Former Chelsea captain John Terry has claimed that Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho are the two best players he has faced during his professional career.
Terry, considered one of the best Premier League defenders of all time, recently hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on his Instagram. When asked whether he was a secret fan of Barcelona, he replied (via The Sun):
"Was it too obvious? Yes I am. I love Barcelona. [They were] easily the best team in my generation."
The 41-year-old also said that, other than Stamford Bridge and Wembley, Camp Nou was his favourite stadium to play in. When asked who was the best player he came up against in his career, he named both Messi and Ronaldinho.
During the 2004-05 season, Terry's Chelsea won 5-4 on aggregate against Barcelona in the last-16 stage of the UEFA Champions League. The former centre-back had headed the winner against Ronaldinho's outfit in the second leg.
Terry came up against Messi twice in the UEFA Champions League semi-final during the 2011-12 campaign. The Blues had secured a crucial 2-2 draw in the away leg to progress to the final 3-2 on aggregate. Chelsea went on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history after beating Bayern Munich in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Munich.
The former Aston Villa assistant coach also revealed details of his coaching career on Instagram. He said, as quoted by the Daily Post:
"Getting loads of messages regarding me not managing. It's a personal decision that I have come to. I have my role at Chelsea that I love and my family time, which means everything to me. And I get time to enjoy myself."
During his 20-year career, Terry lifted five Premier League titles, five FA Cup trophies, three League Cup trophies, and one UEFA Champions League trophy.
Chelsea set to sell Armando Broja this summer
To create room for more incoming players, Chelsea are "likely to sell" young striker Armando Broja for a fee in the region of £30 million this summer, as per the Evening Standard.
Broja, who has four years left on his current deal, is at the top of West Ham United's wishlist, while Everton and Newcastle United are also interested in him. During the 2021-22 season, the 20-year-old scored nine goals in 38 appearances across all competitions for Southampton.