John Terry talks Chelsea future, England regrets, and toe injections

The worst part of Jamie Carragher's interview with John Terry for the Daily Mail is the ridiculous number of pictures with the two of them laughing it up like they ain't got a care in the world.  Yes, we get it.  They get on.  How wonderful.  They're friends and rivals and colleagues and professionals, etc.  But that's truly a minor complaint, as the rest of the interview is great and well worth your time.

In parts, it's actually a very revealing interview.  For example, Terry, usually (and rightly so) thought of as a one-club player, came so very close to leaving Chelsea at one point.  No, it wasn't the time when Manchester City suddenly got rich, too.

"It's a funny story actually. Chelsea wanted to sell me then [in April 2000]. They had agreed a deal with Huddersfield. After my loan at Forest, I was supposed to go to Huddersfield. Steve Bruce was their manager. Gianluca Vialli was manager here and he knew David Platt at Forest. But I did well in those games, I started five and came on in the other. Chelsea wanted more money then decided they didn't want to sell as I'd done well. I came back and got on the bench for the FA Cup final."

"[I have not been close to moving at any point since]. There was the thing with Manchester City. They offered £29million for me in 2009 and Chelsea turned it down. I had a meeting with Roman (Abramovich) about it. I said to him, if the club accepts the offer then it tells me you don't want me. So then you haven't got a choice, you have got to go. But if they don't accept the offer, it tells me everything that I need to know. Chelsea refused the offer and that was it."

-John Terry; source: Mail

Which leads nicely into Terry reiterating that he'd never play for another English team.  "America, maybe", he says for a future playing career.  Or perhaps the seemingly foregone conclusion of Chelsea coach (and then of course manager), with work towards coaching badges having begun some time ago.

There are other several other interesting and funny bits.  The two former stalwarts of England national teams — Terry certainly doesn't seem happy about how all that ended for him — bond over shared experiences like Luis Garcia's "ghost goal" and playing club football for the same manager, though separated by many years.

There are funny stories about Dirk Kuyt being "a level up" and serious stories about how great Chelsea's new-found managerial stability is, and painful stories about toe injections (before every match, training session, or awards ceremony).  Terry names the best center back he's played with (Ricardo Carvalho, of course), the best striker he played against (Thierry Henry), and the team he likes to beat the most (Spurs).

So what are you waiting for?  Click!