John Terry is set to depart from his beloved Chelsea club at the end of the season. The announcement, made with the club on their website, isn't a massive surprise to supporters of the team. It will still mark a sad day for club and player, however, as Terry has been one of the most important players in the current era of the team and will go down as a legend for his contributions to the club.
Ready to move on
In the joint statement on the Chelsea website, Terry discussed why he decided the end of the Premier League season would be the right time for him to take leave of his most prestigious club.
The 36-year old doesn't think he's done quite yet; in fact, he believes he has at least one more significant act in him. He doesn't believe that opportunity will come with Chelsea, though, where he has been making less and less frequent appearances for the club as they try to get younger and more athletic players into the lineup on a regular basis.
Terry hinted at a potential future with the club after his playing days are over, stating that the relationship between he and Chelsea is healthy and could continue down the road. He stated that he wanted to leave at the correct time, a reference to players who overstay their welcomes and are either forced out or tarnish their legacy by sticking around too long.
He also stated that he understood opportunities weren't coming anymore at Chelsea, but that he was eager to search for a new opportunity and a new challenge elsewhere.
A legendary tenure
Terry joined Chelsea as a youth in 1995, and outside of a brief loan to Nottingham Forest, he has been there ever since. In addition to serving as the team's captain, he also served as the captain of the English national team for a spell.
The defender is one of the greatest at his position of his generation, winning the award for the UEFA Club Defender of the Year on three separate occasions, in 2005, 2008, and 2009.
Team success has always been most important to Terry, however, and there has been no shortage of that during his time with the squad. In the past thirteen years, Chelsea has won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012 (they were also runner-ups in 2008).
He has not avoided controversy in his career, facing allegations of extramarital affairs and racial abuse during his time in the backfield. He'll most be remembered at Chelsea for his relentless pursuit of victory, though.
