2005
Premiership Champions (Chelsea) 2005 League Cup winner (Chelsea) 2002 FA Cup Finals (Chelsea)
Biography
John Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional
football player. Terry is a strong, hard-tackling centre back,
who is currently captain of Chelsea in the English Premier
League, and a regular member of the England national team.
Terry was born in Barking, East London and attended Eastbury
Comprehensive School. Before being spotted by Chelsea, he played
for Sunday League Team Senrab FC. This team featured many future
stars including Terry himself, Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky,
Ledley King and J Lloyd Samuel. He rose through the Chelsea
youth system, playing for the club's Youth and Reserve teams
before making his Chelsea debut in October 1998. He spent three
months with East London rivals West Ham before in March 2000 he
joined Nottingham Forest on loan for two months. He wears the
number 26 shirt at Chelsea.
In season 2003/04, his strong, committed and inspiring displays
led to him being handed the captain's armband by manager Claudio
Ranieri when Marcel Desailly was out of the side. He played very
well in the absence of the French legend, establishing himself
as a genuine contender for a first team slot. Following
Desailly's retirement, new Chelsea manager José Mourinho wanted
Terry as his club captain - a choice which was justified
throughout the 2004/5 season. Terry scored eight goals and was
voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals in England.
In September 2005 he was selected as a member of the World XI at
the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional
footballers in 40 countries. In the match between Manchester
United and Chelsea (2005/2006), Wayne Rooney tackled him and
when he went down, commentators said that John Terry was really
in pain, because he was on the ground and did not stand back up
immediately, proving that he has projected himself as a no-nonsense
defender.
Terry is a regular in the England national team, having earned
21 caps as of 14 November 2005. He made his debut in June 2003
against Serbia and Montenegro. He played for his country at Euro
2004, and England Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said recently he
believed Terry to be his first-choice centre back, ahead of the
likes of Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell. In a game against
Poland, he had the honour of wearing England's captain armband,
replacing Michael Owen as captain after the latter was taken off.
He was the heart of the Chelsea defence that was the most well-marshalled
in Football league history in the 2004/05 season, conceding only
15 League goals. In 2005 Terry was voted best defender of the
UEFA Champions League tournament, after not only defending and
organising his team effectively, but scoring four goals in the
tournament including the winning goal against Barcelona in the
second round.
Early in his career, Terry was involved in an unsavoury incident
in a West London nightclub with fellow players Jody Morris and
Des Byrne. He was charged with assault and affray but later
cleared. During the affair, he received a temporary ban from the
national side, which cost him a place in England's 2002 World
Cup squad. However, he is now praised as a professional. Along
with Frank Lampard, Claude Makélélé and Petr Cech, Terry is
regarded as a part of the "spine" of the Chelsea team. Being a
Londoner who came through the club's youth system, he is
especially popular with Chelsea fans. He has cemented his place
in the England squad by being selected for the 2006 World Cup.
