John Terry Pays the Penalty For His Personal Pride

Well, well, well who'd have thought it. The 2008 Champions League final was not the dour, boring game I predicted, but rather the opposite.

In a game of two halves, pardon the cliche, it was one talismanic figure that had the biggest impact.

No, it wasn't Ronaldo (although it very nearly was with a goal and a missed penalty), it was Chelsea skipper John Terry.

Now this man is Chelsea through and through and I do feel for him, especially as he denied Ryan Giggs a fairytale goal in normal time, but I believe that tonight he paid the price for his personal pride.

As Man Utd were drawing 4-4 on penalties, up stepped John Terry who, if he scores wins the Champions League for Chelsea and will get to lift the trophy.

He misses.

Now I understand that it takes a lot of guts to step up, in front of millions of people, to take the deciding penalty in the biggest game of your career, especially when it's for the team you have given your all for.

But there were better penalty takers in Chelsea's team than John Terry.

He didn't have to take that penalty, but he chose to which, when it is worth so much, seems a little selfish.

Many will argue that what he did was entirely selfless, but the better option for the team would've been for someone better at penalties (perhaps Kalou) to take that fifth penalty.

I can't help but think that he thought of personal glory as much as team glory. He would be hailed as "Captain Fantastic" by the media, a brave and courageous hero.

He felt that he had given his all for the club for almost ten years, and this would be the perfect way for him to be acknowledged for that.

I'm not saying he was wrong!

He deserves it, but perhaps his personal pride got in the way of what was best for the team for the first time in nearly a decade.

He may have had visions of lifting the cup, and it being down to him.

He, personally, would've won the Champions League for Chelsea.

However, it didn't happen that way, he missed, and the pure agony on his face was clear to see.

I felt for him, but was he regretting going for personal glory?

Don't see this as an attack on John Terry, I respect him hugely even if I don't like him, but I have to question his motives.

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba got what he deserved. I jumped for joy when the red card was pulled out for him—it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, exposed on the grandest stage of them all as the cheat he is.

I know I'll get a lot of stick from Chelsea fans for this, so to seem unbiased, I have to say Chelsea were the better team. They hit the post and bar through two fantastic efforts.

But that doesn't change the fact that Man Utd are European Champions for the third time (not quite five but I'll let them have their night).

Shamefully, I found myself singing "Glory Glory, Man United" when Van der Sar saved that last penalty.