Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack might have Chelsea singing another tune about their recent signings after they serenade the Premiership club over candlelight and dinner rolls. Chelsea's initiation ceremony will feature the musical styling of the £30 million Ukrainian striker, Shevchenko and Germany captain Ballack, a task teammate Joe Cole has described as terrifying. "Every new signing has to sing a song and it'll be the same for Andriy and Michael. It's horrible, it's nerve-racking," he told British paper The Mirror. Designed to be an exercise in team-bonding, the Chelsea tradition of big-money buys standing on a chair and belting out a song to their new-teammates was something Cole himself underwent. "When I joined the club I had to sit there and sing in front of players like Marcel Desailly, Juan Veron and Hernan Crespo," he said. The boys are set to perform during the club's pre-season USA tour, and Cole was confident his new teammates could hit the high notes with the team.
Ballack "I'm sure that Andriy and Michael will do well at it and it will help them fit in and go on to become really good signings for the club," he said, dismissing the idea that the new players' high-profile status will keep them from being accepted. The established Cole was quick to admit a public performance was more intimidating that an on-field battle. "It's far more scary than actually making your debut for the club. I was certainly more worried about the singing than I was playing football," Cole said. Chelsea skipper John Terry echoed Cole's words. "We all say it's the hardest thing in the world to sing in front of the lads. It's harder than playing in front of 50,000 people — especially when they're throwing things at you!" he was quoted as saying by The Sun newspaper. "Shevchenko's one of the best strikers in the world but it's not just about what you can do on the pitch but your personality off it," Terry said. "Everyone joins in to be part of the team spirit." Blues coach Jose Mourinho was the only person exempted from the 'initiation ceremony', but remains a big fan, according to Cole.
