AS Monaco defender Ricardo Carvalho admits he loved his partnership at Chelsea with John Terry.

Carvalho keeps in touch with many of his former Chelsea team-mates, including Terry, with whom he developed an almost telepathic central defensive partnership.

"With John it was perfect, a pleasure and easy for me to play with him," Carvalho told the Daily Mail. "My first year I looked at him and I could see that he was strong, with a good character on the pitch. I'm a little bit different to him as a player and we complemented each other.

"We didn't work on it or talk about things before games. It just came naturally. I felt it more with him than with anyone else during my career. We would just have a quick look at each other, we didn't even need to say anything.

"He knew when I was going to react and go to the ball and I knew it as well. It was natural. You would know when it was your turn and when it was his turn. It was just a feeling. It was special. If I had to choose one defender to play with, it would be John.

"I have spoken with him since I left Chelsea, and with Frank Lampard. We met up in London one time, in Harrods actually. The players from that team know they are important to me."