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But who will break through next for us? Can anyone in Chelsea’s reserve or youth teams be the next John Terry?

José Mourinho reckons they can. On a lengthy interview for Chelsea TV in the The Soul Of Chelsea series he told me about how Chelsea has developed since he has arrived.

“The first team is better, but the youth football is also better. I arrived two years ago after the Euros, I start the same way I start now without a lot of players… I start with a small group and reserve team players. The same happened this season and the difference in quality is amazing.

“We have Bertrand, Mancienne, but we have also other kids I would like to bring but didn’t. I didn’t bring, for example, Sinclair because I have Robben and Shaun and Joe Cole, I didn’t need a player like him but he is ready to come. The quality is improving, we are doing good work there.

“The club is improving in every area. So if the improvement is also there, there is no problem.”

This weekend suggests he is right. England Under 17s won a tournament in games against Turkey, USA and Portugal, and two of our 16 year olds, right-back Nana Ofori-Twamasi and midfielder Michael Woods, gave fine performances. Woods scored three times in the first two games. Ofori-Twamasi came off the bench in the first game but started the next two and scored a penalty.

Michael Mancienne is in the squad for the forthcoming England Under 19s international and Ryan Bertrand in the squad for the England Under 18s international along with four other Chelsea youngsters. Jimmy Smith has made his first team debut.

The youth team has won its first three games this season without conceding a goal and the reserves won its first game 4-0.

In winning the Champions League last season, Barcelona had a number of youth products in their squad: goalkeeper Valdés, captain and centre-half Puyol, and midfielders Xavi, Motta and Iniesta.

At the moment, however, we have a lot of youth team products playing in League One. There is Sam Tillen at Brentford, Terry Skiverton at Yeovil, Steven Watt and Leon Knight at Swansea, Warren Cummings and Danny Hollands at Bournemouth, Rhys Evans at Blackpool, Lenny Pidgeley, Jody Morris and Filipe Morais at Millwall, and in addition Craig Rocastle who played only for our reserves at Oldham.

That’s a team, and Chelsea should be proud that so many youngsters who have been in our schooling are having careers. But it is not good enough. We need to provide our own first team.

We are not at the Barcelona stage yet. John Terry might be on his own for a while. But we are going in the right direction.

It is important for the soul of Chelsea that we do. In the last few years, not enough Chelsea youngsters have come through. Robert Huth nearly cracked it, but has had to move on. Sam Dalla Bona had a good go but had to move on. Soon it will be time for the next.

John Terry is already 25 years old. In three months time he will be 26. He needs a little Chelsea brother.