LONDON – Former England captain John Terry said Thursday he was leaving Aston Villa and admitted he was “still hurting” after failing to help the Championship club reach the Premier League.
The former Chelsea defender came to the former European champions on a one-year deal last July and made 35 league appearances, the last coming in Saturday's play-off final defeat to Fulham at Wembley.
Terry, 37, wrote on his Instagram page: “Today I part ways with Aston Villa Football Club. I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to play and captain this great and huge club.
“I have given my everything this year both on and off the pitch and I'm still hurting today that we never managed to get back to the Premier League, where this club 100 percent belongs.”
A post shared by John Terry(@johnterry.26) on May 30, 2018 at 9:44am PDT
A club statement thanked Terry for his “effort and professionalism” and added: “John is a true leader and was everything and more that we hoped.
“Hugely popular and influential in the dressing room, he played a real captain's role in creating the incredible bond the players shared with our supporters, and vice-versa. We hope he looks back on his time with Villa fondly and we wish him the very best as his career moves forward.”
JT on the Villa fans...
"A special thank you to the Villa supporters who have supported us both home and away in their thousands, up and down the country and have been amazing to me on a personal level.
"Villa will always have a place in my heart" #AVFC pic.twitter.com/hBBWc6LnQS
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) May 31, 2018
Terry's teammate in Premier League-winning teams, Frank Lampard, announced on Thursday that he was making his first move into management with Championship side Derby County.