John Terry was unusually emotional when shown a video from Jose Mourinho as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A tough, no nonsense player on the pitch, the former Chelsea and England captain was being celebrated for his glittering career that saw him win five Premier League titles in a career spanning 492 league appearances.
Of the five, three of those Premier League trophy lifts came under Mourinho at Chelsea, with the manager leading them to the title in 2005, 2006 and in his second spell at Stamford Bridge in 2015.
The pair also won the FA Cup in 2007, as well as the League Cup in 2005, 2007 and then again in 2015.
Who else would be more suited to wishing Terry a huge congratulations for stepping into the history books than the man who gave him the armband to go on to become the club’s most successful skipper?
In a video posted on the Premier League’s official X page, Terry, now 43 years old, is seen opening a black box and picking a phone up out of it.
After pressing play, a clip of Mourinho appears on the screen.
“Premier League Hall of Fame, John Terry?” he says before giving a little shrug. “Has to be.
“And now it is. I believe that for your kids, it’s something really fantastic.
“I think, for me as one of the guys that had the privilege of working with you for about six seasons. I’m very happy, I’m very proud.
“You deserve [it], your career was amazing. I’m so, so happy for you and so proud of this achievement.”
Kissing his hand, he finishes off by saying: “Kisses, mate.”
After a brief pause, Terry looks up and smiles.
“Wow,” he says, as tears fill his eyes. “That’s quite emotional.”
Clearly choked up, Terry takes a moment to compose himself.
“Sorry…” he says, “I think it’s… I think I owe him a, you know, a huge amount for my career and the kind of direction it went in.”
Terry did have a little joke at the end to lighten the mood.
“He still frightens me to death!” he laughed. “When I see a video of him or he FaceTimes me out the blue or something like that.”
With a smile, he added: “But I’ve just got so much respect for him for what he done for me and Chelsea.
“Chelsea means everything to me so yeah, very emotional.”
The Hall of Fame is a place where the league celebrates its greats of yesteryear, with the first inductees in 2021 including former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, Arsenal hero Thierry Henry and top scoring Alan Shearer.
Since then, Wayne Rooney, Ian Wright, Rio Ferdinand as well as managers Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson have joined.
Terry, meanwhile, is in the class of 2024 with Andy Cole and Ashley Cole.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
