Kalidou Koulibaly has commented on his “nervous” call with Chelsea legend John Terry, in which he asked to wear the legend’s famous No.26 jersey at Stamford Bridge. Koulibaly stated that Terry initially mistook the call for a prank call and didn’t realise it was him.
The Senegalese defender wore the number at his previous club Napoli and was hesitant to approach Chelsea’s ex-captain about taking it.
📌 July 15th, 2022
Better call…@JohnTerry26 💙
Honored and Proud 🙏🏿#KK @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/uYeVA5y7PL— Koulibaly Kalidou (@kkoulibaly26) August 1, 2022
What did Koulibaly think of the discussion?
Koulibaly admitted, “I was nervous a bit but I was really happy. He didn’t believe it was me at first. He put the phone down because he didn’t believe it was me.”
In addition, the defender revealed ex-Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola assisted in answering concerns concerning the No.26 and connecting him with Terry.
Kalidou Koulibaly on John Terry call:
“Was nervous a bit as I was waiting to sign my contract with #Chelsea. I wanted to know which number was free… the manager didn’t tell me about the no.26. Nobody took it since 2017.”
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) August 3, 2022
Why did He opt to join Chelsea?
Koulibaly, 31, has long been linked with a move to England, with many top clubs apparently keeping tabs on him. However he claimed that just one club—Chelsea—had ever gotten close to signing him
“It’s true that a long time the Premier League wanted me to come,” he remarked. “I believe in God, so I believe the moment was now.
“Before, no one was ready and Napoli didn’t want me to go.”
He disclosed that Antonio Conte tried to sign him in 2016 and said: “I decided with my family and friends to come to Chelsea. Why Chelsea? I think they were the only club that really wanted me.
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