Chelsea icon, Claude Makelele has reportedly revealed that John Terry was made a “last-minute change” to the 2008 Champions League final penalty order.
Perhaps Terry’s worst moment in his career occurred in Moscow when he cost Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final penalty shootout against Manchester United.
The Blues captain had the chance to win it with Chelsea’s fifth penalty following Cristiano Ronaldo’s earlier unsuccessful attempt, but he sadly wasted his chance and blasted wide after a humiliating fall. The score remained 4–4 after nine penalties.
In the end, Chelsea lost 6-5 on sudden death after Edwin van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka’s penalty.
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According to Football 365, Makelele says Salomon Kalou, who scored his team’s sixth penalty kick, was supposed to take the fifth kick, but Terry changed Chelsea’s penalty order “at the last minute.”
What Did Makelele Say About Terry On The Penalty Miss?
“The dressing room after the game was like fire. There was no happiness whatsoever – it was a sad place to be,” Makelele said on The LineUp podcast.
“We made a big mistake ahead of the penalties. We had an order which was agreed with the players and the manager, but it changed at the last minute.
“It was supposed to be Salomon Kalou taking the last penalty but John [Terry] took the opportunity off him. I think we lost this competition because football is very harsh sometimes and, if you don’t do things the right way, you get punished.
“I was very angry when he missed the penalty because it was a chance that I knew a lot of the young players wouldn’t get.
“He didn’t make sure we won the trophy, he tried to be a hero. If he knew this, he would have been a hero because he would have lifted the trophy.”
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