Iconic sporting moments don’t come a lot larger than John Terry’s well-known penalty kick for Chelsea within the 2008 Champions League closing.
Terry, captaining the Blues, stepped up towards Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United , solely to slide on the decisive second, with the England worldwide fluffing his strains and sending the shootout to sudden loss of life.
Striker Nicolas Anelka went on to overlook for Chelsea handy the European crown to Sir Alex Ferguson’s facet, and one former Blues star has now admitted the entire scenario may have been utterly avoidable if not for Terry’s greed.
John Terry COST Chelsea the 2008 Champions League trophy along with his sheer greed
Chelsea defender John Terry slips as he takes a penalty and misses within the shootout towards Manchester United within the 2008 Champions League closing (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
17 years on from that night time in Moscow, former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has instructed BetMGM what went flawed on that horrible night for these with a Blues affiliation.
It seems that Terry skipped the queue when it got here to the agreed penalty takers of Avram Grant’s facet, with Salomon Kalou as a substitute set to take the fifth spot-kick for Chelsea, earlier than the defender stepped in and tried to be a hero.
Claude Makelele remains to be seen as one thing of a cult hero at Chelsea (Picture credit score: PA)
“We made a giant mistake forward of the penalties. We had an order which was agreed with the gamers and the supervisor, but it surely modified on the final minute,” Makelele started when chatting with BetMGM not too long ago.
“It was alleged to be Salomon Kalou taking the final penalty however John [Terry] took the chance off him. I feel we misplaced this competitors as a result of soccer may be very harsh generally and, when you don’t do issues the precise manner, you get punished.
“I used to be very offended when he missed the penalty as a result of it was an opportunity that I knew a whole lot of the younger gamers wouldn’t get. I’d gained the Champions League earlier than however, on this second, John needed to be the chief and do what was greatest for the staff.
“He didn’t ensure that we gained the trophy, he tried to be a hero. If he knew this, he would have been a hero as a result of he would have lifted the trophy.”
Manchester United rejoice their 2008 Champions League win towards Chelsea
In FourFourTwo ‘s view, Terry’s greed may have performed a defining issue of their penalty-shootout defeat, however Anelka additionally missed an important spot-kick in sudden loss of life, so maybe not all the blame may be shifted onto the previous England captain.
The enduring Chelsea defender is ranked at No.4 in FourFourTwo’s checklist of the very best Premier League defenders of all time and stays idolised for his contributions at Stamford Bridge throughout his profession.
