England defender Terry will captain Chelsea for the 299th occasion, if he plays this weekend, and that will eclipse Wise's 298 match total.

The record is still held by Ron 'Chopper' Harris, who captained the Blues on 324 occasions but Wise could not be happier at being knocked off second spot.

Terry used to clean Wise's boots at their old training ground and the former Chelsea midfielder says the 28-year-old was one of the best at the job.

"It's fantastic," said Wise. "People are always at some stage going to break your records and achieve something and if there's one person I'd like to see do it, it would be John.

"He has come all the way through and done fantastically well, I'm chuffed to bits for him. He is a true Blue and a boy who always wanted to achieve a lot as a young kid.

"All those times he spent out there on his own, training and doing what he could to make himself better, have paid off, so well done to him.

"When you are a leader you have your own personality. I had my own personality, John will have his and the next captain that comes along will have his as well.

"The good thing is that he has come through and done exceptionally well. If there is one person you are pleased to be captain and take over your whole appearances and achievements then it's John, because he's a homegrown success who has always wanted to do it. And he was certainly one of the best boot cleaners I ever had."

Meanwhile, coach Carlo Ancelotti is ready to put his faith in youngsters Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini when the Blues lose Ivory Coast strike pair Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou in January.

Chelsea have been linked with a £40million move for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero in the January transfer window but Ancelotti is also ready to hand his second-string strikers a chance to shine.

Kalou and Drogba, along with Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi, will be on international duty at the African Nations Cup.

But the Italian coach is confident Sturridge and Borini have the talent to ease Chelsea through a difficult period.

"We have two boys with a great future Sturridge and Borini," declared Ancelotti.

"Borini is a very, very, very interesting 19-year-old from Bologna."

But while Ancelotti is convinced Sturridge and Borini will flourish in January, left-back Ashley Cole is keen to see some new recruits at the club.

The club's transfer embargo was suspended pending judgement by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Cole, who is hoping to shake off a stress fracture of the leg to play against Arsenal at the end of the month, stopped short of naming any specific targets.

"Of course every club wants to see new players and at a club like Chelsea you know whoever comes in will be world-class," he told Sky Sports News.

"You would love to see new players but it's not my money they're spending and it's not down to me. The squad's amazing as it is."

"We're going to miss the African guys when they go to the African Nations Cup and we've got players who can fill in. But of course it would always be nice to have new signings."