The Senegal international is preparing to start his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed he called John Terry to ask permission to wear his iconic No.26 shirt at Chelsea.
Koulibaly wore Napoli’s No.26 jersey during his successful spell at the Serie A club.
However, the Senegal captain preferred to ask John Terry’s permission to do the same at Chelsea due to the Englishman’s legendary status at the club.
Speaking about his conversation with the former Blues defender, Koulibaly revealed Terry had thought he was a prank caller.
“I asked Gianfranco Zola, who I know very well, about the club, about the structure and the supporters.
“I also asked him for John’s number because I wanted to ask for the jersey,” Koulibaly said.
“I called him and at the beginning he didn’t believe that it was me, he believed it was a joke. He put down the phone and called the team manager to ask if it was really me.
“I know that it’s a very important number for him, and it’s very important for me because I took it to Napoli and I wanted to keep it for here at Chelsea.
“When he told me ‘yes’, I was really happy because I know what he did for the club and the supporters and the city here, and I knew it was important to ask him. He gave me his answer and I was happy.
“I wanted to tell people I had asked him before, because I didn’t want to be disrespectful to a legend of the club.”
Koulibaly has a chance to make his Chelsea debut in their Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday.
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