Sunday 21 May 2017 21:25, UK
John Terry paid an emotional tribute to Chelsea after making his final Stamford Bridge appearance on Sunday.
The Blues legend, who played 26 minutes of Chelsea's 5-1 victory over Sunderland, will end his 22-year association with the club this summer.
He was given a guard of honour by team-mates when substituted and after the match addressed the club's supporters for the last time.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the five-time Premier League winner said: "As a player you always wonder when this day will finally come. Today is that day.
"The build-up I have been thinking it will be OK but today I've just melted. I have completely broken down.
"The club means everything to me, I have been here 22 years and anyone who knows what I am like as a person, Chelsea is everything.
"As I said to the fans, thank you will never be enough to them. They have supported me through thick and thin.
"They have sung my name through the good times and bad and have driven me on. When you get that support as a player, it means everything and it pulls you through."
Sunderland agreed to pause play in the 26th minute, allowing Terry to salute the crowd before being replaced by Gary Cahill.
And Terry confirmed the idea was a compromise reached with manager Antonio Conte ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup final against Arsenal on Saturday.
"I had a discussion with the manager," he added. "I think he wanted to get the boys who didn't play on Monday night against Watford, to give them a run out.
"I kind of negotiated with him to play 26 minutes and then come off.
"It was important that the players who are probably going to play the cup final to get their legs sharpened up again before that game. It was a compromise between the two of us and he has been brilliant for me."
Terry also confirmed he plans to play on next season, adding his decision to leave Chelsea was influenced by a lack of playing time.
His start against Sunderland was just his sixth in the league this season.
"Every ex-player says the same - play as long as you can and treasure every minute," Terry continued. "I want to play.
"It's the reason why I decided to call it a day at Chelsea. I want to play, whether that's for one more year or two. I didn't want to be that player standing in the way of the likes of Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma, [Nathaniel] Chalobah.
"Now it's their time to shine and hopefully they can go on to a lot of success.
"I am going to have a few weeks off. Myself and my family deserve that at least. I will get away and relax before deciding anything."
Terry picked Cahill, David Luiz and Cesc Fabregas as three candidates to step into leadership roles in his absence next season.
"There are some big characters. Gazza [Gary Cahill] has stepped into the role excellently," Terry said.
"What people don't see is the before and after games when things aren't going too well.
"David Luiz is great as well. He has matured since he's come back, both as a player and a person. I look at him and Gaz as being the big characters.
"Cesc is another big character with an awful lot of experience. I am looking at those three to really push the dressing room on."
And Terry expects Chelsea to strengthen heavily in the summer transfer window ahead of returning to the Champions League.
"We need to keep the players we have initially," he added. "The Champions League, the amount of games we need to play, I think we need to strengthen in the transfer window.
"I'm sure the owner will do that and he will sit down with the manager and discuss. I'd be surprised if there wasn't five or six big players coming in at least in the summer."
