John Terry

Dan · 08-08-2007, 02:10 PM

The captain of both Chelsea and England is one of the best defenders in the world.

Born in Barking, East London, John Terry struggled to make it into the first team and was loaned out to Nottingham Forest. It was this year that Terry would start to make a firmer impact on the London side. In the 2000-01 season Terry made 23 starts alongside the then Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly and was voted the club's player of the year.

This continued into the next season where plaudits started to gather pace. Although his reputation on the pitch was growing positively a fight off it outside a nightclub in London tarnished his footballing efforts for an important amount of time as he was banned from the national side and missed the 2002 World Cup despite being cleared of affray and assault charges.

Terry got on with his football and continued to impress with Chelsea where he started to wear the captain's armband in Desailly's absence. He was given his first game for England against Serbia and Montenegro in 2003 and outshone others defensively with Sven-Goran Eriksson citing him as his "first-choice centre-back".

Terry was made captain by new manager Jose Mourinho in 2005 and the Portuguese was rewarded by stunning displays from his newly appointed skipper as he helped his side claim back-to-back league titles with record-breaking defensive performances.

Terry travelled with the England side to Germany and while the overall tournament turned to utter disappointment for the country, Terry prospered as he was named in the all-star squad (the only English player) and then named as England captain after David Beckham stepped down.

His solid performances aided his team to an FA and Carling Cup and runners-up in the 2006-07 season. Many fans suggested had their Chelsea captain not been injured during the season Chelsea would have retained the title.

John Terry is undoubtedly an excellent defender and at only 26-years-old he will surely get even better.

Rooney08 · 08-08-2007, 02:11 PM

I don't think I'm his biggest fan, but I'm a big fan of his. He's English, defends very well, passes well, reads the game well, fast, scores goals, provides excellent threat from set plays and is a leader and doer on the pitch. I support United, but still think that both Gerrard and Terry are world class player and I mean world class when I say it.