It was a scandal that sparked countless headlines in the English football media. John Terry was alleged to have had an affair with Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge’s then-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.

At the time, Bridge was a star for both club and country, but his last game for either would come in 2009. The controversy would become the story of his career, with the left-back unable to escape reference to it wherever he went.

He would join Manchester City and spend numerous seasons out on loan before retiring in 2014 after a short spell at Reading. Now 17 years on from the scandal, Bridge has rebuilt his life away from football.

John Terry and Vanessa Perroncel Affair Scandal Explained

REUTERS/John Sibley

In late 2009, 23-year-old Bridge was at the peak of his powers. He’d won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup with Chelsea, while establishing himself as a regular for England. He’d also formed a good friendship with fellow club and international defender Terry.

Bridge had been in a relationship with French model Vanessa Perroncel since 2005, and they had a son together the following year. In 2009, the left-back would leave for Man City and break up with his partner.

Not long after, reports in the media would claim that Terry, who was and remains married to this day, started visiting Perroncel and son Jaydon at their Surrey home. Although she has always maintained it was purely “friendship” and “cannot be described as an affair,” stories of an alleged romance began to break.

Initially, the press were blocked from reporting on the case after Terry’s lawyers got an injunction imposed, but it was lifted in January 2010 when the judge claimed the injunction was put in place not to safeguard Terry’s privacy but “to protect [his] reputation, in particular with sponsors.” This led to a wave of media coverage.

Terry Stripped of England Captaincy

It got to the point where Terry was stripped of the national team captaincy by England manager Fabio Capello. On top of that, Bridge quit international football to avoid his former Chelsea teammate, despite appeals from senior figures within the Man City squad who urged him to reconsider. Amid the drama, Capello said:

Although the affair was denied, fuel was added to the flames of speculation when Terry played against Bridge for the first time since the incident in February 2010. Ahead of the game, the left-back refused to shake hands with Terry.

Later that year, in October, more than eight months after the initial story was published, Perroncel got an apology from the News of the World, which read: “On January 31 and afterwards we published some personal information about Vanessa Perroncel in articles concerning an alleged affair with the footballer John Terry. Miss Perroncel has since informed us that she would have preferred her personal information to remain private and it was untrue in any case. We apologise to Miss Perroncel for any distress caused.”

By that point, the damage was long done. But what has happened to Bridge since?

Wayne Bridge’s Life Since Retiring

Bridge played his final England game against Brazil in November 2009, and retired from club football in 2014. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bridge accumulated over £7m ($9m) throughout his sporting career and beyond, which has helped him rebuild his life in retirement.

Having split up with Perroncel in 2009, he would later begin a relationship with the Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford. The pair would get married in 2014 and have two sons together.

Bridge has remained in the public eye since retiring, but he hasn’t been heavily involved in football. He took part in the16th series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and finished in fifth place on the programme. He also attempted to form a career in boxing.

He beat Spencer Matthews via unanimous decision in an exhibition bout to raise funds for Sport Relief and later agreed to face KSI in 2025. However, he pulled out of the fight two days later following the influencer’s outburst regarding his ex-girlfriend’s alleged affair with Terry, as he said:

“Wayne Bridge, aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex? Bridge responded: “You want to go there straightaway do you?” The former England defender later claimed that KSI “crossed a line” by raising the scandal, and he has yet to step back into the boxing ring.

Lately, Bridge has shown he doesn’t have a total aversion to football, as he now hosts The Dressing Room Podcast alongside fellow former footballers Joe Cole and Carlton Cole. He is also known to enjoy playing poker.

In 2020, it was reported that the defender is ‘still not on speaking terms’ with Terry. There’s been no indication that this has changed in the time since.

Roman Reigns’ next opponent has seemingly been confirmed following the Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam.

Reigns retained the World Heavyweight Championship in an action-packed Night 2 main event against Seth Rollins, a former member of The Shield, along with Reigns and Dean Ambrose.

It was a match that called back to the faction numerous times, along with Ambrose’s signature moves being used by the pair against each other.

Roman Reigns Sees Off Seth Rollins Challenge

The brutal affair found its way into the crowd at one point, before two Powerbombs saw the pair destroy the commentary table at ringside. A third and final Spear by Reigns once the action returned to the ring ensured that the World Heavyweight Championship was firmly still in his hands and continued a nearly four-month reign.

There seemed to be no bad blood anymore between the two after the match, however, as they joined in The Shield fist bump to the joy of the Minnesota crowd.

A match that was driven by history, storytelling, and facilitated by exhilarating action, which many have claimed to be the match of the year.

Roman Reigns’ Next Title Defence

After the close of Seth Rollins’ chapter in The Tribal Chief’s title reign, many have speculated about who would be on the new page, ready to challenge Reigns.

And it seems like we may have got our answer following the Raw after SummerSlam.

The World Heavyweight champion was interrupted by LA Knight, who demanded a shot at the title.

Knight, along with Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys, defeated Jacob Fatu and The Usos on Night 1 of SummerSlam, and it looks like Knight wants to take the step-up and face The OTC.

The challenge was declined by the champion, however, with Reigns telling Knight to “get in the back of the line.”

This is not the first encounter with the two, as Knight took on Reigns back in 2023 for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at Crown Jewel, and again at the 2024 Royal Rumble along with AJ Styles and Randy Orton. Reigns retained the title in both outings.

Knight referred to his history with Reigns, saying: “If you remember, last time it was you and me one-on-one, it wasn’t so one-on-one. So what I want is what you gave Seth Rollins. I want you, I want me, no bloodline.”

Knight is expected to confront Reigns again in the coming weeks, with Money in the Bank in October the likely destination for the bout.

UEFA have announced two Champions League rule changes ahead of the 2026-27 league phase getting underway.

The final batch of teams will secure their places in Europe’s premier club competition via qualifying later this month, with the second leg of the play-offs set for August 25 and 26.

Matchday 1 will then commence on September 8. This season’s final takes place at the Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 5.

Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to become the first team since Real Madrid under newly-appointed France head coach Zinedine Zidane (2016-2018) to win the Champions League three years in a row.

The French giants had never won the Champions League prior to 2025 but have cemented their status as Europe’s most formidable team right now under Luis Enrique, currently ranked as the best manager on the planet.

Two Rule Changes For 2026-27 European Competitions

PSG and the rest of the teams competing have been informed of two changes to this season’s Champions League, per The Mirror. The same rules will apply for UEFA’s other primary club cup competitions: the Europa League and Conference League.

The first rule surrounds yellow cards, with the threshold raised before a player serves a one-match suspension.

Players will now require four yellow cards, rather than three, before they are handed a one-game suspension.

The second, lesser-known, rule involves clocks at stadiums.

Reuters/Andrew Boyers

UEFA have removed its long-standing regulation that prevented clocks on European nights moving beyond 45 and 90 minutes. Until now, match organisers were unable to display the elapsed time once the original period of each half had run out. The same applied to extra-time.

This subtle change was introduced into the Premier League two years ago and UEFA have now followed suit with their main competitions.

The rule now says: “The added time for each half must be indicated by the additional minutes, and not as continuous playing time (i.e. 45 + x, 90 + y). The same applies in the case of extra time (105 + x, 120 + y).”

PSG: 2026-27 Champions League Favourites

Five English clubs have qualified for this season’s Champions League. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool will all compete for club football’s biggest prize.

Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sunderland will play in the Europa League, while Brighton will represent the Premier League in the Conference League.

Reigning champions PSG (5-1) are currently the bookmakers’ favourites to win the 2026-27 Champions League, followed by Bayern Munich and Arsenal (both 6-1).

Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all priced at 7-1, followed by Liverpool (10-1) and Manchester United (16-1).