WATCH: Chelsea’s new signing Kalidou Koulibaly seeks permission from John Terry to wear the iconic number 26
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Kalidou Koulibaly, the 31-year-old defender, who was transferred for about £33 million to join the Blues from Serie A club Napoli this summer, will play with the number 26 this year.
Kalidou Koulibaly, a new signing for Chelsea, hasn’t even attempted a kick but has already won the admiration of supporters after asking club great John Terry for permission to use his illustrious jersey number.
Koulibaly, however, wanted to clarify with John Terry that it was alright before the club officially approved the shirt number. Terry, the most decorated captain in Chelsea history (15 major accolades), made 717 total appearances for the team while donning the recognizable 26.
Kalidou Koulibaly inherits John Terry’s number at Chelsea:
The Senegal international told the former England center-back the following over the phone on July 15, 2022, when they were driving.
He started the conversation by: “John I wanted to ask you something because like you know, I played with the 26 in Napoli and I see that, since you left the club, nobody has taken the 26. I don’t know if you retired it or if nobody wants to take it, but I wanted to ask you if it’s possible to take it.”
Terry answered right away. He added, “Listen, the 26 was really meaningful to me. “Yeah mate, I truly appreciate your call, and it’s absolutely OK with me if you accept it. I wish you well because I know how important the number was to me and I’ve obviously seen you wear 26 as well so, it’s my pleasure mate, I give you the 26.”
Terry said, “No pressure buddy, you’re going to be winning trophies for us, okay?” when a grateful Koulibaly acknowledged that the jersey would be “heavy” to wear.
Great gesture from both men.
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Ujan Chakraborty
(1240 Articles Published)