After more than 700 appearances for Chelsea, John Terry has announced he will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The club captain has found first-team football extremely hard to come by this campaign with Antonio Conte preferring Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta in defence in his 3-4-3 system.

At the age of 36, Terry isn’t getting any younger but he believes he’s still capable of playing at the highest level. Therefore, rather than sitting on the bench for the final years of his career, Terry has decided to leave west London for pastures new come May.

But before he thinks about his next challenge, Terry will be hoping to get his hands on two more pieces of silverware to cap round off his Chelsea career in style.

The Blues beat Southampton 4-2 on Tuesday night to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points. And it was the second 4-2 victory in three days after they booked a place in the FA Cup final with a win over Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday.

While Terry was an unused substitute against Spurs, he made a cameo appearance against the Saints. That meant that he could receive a hero's reception from the supporters following last week’s announcement that he would be leaving the club.

So, when he replaced Victor Moses in the 86rd-minute, that's exactly what happened.

As Terry stepped onto the pitch, the Chelsea faithful let out a huge cheer to show their appreciation for their ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’.

Terry's reception 

It was a great moment. Check it out:

While Terry is leaving Chelsea to seek first-team football, he admitted earlier this season that he’s happy not playing as long as Chelsea are successful.

“When you’ve got a manager like Conte who’s been honest with me from day one ‘listen you’re not getting back in the boys are playing great the team’s flying’, you haven’t got a leg to stand on," he admitted.

“I genuinely mean when I say it, but for me I am honestly hoping I don’t play this season which means they keep winning.

“Do you get that from a player that’s been here five years? I don’t think you do. Do you get that from a player who plays but moaning every week? I’ve not moaned once."

And with Chelsea on the brink of an incredible double, it seems as though the remainder of Terry’s career at the club with be very limited.

But every time he does step onto the pitch, he will no doubt get an incredible reception from the Chelsea fans.