombshell on United after telling them he wants to leave to find a new club that can give him Champions League football.
JULY 26: Finally returns to United with his agent Jorge Mendes for showdown talks about his future, having missed the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.
JULY 31: Leaves the ground before the end of a pre-season friendly with Rayo Vallecano, having been hauled off at half time by new boss Erik Ten Hag.