Chelsea FC captain John Terry will leave the club at
the end of the season after more than two decades there.
He is their most decorated individual, with four
Premier League titles, one Champions League, five FA Cups, a Europa League and
three League Cups.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that he has
made 713 Chelsea appearances since his 1998 debut — 578 as captain.
“I feel I still have plenty to offer on the pitch
but understand that opportunities here at Chelsea will be limited for me,” the
36-year-old Terry said.
Centre-back Terry, who has scored 66 goals for the
club he joined as a 14-year-old, has made just four Premier League starts this
season.
He is the club’s third highest all-time appearance
maker, behind Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti, and holds the club record for
appearances as captain.
Terry, who made his debut for Chelsea as a
17-year-old in a 1998 League Cup match, has gone on to score 40 Premier League
goals over 19 years.
He has played almost all of his career at Chelsea,
other than six loan appearances for Nottingham Forest in 2000.
“I will, of course, always be a Blue and am
desperate to end my final season as a Chelsea player with more silverware,”
said Terry, whose team have a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League
table.
“I’ve always been conscious that I depart at the
right time, in the right way, and I feel that the end of this season is the
right time for the club and I.”
Terry, the club and Premier League’s top-scoring
defender, is one of just five defenders to have won the PFA Player of the Year
award.
He retired from international football in 2012 after
winning 78 England caps and signed a one-year contract extension with the Blues
in May 2016.
“I’m eager to carry on playing and so will be
looking to continue with a new challenge,” Terry added.
“Words cannot describe the love I have for our
football club and our amazing Chelsea fans. You mean the world to me and I will
never forget the incredible journey we’ve been on.”
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: “He will
always be held in the highest regard by everybody at Stamford Bridge and we
look forward to welcoming him back in the future.”
NAN
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