When the name 'John Terry' is mentioned to a non-Chelsea fan, to say it doesn't get a positive reaction is an understatement. Terry has become a pantomime villain type figure in football, a boogeyman to frighten children with.
Sometimes it seems like if John Terry were to say something as innoccous as 'It's a nice day today.' the internet would instantly be alive with opposition fans spilling their vitriol. "WHO IS JOHN TERRY TO SAY WHAT IS A NICE DAY! THERE IS A DISTINCT BIT OF CLOUD IN AN OTHERWISE CLEAR SKY, SO NO IT'S NOT A NICE DAY. TYPICAL ARROGANT CHAV, LOL!!!"
Read through the popular press and you'll be hard pressed to find much positive written about him. Even an average match report will invariably carry reference to one of his past transgressions. Terry might well just be the most hated man in British football.
So it makes a pleasant surprise to for once, see a story in the press that actually casts Terry in a good light.
John Terry has been invited to take part in a charity match for former Aston Villa and Celtic midfielder Stylian Petrov, who retired from football in 2011 after being diagnosed with leukemia.
Petrov cites Terry as being one of the first to get in touch with him after his diagnosis came through. He also tells how Terry sent him numerous texts and messages during his recovery. When Petrov told Terry he was arranging a charity match, he cites how Terry jumped at the opportunity 'Just tell me where and when.'
What is perhaps most remarkable in this story is that Petrov notes there was no real relationship between the two prior to his illness other than on the pitch and a few chance meetings. "He doesn't have an easy time with fans but I have seen a very different man to that image."
Terry will never be regarded as a 'nice guy' but he's certainly not the monster he's been made out to be.
Full story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/stiliyan-petrov-says-john-terry-2258711?
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