"I was on the bench and I was so disappointed that I didn't start or even come on. I was sitting there thinking, Oh my God, that would have been my first Champions League trophy. If I'd gone to Manchester United, I would have been a Champions League winner right now'. I felt that if I'd played in that game, the outcome might have been a bit different."
"But I used that disappointment to fuel me when we reached the final again in 2012, against Bayern Munich. During those years, I never gave up. As a team, we never gave up; we knew we could still win the Champions League. When we got to the final in 2012, that was the last chance for the likes of JT, Lamps, Petr Cech and Drogba."
Chelsea had claimed multiple domestic trophies since Roman Abramovich's 2003 takeover but lacked a Champions League title. The club reached the 2008 final in Moscow and lost on penalties to Manchester United; a young squad member missed playing and carried disappointment. That frustration became motivation during the years that followed. The team rebuilt resilience and reached the 2012 final against Bayern Munich. For long-serving players such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech and Didier Drogba, 2012 represented their last realistic opportunity to win Europe's top club prize. The victory completed Chelsea's first Champions League triumph and fulfilled a club obsession.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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