They say you learn more about a man in adversity than you ever can in success.
The jury might still be out on how John Terry has responded to his recent publicity but it cannot be doubted that the general public have a better idea of his character now than they ever did when he was lifting trophies with Chelsea.
In contrast, team-mate Michael Ballack has been offered a new contract extension that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2011, with an option for both club and player to agree to extend that by another year.
Interestingly, and perhaps controversially, the deal will see the German midfielder’s wage more than halved. But even more interestingly, Ballack looks likely to agree to it.
Back in 2006, Ballack signed for the club on a free transfer after a successful career at Bayern Munich, and agreed a £121,000-a-week contract that made him the highest paid player at the club.
The move came at the zenith of Roman Abramovich’s ownership, where the twin factors of insatiable Champions League ambition and the Russian's vast wealth perfectly aligned to net certain lucky players (Andriy Shevchenko being another) huge paydays.
But now, four years on, the increasingly pragmatic Abramovich - via current club chief executive Ron Gourlay - wants the club to attain self-sufficiency and that means a pay-cut for the previously handsomely rewarded 34-year-old midfielder.
The deal on offer will reportedly see Ballack earn £60,000-a-week, with that rising to £80,000 if he plays 20 games in a season (he has played 24 of 28 league matches this term). And Ballack is about to bulk the traditional view that says footballers are all about the money by gladly agreeing to it.
“It’s about what both sides want. We’ll sit down together soon and there’s no pressure,” Ballack revealed to The Times in an interview late last year.
“I like the club and I like London, and it would be perfect if I could stay.”
Reaching the twilight of his career, Ballack no longer ranks earnings as the priority - it is now more about what his family wants, what he still wants to achieve in the game, and how he sees his life developing after football.
If Chelsea give him certain reassurances that they will exercise their option to extend his contract through to 2012 (Ballack wants to retire after that year’s European Championships) then he will have little hesitation about agreeing to the deal.
“You have to use London,” he said. “It’s really good for everything. It’s an amazing possibility to play for such a big club and live in such a city."
And, having failed to win either the Premier League or Champions League since arriving at Stamford Bridge, the German still has a hunger to achieve something great with the club.
“You don’t step back and have less motivation when you get older, the opposite is true," he said.
“You become more focused, more professional in terms of things like looking after your body and more determined because you can see all the younger players coming up, looking for your place.”
Both Nicolas Anelka and Joe Cole - the club’s other players with pressing contract issues - have been offered similar deals, and both have responded to recent offers with a mixture of shock and outrage that (presumably) would have team-mate Ashley Cole nodding his head approvingly.
News broke on Tuesday that the Blues have re-opened constructive negotiations with Anelka over a new deal, and it will be interesting to see whether the notoriously greedy player is pressured by his club to adopt a similar stance to Ballack.
Because, despite his age, the 30-year-old is arguably in a stronger negotiating position than Cole. The club are notably short of world-class strikers (Drogba is the only other, with Salomon Kalou, Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini still developing) and as such the club cannot really afford to let him leave.
Gourlay and Abramovich might want to be fiscally responsible, but both they and everyone else at the club recognise that £10 million over two years for an established squad member (with a respectable goalscoring record) will be more cost-effective than the £20-30m transfer fee needed to ensnare a signing of equal talent.
Cole, on the other hand, is in a tougher quandary. The 28-year-old plays in a position where Chelsea already have an enviable amount of depth (Nemanja Matic and Gael Kakuta, both highly rated by the Chelsea management, have barely played this season) and his performances this campaign really haven’t warranted the rumoured £120,000-a-week (a £40,000 hike) he is demanding.
With rumoured interest from the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, it is not hard to anticipate the former West Ham United prodigy leaving the club come the season’s end. But the club are keen to retain his services, and as a self-confessed Chelsea fan who has come back from similar set-backs at Stamford Bridge before, the emotional attachment cannot be overlooked.
After the money thrown at Terry, Alex and Salomon Kalou late last year it is tempting for Cole, Anelka and Ballack to view their modest offers as a slight on their ability and importance. But in reality, considering the changing economic landscape around football these days, the club are simply working to a different financial model.
Ballack, to his credit, has recognised and accepted that fact - doing what is best for his family rather than his bank balance. With his first child on the way, Cole now has to evaluate the same factors.
Ballack believes that considering his family’s needs will give Cole greater perspective and help him make a better choice.
“It comes with age. When you’re young it’s football, football, football,” Ballack reflected.
“Then you get a family, kids come into things and you find you have a broader view of life. You get your inspiration from many different places.”
That choice might still be to leave the club. Carlo Ancelotti is showing no signs of entrusting Cole with more first-team responsibility, and with his England career waning the chance to re-establish himself elsewhere - and, in the process, pick up the wage he wants - might indeed be the best thing for him and his young family.
As a player he is a risk-taker, a mercurial talent, and rolling the dice at a crucial stage in his career might prove the most effective course of action.
Ballack is much more of a pragmatist (being German probably helps in that respect), but he believes transferring his playing approach to his off-field decisions has served him well in what has been a stellar career.
“For me, football it this level is about making the right decisions on the pitch,” he notes.
“You can’t do it all the time, of course, but if you make the right decisions nearly every time you will usually win the game. That’s what I’ve found, anyway.”
If Ballack signs his new contract, it will have the feel of yet another right decision. The deal will free up valuable funds for the club that can be redirected towards new signings (or towards achieving that magical self-sufficiency target) and, equally importantly, the deal will establish a precedent for diminishing wages as other aging Chelsea stars reach negotiations (Terry, Lampard, Drogba will all find the precedent affecting negotiations in future seasons).
Both moves will aid the long-term stability of the club, ensuring vital resources can be re-distributed to the future of the club, rather than being hoarded by former star players who are past their peak.
All in all, it should prove an important step towards ensuring Chelsea remain competitive in England and Europe, even as the purse strings continue to be tightened.
Back in the summer of 2006, Ballack’s signing was yet another reinforcement of Roman Abramovich’s ability and willingness to throw around all the money he believed was required to guarantee success.
Five years on, the same player's modest contract renewal should firmly usher Chelsea into a new era of fiscal sense and responsibility.
