Chelsea legend, John Terry, has revealed the devastating mental toll of his infamous penalty miss in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, admitting the moment pushed him to a very dark place.
Terry famously slipped while taking what could have been the winning spot-kick against Manchester United in Moscow, striking the post and allowing the Red Devils to eventually claim victory in the shootout at the Luzhniki Stadium.
The miss denied Chelsea what would have been their first Champions League crown and left their captain distraught.
Speaking on the Mennie Talks podcast, the former England defender said the aftermath of that night led him to briefly contemplate suicide.
“After the game, we all went back to the hotel and I was on the 25th floor.
“I was looking out the window going, ‘Why? Just why?’. I’m not saying that if you had that opportunity you’d jump, but things go through your head at that particular time.
“Then the boys came up and took me downstairs. It’s those ‘What if?’ moments where you just don’t know.
“Still today it goes over in my head. It’s softened over the years, for sure, but when you’re playing, you kind of compartmentalise it a little bit and put it to the back of your head.
“Now I’m retired I’ve not got that focus of playing every week and having that buzz, it still really gets me.
“I still wake up in the middle of the night and go, ‘Oh, that did happen, yeah’. I don’t think that’ll ever go.
“When I missed the penalty in Moscow, you find out very quickly who your friends are and who the people who really care and look out for you are.
“Ray [Wilkins] was the first one on the phone after that game making sure I was OK, and a few other people.”
Terry’s revelation sheds light on the intense psychological pressure elite footballers face and how a single moment can leave a lasting scar long after the final whistle.
