‘Help our team... we stand on the edge of the abyss!’: Spartak fans implore Terry to move to Moscow

Fans of Spartak Moscow have taken to social media to implore former England captain John Terry to “help the team on the edge of the abyss” amid reports the Chelsea legend is on the verge of a move to the club.

Defender Terry is currently out of contract having last played for Aston Villa in England’s Championship, failing to gain promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs. The player recently passed a medical and has been linked with a move to Spartak worth a reported $4 million.

Scores of supporters of Russia’s most successful team have bombarded Terry with comments to his Instagram posts of family meals and his kids’ first day of school in an attempt to convince the 37-year-old to move to the Russian capital.

Many followed along the lines of welcoming Terry to the club, with messages such as “Welcome to Spartak Moscow!!!!” and “Welcome home Mr. Terry. Welcome to the red white family” in English and also in Russian.

Some went with a more personal “Dear John, Spartak fans hope that you will help our team with your immense experience! we stand on the edge of the abyss! From the entire huge family our fans, please, help great and mighty again to gain glory!”

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Should the move go through, Terry would sign for 12 months with the option of a further year. The offer is thought to be one of four Terry received to extend his playing career, including one from the Premier League.

Spartak hinted that they were opening the doors to “a very important guest” and asked fans to guess who it could be, with UEFA’s Russian site then posting a picture of John Terry, in apparent reference to previous photos that had surfaced. The picture was later revealed to be of Spartak manager Massimo Carrera, leaving many supporters disappointed.  

The club have been drawn in the same Europa League group as Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and Terry’s beloved Chelsea are also in this season’s competition, meaning the two could meet should they both make it to the knockout stages, regardless of whether Terry will take to the pitch.

A move to the Russian capital would see Terry play in the same city where he suffered perhaps the most forgettable night of his career - missing what could have been the deciding penalty in the 2008 Champions League final shootout for Chelsea against Manchester United.

Chelsea captain John Terry sits on the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium after missing his penalty in the 2008 Champions League final penalty shootout / AI Project © Reuters

Terry instead slipped and hit the post when a goal would have seen Chelsea clinch the cup. Edwin Van Der Sar went on to save from Nicolas Anelka and hand United their third title, with Terry's instant tears on the Luzhniki Stadium turf becoming an iconic image of the game.