John Terry was undoubtedly a troublesome player, but perhaps we didn’t realise how tough until he revealed how often he was injured during his Chelsea profession and played anyway.
The 45-year-old had an epic profession with the Blues, joining as a 14-year-old in 1995 and leaving for Aston Villa in 2017.
During that spell he made 717 appearances for the west London club and won a mammoth amount of silverware.
The previous Chelsea captain won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, five FA Cups and three League Cups with the Blues.
Terry was rarely out of the Chelsea side for around 15 years, with injury keeping him out of the team occasionally, but most of the time he says he played through fitness issues.
Lots most of the time.
Terry has made the extraordinary claim that he only felt fully fit for five of the games he played in his Chelsea profession, meaning he played with some type of illness or injury in 712 matches.
‘I used to be very old skool. If I used to be feeling sick or sick I’d just exit and get on with it, I don’t think people should miss matches resulting from illness – it doesn’t sit right with me,’ Terry said on the Double Tops podcast, sponsored by BetMGM.
‘Everyone says “oh you won’t be at your peak for those who’re sick”, but you don’t know that until you get on the market and provides it a crack.
‘I can’t inform you the quantity of injections that I needed to get through the following game, but that’s because I desired to play in each one.
‘I played 717 games for Chelsea and I could say, genuinely, I used to be 100 per cent fit for five of them.
‘After I went right into a game, I rarely didn’t have a rib, arm, leg, ankle or some type of injury – something at all times hurt. That was just a part of being an expert footballer and you’ll be able to’t sit it out since you’re sick.
‘The games come so thick and fast and you’ll be able to’t afford to miss one. The player who might are available to interchange you may not be at your level and as a way to win titles and always compete, you have to be there, irrespective of what.’
There was definitely evidence of Terry playing through immense pain and discomfort during his profession, memorably declaring himself fit to play despite having two broken ribs in 2012.
‘I’m struggling a bit, to be honest,’ he said after fracturing ribs in a Champions League clash with Benfica. ‘I got an elbow within the ribs about 20 minutes into the away leg and the doctors feared I’d fractured two of them.
‘I assumed it was OK but, later within the second half [in the second leg], it just gave the impression to be getting worse and I used to be struggling to breathe. It was difficult. I actually have never felt anything like that before.
‘I don’t think it’ll mean I’m out in any respect. It’s only a case of managing it, and things like that. I do know there are methods around it. With the ribs you’ll be able to’t really do anything: you’ll be able to’t treat the injury or massage it to make it higher. You simply must let it heal, but I can get through games, definitely. The blokes have gotten just a few ideas to get me through them.’
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