John Terry and Chelsea today jointly announced that the Chelsea captain will leave the club after 22 years at the end of the season. Terry wore the Chelsea shirt in 713 matches since his debut against Aston Villa in 1998, scoring 66 goals. We take a look at the football boot history of the club's third highest all-time appearance-maker.
Terry said: "After 22 years there is so much to say and so many people to thank at this great football club. From coaches, team-mates and staff to the fans who have given me so much support down the years, I can't thank you enough. There will be opportunities for me to speak further about this over the coming weeks."
1998 - 1999: John Terry Wears Fila Boots In First Years As Professional
In his first years as player for Chelsea, Terry laced up in classic black and garish yellow Kangaroo leather Fila soccer boots.
2000: Nike Switch | 2001: Adidas Switch | Late 2001: Return to Nike
After he used Fila football boots in his first years as professional for Chelsea, John Terry made the switch to the classic Nike Tiempo Premier soccer boots around he year 2000.
Surprisingly, he laced up in Adidas Predator soccer cleats in 2001 after just one year with Nike cleats, while he made the switch back to Nike in late 2001, indicating that he had not a contract with any brand at that time.
2002-2012: John Terry Joins Umbro and Wears Their Boots For 10 Years
In late 2002, Terry was signed by Umbro. The Chelsea defender should wear and headline the brand's new X football boot silo.
Terry in an advertisement for the new Umbro X Destroyer football shoe - 2007
When Umbro was bought by Nike in 2007, the Double Diamond brand discontinued their X silo. Terry subsequently switched to the classy Umbro Speciali football boot, which he should use in the following years.
2012: John Terry Dropped by Umbro - Choices Footwear Through Choice Before Joining Nike
In Summer 2012, Terry's contract with Umbro was up after 10 years. Umbro not committed to extend the contract, waiting to monitor the outcome of the racial allegations court case and FA hearings. An Umbro insider said: "The deal wasn't renewed. He was wearing Umbro boots at the weekend but I think they were from his old contract."
In fact, John Terry's contract with Umbro was never renewed. The Chelsea captain therefore was able to choice his footwear freely in the following months and switched between Nike Tiempo and Umbro Speciali football boots until Summer 2014.
When Nike introduced the Magista silo in 2014, John Terry switched to the brand-new control silo. He should wear them for the rest of his career, which makes it also likely that he signed a deal with the Swoosh. In fact, the defender revealed the following in an interview last year:
I know it's crazy, but I wear one pair for the warm-up, another in the first half and change again for the second half. It's something I've been doing for the last three years, and I'm not sure Nike are too happy with me.I just like to have tight boots on, when they give just that little bit I don't feel as though I've got the same touch and control with the ball.
John Terry is still wearing the first-gen Nike Magista soccer cleats. He uses the brand-new colorways of the second-gen Nike Magista soccer boot in training, however.
Did you knew that John Terry uses three pairs of brand-new boots every match? What do you think of the different boots Terry has been wearing during his career? Share your thought in the comments below.