500 man Terry reminisces about getting the armband for the first time

As you might have noticed (there was some fanfare around the topic), John Terry made his 500th appearance as Chelsea captain on Saturday. While he couldn't mark the occasion with a goal -- which is actually a little unlike him -- he at least got to celebrate an important three points, which we all know is what really matters to the 33-year-old.

In the aftermath of the 2-1 win, we've heard a lot about how important the milestone is to Terry, but what I found interesting about Get West London's piece on the skipper was him talking about how it all ended up happening. So if you're into nostalgia ...

I'd like to thank the likes of Marcel Desailly and Dennis Wise, who first and foremost gave me the opportunity to be captain of this club, and help me through and learn from the very best.

I remember when I first got it (the armband) Marcel was captain, and he called a meeting with the management, (Gianfranco) Zola, Dennis Wise, Graeme Le Saux. And they felt it was time, while they were still there, that they give me the armband, and see me through.

And I'll never forget that – that's why I thank those guys for the experience and the learning that I got from them. Because without them I couldn't have done it.

-Source: GetWestLondon.

It's almost strange to think of a time in which Terry wasn't Chelsea captain. We've been blessed with enormous stability in terms of the first team over the past decade or so, and I'd suspect that now that we've found some balance in the team that we can bank on Terry playing at least a little while longer. But just imagine a gang of Blues legends past getting together to hand our most successful captain ever the armband. For a certain generation of fans, the likes of Wise and Zola are who we grew up with, and it's fascinating to hear about the transition between what once was and the Chelsea we now know.