Frank Lampard and John Terry had a strange pre-match ritual. (Image: Getty)
The success of Chelsea in the last 20 years has been attributed to a number of factors - the money of Roman Abramovich, the appointments of elite-level managers, and the acquisition of world class players. But according to one legendary leader of the Blues there was another factor behind the club initially being elevated among the elite of European football, and it involved pre-match trips to the toilet.
Ex-captain John Terry, who was present for every one of the club’s five Premier League title-winning seasons, has previously revealed the unique routine that nearly landed Chelsea in hot water with the FA. Speaking back in 2016, just a year before his emotional departure from Stamford Bridge, Terry admitted: “I am very superstitious and, for me, if we win a game then I add it on to my next superstition.”
Referring to the 2014/15 title-winning campaign when Jose Mourinho, in his second stint in charge, landed his third top-flight crown with the club, Terry said: “Last season, as you can imagine, it built up to quite a lot. Me and Frank (Lampard) started it a long time ago; in the Chelsea dressing room we have three urinals and me and Lamps started weeing in one.
“We won the game and, for me, that was it, the next week there was a queue of me, Frank and Ash. The next week there were four of us and the week after there were five. And even now, up until today, you have Cesar Azpilicueta and Cesc Fabregas, we are all there in one big queue.”
Terry has spoken about being superstitious. (Image: Getty)
None the wiser, the authorities duly made contact with the club, amid concerns that Chelsea’s players were entering the field of play later than scheduled. And Terry, 43, admitted he was too embarrassed to explain the truth.
He added: “A few months ago the club secretary said to me, ‘We have had a few calls from the FA complaining because we have been going out late’. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was because we were all waiting to go for a wee.”
Given their current struggles, Mauricio Pochettino’s players may be well advised to follow a pre-match ritual with the club having not landed a league title since the centre-back’s farewell season. But Terry and co aren’t the only former players to have embraced a strange ritual that involved urinating.
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In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea didn’t have time to reach the bathroom before his side’s penalty shootout with Yugoslavia, so relieved himself on the pitch instead. He duly became the hero as his side made it through to the semi-finals.
There, they went to another shootout with hosts Italy, and Goycochea decided to moisturise the grass again. It worked as Argentina won through, with the keeper later saying: “From that moment on I did it before every shoot-out. It was my lucky charm.”
