Aston Villa handing Chelsea legend EFL last dance proved a double masterstroke: View | OneFootball

Highlights

After spending nearly 20 years as a first-team player at Chelsea, eyebrows were raised in the summer of 2017 when John Terry decided to join Aston Villa.

The former England captain had spent his entire career at Stamford Bridge apart from one short-term loan spell at Nottingham Forest in 2000, so it was a surprise to see him move to the Championship, but the thought of helping Aston Villa win promotion clearly appealed to Terry, with Villa a real sleeping giant at the time.

The then 36-year-old had left Chelsea as a free agent in the summer of 2017 after helping the Blues win the 2016/17 Premier League title, and he clearly wasn't ready to retire yet.

Whilst Terry was still able to play Premier League football, there may have been the risk that he wouldn't be a regular starter in the top-flight of English football, but a move to the Championship meant he'd be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

John Terry's time as an Aston Villa player

Aston Villa had endured a tough first season back in the Championship after finishing 13th during the 2016/17 campaign, so improvements were clearly necessary if they were to get anywhere near promotion the following season.

Upon signing for Villa, Terry said, "I am delighted to join Aston Villa.

“It’s a club I have admired from afar for many years – there are fantastic facilities at Bodymoor Heath, Villa Park is one of the finest stadiums in the country and there’s a good group of players here, with an experienced and successful manager in Steve Bruce.

“I can’t wait to get started now and look to help the squad achieve something special this season.”

Terry was also handed the captain's armband at Villa Park, a decision that made sense after previously captaining both England and Chelsea on some of the biggest stages in world football.

Unsurprisingly, Terry came straight into Villa's starting XI and started their first 16 Championship games, before suffering an injury which kept him out for two months.

He'd continue to be a mainstay in the starting XI until the end of the season, helping the club finish in 4th place and qualifying for the Championship play-off places.

He played the full 90 minutes in both of the semi-final games against Middlesbrough, keeping two clean sheets, before leading his side out at Wembley for the play-off final.

However, there was no fairytale ending for Terry, and in what turned out to be his last ever game of professional football, his side was defeated 1-0 by Fulham and Villa were condemned to another season in the Championship.

In total, Terry made 36 appearances for Villa, and whilst they weren't successful in winning promotion, it was a hugely improved campaign, and it laid the foundations to win promotion the following season.

John Terry's move to Aston Villa was a success for more reason than one

Whilst John Terry made a big impact as a player during the 2017/18 season, he then joined the club's coaching staff in October 2018 after Steve Bruce left the club.

Working as the club's head coach under Dean Smith, Terry helped lead Villa to promotion during the 2018/19 season, and remained at the club until 2021, helping to consolidate the club's position as a Premier League club.

Terry's time at Aston Villa was clearly a success, and he'll always be well thought of at Villa Park because of this.

His leadership and experience helped the club improve during his time as a player, before helping the club win promotion as a coach.

John Terry will always be synonymous with Chelsea for obvious reasons, but his time with Aston Villa proved fruitful too.