It’s no news now that Chelsea’s new center back, Kalidou Koulibaly would be wearing the jersey number 26 that was previously worn by legendary centre-back John Terry.
The jersey number had been retired since Terry bid the Blues farewell in 2017 after featuring 492 times for the club.
Videos emerged recently of Koulibaly seeking the blessing of the Chelsea legend, to use the jersey, being the same number he used while at Napoli.
The former Chelsea captain was a perfect gentleman throughout the conversation and wished him well. One thing that stood out though, was the phrase “no pressure,” that came up in the conversation. A phrase that, contrary to what it quite literally says, implies there is indeed a lot of pressure to be felt.
The fact that the Senegalese defender has opted to wear the same jersey number as a club great means there will be extra sets of eyes on him every time he puts on the blue of Chelsea.
This adds to the already great void he has been brought in to fill with the departure of Antonio Rudiger whose performances in recent seasons place him amongst the very best in that position.
Terry was a more old school defender, most effective in the 18-yard box, either clearing his lines or trying to score, not too bothered about what happens in between.
His successor on the other hand is ever willing to play with the ball at his feet. They are stylistically different types of defenders and it would be foolhardy to make direct comparisons between them.
At 31 years of age, it would take almost a miraculous effort from Koulibaly to match Terry’s 19 years of service to the club as a senior professional. And seeing as he doesn’t quite have a knack for a goal, beating or even matching Terry’s 41 goals is unlikely to say the least.
What the Senegal international does have an eye for is a pass. Koulibaly combines brilliant vision with the calmness and precision necessary to slide or dink passes through or over defenses to his teammates often completely bypassing the opposition’s press. The fact that he can do that equally well with either foot is truly special.
Though Koulibaly is a pretty solid player, will he be able to surmount the added pressure of wearing the iconic number 26 shirt? He certainly has the tools in his locker.
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