Wayne Bridge reveals his love for Chelsea is still strong… but says THAT refused handshake with John Terry still haunts him
Bridge was lining up for Manchester City against Terry, who it was claimed had an affair with Bridge's girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel
WAYNE BRIDGE’S voice noticeably raises in tone and tempo when he talks about Chelsea.
There remains genuine love for the place where he swept the board as a key part of the original team in that first immortalised era under Jose Mourinho.
Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup medals, but also being there at the rebirth of the club and setting the bar high for those that have followed.
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Tonight (Wednesday) contemporary Chelsea and another of his former clubs Manchester City meet for a game which has an extra spark of life because of the weekend’s results.
But while it’s a straight shootout on the pitch between the teams, when anyone thinks of Wayne Bridge and Chelsea versus Man City there is an inevitable sub-plot.
February 27, 2010 and the football world waits with baited breath before live on TV the City left back refuses the hand of one-time team-mate John Terry before kick off at Stamford Bridge.
It’s the dramatic climax to claims and denials of inappropriate relations between Chelsea captain Terry and Bridge’s ex girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.
The truth has never fully emerged but the saga fatally wounded a friendship. Bridge, 36, and now retired has moved on but still has a surprising yet honest outlook on the whole affair.
He said: “The most disappointing aspect of it all is that I’m probably more famous for not shaking someone’s hand than I am for playing football.
“I get abuse walking down the street now and I let it go in one ear and out the other. It’s a handshake after all, nothing more.
“It’s so hard for me to talk about the scenario because there would be other stuff to divulge. But what I will say is that I could not believe the atmosphere at the game that day and the reaction of my team-mates, in the build up to the match and during.
“I still don’t think anyone knows the full story but my team-mates that day were amazing. I felt like my team-mates wanted to win, for me.
“Players like Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy, who afterwards said some things I couldn’t believe.
“For us to win that day was unbelievable. I was disappointed in the way I played and didn’t think we would win.
“The atmosphere was incredible and it was a great result.”
It was in fact Chelsea’s first home defeat of the season. One where they would recover to go on and win the title by a point from Manchester United.
Bridge still loves Chelsea, putting personal issues from the past to one side easily in a mature manner and eager to focus solely on football.
Six seasons and just under 100 games are the bare stats but it’s the epic games and private thoughts which also make for a fascinating comparison between Chelsea then and now.
Bridge said: “I played under Mourinho and went through good and bad spells with him. You could be playing a game and he has it in him to drag you off after half an hour and then he won’t talk to you. And that can kill a player.
“He did it to me. He took me off at half time against Wigan I think it was.
I was thinking I wasn’t that bad but he didn’t say anything to me over the next few weeks.
“But then another time he pulled me to one side to tell me how well I was doing. That meant so much and there was a big game against Barcelona coming up.
“I felt I’d turned a corner with him and then went a broke my leg.
“I scored against Arsenal in the Champions League. That’s something I will never forget. But I’m one of those people who seems to remember the bad times more than the good. Just the way I am.
“The new Chelsea look so solid too. I’d love a chance to play in that defence. When I was at City I had Robinho in front of me and he was never going to come back and help us out. He just wanted to get the ball and go and do his thing.
“Out of both clubs I have to say it’s close but Chelsea are probably the biggest of the two. Both are massive and have very passionate fans.
“But the thing that swings it is that wherever we went in the world, China, Malaysia, America, everyone knew who Chelsea were. I guess that’s something Man City are experiencing now.
“Antonio Conte seems to get on with all the players and that is amazing although it’s hard to say definitively because I haven’t played under him.
“Guardiola at City is perhaps a bit more of a Mourinho character. He seems more cut-throat and I have seen what Mourinho can do to a player.
“Attacking-wise City are superb but it’s the defence where they look a bit weaker. You always think they are going to concede a goal. I think that is an area where they will tighten up in the summer. I think they should go to Bayern Munich and get Mats Hummels.
“He’s a great defender and a ball player as well.
“I had happy times playing at Chelsea. When I went to City it just never really seemed to work. But then that’s me looking on the dark side again.”
Wayne Bridge was speaking on behalf of online betting site BetStars.
Wayne’s ‘Big Call’ for Chelsea v Man City is a 3-1 home win, #callit at www.betstars.uk