John Terry called time on his Chelsea career and bid an emotional farewell to supporters on this day five years ago.
The former England captain led out his beloved Blues side out at Stamford Bridge on May 21, 2017, for the final time to a guard of honour. Antonio Conte's side had secured the Premier League title two matches' prior, affording Terry the perfect goodbye by lifting the trophy following 22 years of service.
The legendary centre-back was actually substituted off in the 26th minute in tribute to his squad number, with Gary Cahill coming on to take his place in the 5-1 victory over Sunderland. But Terry returned to centre stage to celebrate with the Premier League trophy, and address the fans who had supported him for more than a decade.
However, this emotional send-off would never have taken place had Conte accepted Terry's selfless request earlier in the campaign. The veteran defender had become a bit-part player in his final year, and he advocated for a younger team-mate to take his place on the bench for the rest of the season.
Terry previously told snooker legend Stephen Hendry on an Instagram Live Q&A via the Sun: "I went to see [Conte] around Christmas time. I was like 'gaffer, listen you're putting me on the bench and we've got Nathan Ake', who for me was an unbelievably talented young player. I said 'put him on the bench because the chances of him coming on are really slim, it's going to be great experience for him'.
"'He was on the bench for about seven, eight or ten games, and he ended up playing against Spurs in the [ FA Cup ] semi-final that year. And it was just little stuff like that. I'm not sure players would have done what I did."
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Ake would only make four appearances for Chelsea that season before sealing a summer switch to Bournemouth. The Netherlands international later moved to Manchester City where he is on course to receive his second consecutive Premier League winners' medal.
Terry took the microphone following the victory over the Black Cats, and first called up coach Steve Holland who was departing for a full-time role with England. The defender also paid tribute to club owner Roman Abramovich, before directing his final message to the crowd.
Terry said: "Lastly you guys, the fans, the best supporters in the world without a shadow of a doubt. You’ve given me everything from the age of 17 when I first started out. You’ve picked me up when I was down and sung my name when I’ve had bad games and disappointed you as well.
"Thank you will never ever be enough, but I'll tell you what: I'll be back here one day. I'm going to be supporting the players and the club from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, I love you all. Lastly, I'd like to thank this man [Conte]. Honestly, thank you so much."
Conte's hopes for Terry to lift the FA Cup trophy were dashed as rivals Arsenal denied Chelsea a league and cup double. Aaron Ramsey grabbed the winner after a red card for Victor Moses in a 2-1 victory for the Gunners at Wembley.
Speaking of his captain's decision to leave, Conte told reporters: “John took this decision to play regularly, to play every game and for this reason will prefer to leave Chelsea. I don’t know where.“It is a big loss for us because John helped me a lot in my first season. He always sent the right message to the players during the season. It is a pity for me but I have to respect his decision because when you arrive at this moment, your heart, head and body tells you to continue because you want to continue to play and play regularly.”
Terry went on to play for one more season with Championship side Aston Villa, but retired months after Steve Bruce's side suffered defeat in the playoff final to Fulham. The 41-year-old worked as an assistant to Dean Smith at Villa Park, and is still searching for his job as a manager.
