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John Terry reveals Jose Mourinho inspired him to be a coach when he was just 23

Aston Villa defender took notes on the former Chelsea boss' training sessions as he began to look to the future

JOHN TERRY knew he wanted to be a coach the minute Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea.

The veteran defender was just 23 when the Special One began his first spell at Stamford Bridge and was not looking past his playing career.

 John Terry enjoyed working with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea
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John Terry enjoyed working with Jose Mourinho at ChelseaCredit: PA:Press Association

But Terry saw something in the Portuguese chief and immediately realised he wanted to stay in the game after retirement.

He told The Coaches' Voice: "From the moment Jose came in, I knew I wanted to be a coach.

"Before then, as a player, I just went out on the pitch and played. Didn’t think about the training sessions, the coaching, the size of the pitches we’d train on, anything.

"Then I saw something special, and it was all about preparation.

 John Terry is hoping to use his experience to help Aston Villa get promoted
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John Terry is hoping to use his experience to help Aston Villa get promotedCredit: Getty - Contributor

"He’d be out there at 8am, putting out cones, making sure there were enough bibs, enough balls. He brought ball-boys into the training ground to make sure we would get balls back on the pitch as soon as possible."

Terry went on to explain how he tried to learn everything he could from Mourinho.

He added: "I was quite young when Jose Mourinho first came into Chelsea.


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"But, after a few training sessions, I went and got a notepad and started jotting stuff down.

"Things he said in team meetings, things he said before a game, or to the press. Sometimes I’d come in after a training session and write down everything we’d just done.

 Jose Mourinho impressed John Terry with his approach to training
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Jose Mourinho impressed John Terry with his approach to trainingCredit: Rex Features
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"The lads would look at me as if to say: 'What are you doing? No one else is doing it.'

"It was down to Jose that I decided I wanted to make those notes, and I’ve still got them all today. I knew, at an early age, that they could serve me well in the future."

Terry got off to a strong start at Villa Park but is currently out after suffering a broken metatarsal.

The ex-Blues skipper has targeted a January return and will hope to fire the Villans back into the top flight.

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