Interesting comments today from Chelsea captain John Terry has thinks that Chelsea should retire Frank Lampard’s No 8 shirt at the end of the season when he leaves tamford Bridge after 12 brilliant years.
Despite the pleas of Chelsea fans who are desperate for the veteran midfielder to stay, owner Roman Abramovich is refusing to hand him a new deal beyond his existing contract that expires in the summer.
Writing on his instagram account, Terry said:
‘Devastated is an understatement.We should retire the number 8 shirt in honour of Lamps.’
Terry also published a series of tributes – in hashtag form – to his team-mate. The messages read:
‘#theheartbeat #hero #legend #hero #goalmachine #friend #ktbffh [keep the blue flag flying high] #cfc #chelsea.’
While teams retire numbers all the time in the U.S., in Europe and especially England, it happens rarely.
I can find only two Premier League clubs who have officially retired a players number. West Ham retired Bobby Moore’s No 6 shirt after his death from cancer, while Manchester City have retired Marc Vivien Foe’s No 23 shirt after he died of a heart attack playing for his country. Foe scored the last goal for the club at their old Maine Road ground.
That is it. Just two examples, although Gianfranco Zola’s no.25 shirt has not been reissued by Chelsea since he left the club in 2003, but it has not been officially retired.
What do you think of Terry’s call for Chelsea to retire the number 8 shirt? Should more clubs do that, or is it part of the team’s heritage to see someone where Man United famous no. 7 or Newcastle’s no. 9?
