Claude Makelele has revealed John Terry changed Chelsea's penalty order in the 2008 final 'to be a hero', but his miss cost his club the trophy.
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Terry infamously slipped when he missed penalty Nicolas Anelka then had effort savedMakelele criticises former captain Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
After a 1-1 draw in Moscow, the 2008 Champions League final went to penalties. Petr Cech's save from Cristiano Ronaldo had put Chelsea in the driving seat and Terry had the chance to seal the win with the Blues' fifth spot-kick, but the former captain slipped and his shot smashed the post. The shootout went to sudden death and Nicolas Anelka's effort was saved by Edwin van der Sar, ensuring the Red Devils lifted the trophy.
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Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole had all netted before Terry stepped up. Both Salomon Kalou and Anelka, forwards by trade, were yet to shoot when Terry made the walk from the halfway line to the penalty area, and Makelele has claimed the legendary centre-back's desire to be in the spotlight ultimately cost Chelsea what would have been their first ever Champions League trophy.
WHAT MAKELELE SAID
Speaking on talkSPORT's The LineUp show, in association with BetMGM, Makelele said: "The dressing room after the game was like fire. There was no happiness whatsoever – it was a sad place to be.
"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.
"I'd won the Champions League before but, in this moment, John had to be the leader and do what was best for the team.
"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."
DID YOU KNOW?
While the slip cost Terry in 2008, he would eventually get his hands on the Champions League trophy when the Blues miraculously beat Bayern Munich on penalties four years later, though the defender didn't play in the final due to suspension. Chelsea then won the competition again in 2021, while United last reached the final in 2011, losing to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.
