John Terry has said that Cesar Azpilicueta's attitude is 'one of the best' that he encountered during his time at Chelsea. The 32-year-old was named the Blues club captain in 2019 following the departure of Gary Cahill and has since helped the west Londoners win the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Speaking to Chelsea's in-house media, Terry sung Azpilicueta's praises and recalled the Spain international winning his trust. The former Blues captain said: "When he first came in to the club, he made a big impression within the group.
"His attitude on a day-to-day basis in training was, I have to say, one of the best I came across in my entire football career. His work ethic was incredible. He would get in the gym before training, then get in early and have his breakfast - the preparation was superb."
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Terry continued by revelling in Azpilicueta's role at the club and his influence on youngsters progressing through the academy at Cobham. The 41-year-old added: "He was a role model to not only the older players, but also the youngsters in our Academy, and he’s still doing that today. He’s a credit to Chelsea."
This year, Terry returned to Cobham to begin a coaching consultancy role at the academy, contributing to coaching discussions, mentoring academy players and supporting parent dialogue. The former Blues captain acts as a figurehead and beacon of guidance for aspiring graduates.
Despite all of Chelsea's success, the club have endured a bitter-sweet era at Stamford Bridge whereby a conveyor belt of excellent talent have emerged - though many have moved on and this is a transfer concern. The likes of Eddie Nketiah, Jamal Musiala and Rhian Brewster all enjoyed spells in the academy before being released.
With Terry and Azpilicueta still in leadership roles at Chelsea, Todd Boehly will be hoping that the next generation of youngsters flourish at Stamford Bridge as opposed to elsewhere. And this movement can already be seen with the number of teenager arrivals this summer.
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