John Terry could’ve joined Man Utd or Arsenal – but ‘chose right’ with Chelsea
John Terry has revealed he had the chance to sign for both Manchester United and Arsenal as a youngster, before ultimately picking Chelsea.
The legendary former Blues skipper, who moved to Stamford Bridge from West Ham's academy as a 14-year-old, was hot property in the mid 90s, with many of the biggest clubs in the country vying for his signature.
Speaking to snooker icon Stephen Hendry on his YouTube show Cue Tips, Terry says he spent time on trial at Arsenal and United, but realised Chelsea was the club for him as soon as he walked through the door.
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When asked if he had always been a captain, Terry replied: "All the way up, yeah. I was with West Ham as a kid, Man United, Arsenal, [but] decided to sign for Chelsea – and thankfully chose the right club!"
Despite being born and raised in east London, Terry and his family were United supporters, and the ex-England defender revealed his father was furious after learning he'd signed for Chelsea as he was being offered a place at United at the time.
In an interview back in 2004, the soon-to-be five-time Premier League champion recalled being sat next to [fellow east-Londoner] David Beckham in the car while being driven up to Manchester for a trial by one of United's London-based scouts.
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"[Beckham] was going up as a trainee and, about a week later, he signed on there," Terry revealed.
"I had a schoolboy trial and they wanted me to join up, too. But Chelsea had offered me the same thing and so I turned United down. It wasn't easy because I was a Manchester United supporter as a kid and my dad was a fan. But there was something special about Chelsea."
Terry's decision paid off almost immediately, with him making his senior debut for Chelsea in 1998 aged 17. He was appointed captain following Marcel Desailly's departure in 2004, and led the Blues to Premier League glory in his first season with the armband.
He won 15 major honours across a 19-year career at the club, racking up over 700 appearances and scoring 67 goals. He also earned 78 caps for England, and captained the side between 2006 and 2010, and again between 2011 and 2012.
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