Maxence Lacroix may need Chelsea legend’s blessing before accepting perfect welcoming gift
Chelsea have the perfect welcoming gift waiting for Maxence Lacroix, but he may need John Terry’s blessing.
Maxence Lacroix for France at the World Cup(Image: Photo by Johnny Fidelin/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Maxence Lacroix may need John Terry’s blessing to wear the famous number 26 shirt for Chelsea. The 26-year-old defender looks set to become the third senior signing of the Xabi Alonso era at Stamford Bridge, following the arrivals of Marco Palestra and Morgan Rogers.
While the sporting leadership team finalise the paperwork, taking the total expenditure for the transfer window to just over £200m, the Blues manager will be working hard to ensure Lacroix is given a warm welcome. The France international could be offered the chance to wear an iconic shirt number: 26, previously worn by Terry.
He donned the number four at Wolfsburg and the number five at Crystal Palace, but at Chelsea, those shirts are currently taken by Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile. With the only other currently available numbers below 30 being 13, 16, 18, and 22, none of which Lacroix has officially worn, the number 26 remains the only realistic option.
The Frenchman wore the shirt for his country at the World Cup, where he made three appearances. He also donned the jersey in the international friendlies preceding the tournament earlier in the year.
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If Lacroix wants to continue wearing the number 26, he may need to pick up the phone and call Terry, just as Kalidou Koulibaly did when he joined Chelsea from Napoli in July 2022. During his first press conference as a Blues player, the defender claimed he ‘wanted to be respectful to a club legend’.
Koulibaly said: “I wanted to know which number was free, and speaking with the team manager, he told me some numbers, and he didn’t tell me 26. He said John left it in 2017 and nobody took it from this time.
“I was asking if it was retired or nobody wanted to take it, so I asked Gianfranco Zola, who I know very well, and asked him for John’s number. I called him, and at the beginning he didn’t believe it was me; he believed it was a joke and put down the phone and called first the manager to ask if it was really me.
“After I asked him respectfully that I wanted to take his number. I know it’s very important for him, and for me it’s also important because I took it directly when I went to Napoli and wanted to keep it here at Chelsea.
“When he said yes, I was really happy because I know what he did for the club, I know what he did for the supporters, for the city here, and I know it’s very important to ask him first to wear it.
“He gave me his answer, and I was happy, and I wanted to tell people I asked him because I want to be respectful to the legend of the club.”
Levi Colwill claimed the number 26 shirt the following year. In an interview with The Athletic, the Cobham graduate, who now wears the number six, explained why he chose the iconic jersey.
“Everyone is saying it’s because of John, but it’s because that’s the date of my birthday (Colwill was born on February 26, 2003),” said Colwill. “It was my number when I was growing up, even if I was just playing a football game on PlayStation.
“When Huddersfield told me I was going to get the number 26 shirt, it was perfect. Obviously, all the Chelsea fans started comparing me to John Terry. Have I thought about changing it because of that? No.”
Colwill added: “I’ll take it. I’m not going to complain. It’s not a bad thing to be called the new John Terry. I haven’t made the comparison myself, so the fans and media can make whatever comparisons they want to make; it isn’t going to affect me.
“John Terry is a club legend and leader, someone every centre-back at Chelsea should look up to. A great guy and player. I’ve not had the chance to speak to him too much.
“When he was around the academy building, we’d have the odd little chat, but it’d be more of a ‘Hi, how are you?’ kind of thing, not on a personal level about football or things like that.’
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