Terry, John

John Terry

Written by Mod in June 2007

John Terry, captain for club and country, and Chelsea's biggest player, in my opinion. Hugely respected by Chelsea fans and beyond, and one of the most loyal players in the world today, as well as one of the world's best defenders.

JT gained another Player of the Year for the triumphant 2004-05 season, and also scored 8 goals from his defensive position, mostly courtesy of his great aerial presence. During this time, his England career went from strength to strength, and he firmly established himself as the first choice centre back for then-manager Sven. The 2005-06 season was another great season for the captain as he collected another premiership title. He also continued doing what he does best for the national squad in the 2006 World Cup, and was the only English player to be named in the tournament's all-star squad.

In August 2006, Steve McLaren, then the new England coach, appointed JT as the new captain of the England squad and stated: "Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make. I’m certain I’ve got the right man in John Terry. I’m convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had."

During 2006-07, John even wore the goalkeeper's shirt due to bad injuries suffered by both Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini in collisions in the same game against Reading. John played out the game in goal, and although not having any real work to do, we all know he would have answered if called upon.

The 2006-07 season brought further problems for John. Referee Graham 'how many yellow cards' Poll, sent him off for the first time in his career in a game against Tottenham. Poll changed his story as to the reasons he sent John off, as John was charged for questioning Poll's integrity??

A back injury also spelled bad news for John and Chelsea, and he ended up missing a massive part of the season, due to the surgery and the ongoing problems it caused. Chelsea fans couldn't wait for John to get back into the squad. He did return, but an ankle injury then followed which saw John miss even more playing time, however he did come back earlier than expected to face Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final.

The Carling Cup Final resulted in further injury for John. Whilst attempting to connect with a Chelsea corner with a typically thundering diving header, he was unintentionally kicked in the face by Arsenal's Abou Diaby who was attempting a clearance. Terry wallowed his tongue and lay unconscious on the pitch for several minutes. He was rushed to hospital to be treated, whilst Chelsea won the Carling Cup. JT discharged himself shortly after the game, to go back and celebrate.

John was rested following the collision, and didn't play again until a few weeks later against Blackburn in March 2007. Not just for John, but also many other key players, the season turned out to be full of injuries, and Chelsea finished premiership runners up. JT then went to lift the FA Cup after defeating Man Utd in May 2007 (last laugh boys).

Today (June 15th, 2007), John married long term girlfriend Toni, and are rumoured to be spending their honeymoon on Roman Abramovich's luxury yacht on the Mediterranean. John & Toni have twins, a boy and a girl born in 2006.

John has reiterated his loyalty to Chelsea and pledged to stay at Stamford Bridge, and further stated his desire to one day manage the club. A true Chelsea hero, that we should all be delighted to see play, as in many years, supporters not yet born, would have loved the chance to see what he does best. Here's to many more seasons, with a top Chelsea captain, player and character.