John Terry has revealed the influence that former Blues striker Gianfranco Zola had on his career as a youngster.
The Italian made over 200 appearances for Chelsea and Terry has praised the time he took to help youngsters when he arrived at the clubas an experienced pro.
˜He was such a big name in world football but he really took to the younger players.'
- John Terry #Zola20 https://t.co/Mo3v6330Kg
"When he came his professionalism stood out," Terry toldChelsea's official website. "He was such a big name in world football but he really took to the younger players.
"I was only 16, doing my YTS, but he had so much time for everyone. He always wanted to help us younger players and give us advice.
Terry added that Zola's tenacity and work rate in training played a big part in hisimprovement as a young defender.
"He set high standards at the club, he didn't accept people not working hard or not trying, and obviously when you have players like Gianfranco around it naturally lifts the quality and intensity of the sessions," he said
"Even after training he'd grab a bag of balls, call you over as a young defender and run at you, twisting, turning and leaving you in tangles.
"It was all a learning curve, though, because he would step in and tell you where to position your body to make it more difficult for the striker. He was always offering advice..
"His ability on the ball was just natural, he was one of the best players I've ever seen. As a centre-half you didn't know whether to get tight against him because if you did, he'd be able to spin and go in behind, and he also had the acceleration to pull away.
"He gave us so many great memories and he's a true legend at this club."