JOHN TERRY played alongside his fair share of talented players during his illustrious career.
Chelsea’s “captain, leader, legend” spent 22 years at the Blues, working his way from the youth ranks all the way to five-time Premier League champion.
Terry, 42, knows the value of hard work – and that starts in the academy.
Talent only gets you so far, with hard work and dedication on and off the pitch key to making it big.
And JT has opened up on the most naturally-gifted player to fail to fulfil his potential.
In an Instagram Live in 2020, when asked to name the most talented player to not make the grade, Terry claimed: “He was like a midfielder/winger, had so much ability.
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“I still know him now, but mentally didn’t have that to go and push himself.
“He got chosen to train with the first team at a really young age, 17 or 18, did really well and Gullit told him he was going to play in the first team in a cup game.
“He then phoned up on the day of the game and said he was sick.
“All of us, if we were sick or felt like we were at the end of the world, we would have still gone and played the game, we wouldn’t have given up that opportunity.
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“He actually done it two or three times and he was just not mentally ready for the game, but ability-wise, incredible.”
The player in question? Rob Wolleaston.
Never heard of him? You certainly wouldn’t be alone.
While Terry knows Wolleaston could have been destined for the big-time, even Chelsea fans may struggle to pick him out of a line up.
While Wolleaston may have missed his first shot at greatness under Gullit, he did eventually make his first-team debut.
Following the Dutchman’s 1998 exit, Gianluca Vialli took over the reins at Stamford Bridge.
And the Italian icon handed Wolleaston his debut, replacing legend Roberto Di Matteo for the final six minutes of a 1-0 League Cup defeat to Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge in 1999.
Vialli also gave him a shot in the Premier League – bringing him on for Dennis Wise in a 4-1 loss at Sunderland.
It was to be Wolleaston’s last appearance for Chelsea, at the age of just 19.
Following low-key loan spells at Bristol Rovers, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and Northampton, he was allowed to join Bradford on a permanent deal in 2003.
He managed 14 appearances and one goal for the Yorkshire club in his sole season there, before moving on to Oxford United.
Form again evaded him and in 2005 he found himself dropping into non-league – where he would remain for the rest of his career.
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In all, he represented Cambridge United, Rushden & Diamonds, Farnborough, Weymouth and Harrow in his career below the fourth tier.
His entire career comprised of 337 league games and 30 goals, eventually hanging up his boots in 2014.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
