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There are lots of surprises about John Terry. One of them is that he has written training notes and coaching manuals since the first day Jose Mourinho took charge at Chelsea in 2004. They fill shelves of his study, along with replica trophies occupying more space than most Premier League boardrooms.

The books are studiously tidy and labelled and filled with scribbles and arrows, crosses and names, information, observations and revelations. There are hundreds of diagrams. I can't say I have ever seen anything like it.

Another surprise is that the last time I saw Terry socially in the summer, he was talking about retirement. So today we're meeting at his house near Chelsea's training ground, presumably to talk about the end of his career after a long summer in Portugal from which he has only just returned. He looks tanned and slim.