TERRY: I COULD HAVE BEEN A UNITED STAR
A self-confessed United fan, Terry was given his opportunity at Old Trafford when he was 14, but turned it down to stay in London as The Blues offered him a similar deal.
Terry said: "When I was 14, I went up to Old Trafford for a trial. United's London scout Malcolm Fidgen took me in a car and I sat next to David Beckham the whole way.
"He was going up as a trainee and, about a week later, he signed on there.
"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. They had been so good to me and my family.
"And I've got no regrets. I want to stay here for my entire career and be the captain for the next few years. I've been here since I was 14 and seen people come and go. But I want to stay.
"Chelsea have taken a lot of stick in recent years because of all the foreigners at the club. And you don't find many players staying at one club for long these days."
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard has revealed the truth on why six of his team-mates decided not to travel to Israel, which ended in a 2-0 defeat, laying the seeds for Chelsea's embarrassing loss to Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Speaking to The Times, Lampard said: "When a man's given a choice, you have to respect their decision. People were calling them cowards. Everyone who didn't go had new-born kids or their wives were expecting kids.
"It was their decision. I decided to go, they didn't. It made us stronger. We had a meeting. We said 'we can't split ranks now, we've got to stick together, people will try and take the six now and put them apart'.
"It never crossed my mind to resent the people who didn't go. Never. When I first heard the draw I thought 'ooh, I'm not sure if I want to go there'. I thought it might be called off or the venue changed.
"In the end, we were given assurances about our safety and that was enough for me."
