John Terry: A tribute to the Chelsea legend

“For John Terry, dying on the pitch would be an honor. You’d have to kill him and he might still play.” – Scolari.

Captain. Leader. Legend. Three words that aptly sum up one of the finest center halves of this generation. A true champion, John Terry has earned several accolades for his services to both club and country.

At the age of 14, John Terry joined Chelsea and quickly progressed to the club’s reserve team. He went on to make his Chelsea debut in 1998 and became a regular in the Chelsea first team during the 2000-2001 season, forming a strong partnership with Marcel Desailly in defense.

His performances led to an England call up in the summer of 2003. In 2004, following the departure of Marcel Desailly, he was handed the captain’s arm band by newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho and the rest is history.

“Even from outside the game you can appreciate that John Terry is the boss of the Chelsea side in all ways.” – Fabregas.

Consistency has been the key for John Terry. In an illustrious career that has spanned 15 years and still counting, there has hardly been a day when Terry’s commanding presence hasn’t been felt on the pitch. A no-nonsense and uncompromising defender with flawless aerial ability perfectly describes Terry’s style of football. He might not be the quickest player around, but he makes up for lack of pace with his intelligence.

Terry has partnered several center backs over the last decade, including Desailly, Carvalho, Alex, David Luiz and Cahill.

“There is word in Italy, transcinatore. It means that player who can make all the people together. John is transcisnatore in Chelsea.” – Carlo Ancelotti.

He seems to be an inspirational figure and his passion rubs off to his team-mates who respect him greatly. “If you need help with anything, John is always there.” - Juan Mata

Perhaps the toughest challenge that Terry has faced is having to recover from THAT penalty miss in the Champions League final against Manchester United in 2008. Terry had kept his shirt from that game in his trophy cabinet as a reminder of his desire to win the competition. He got his reward as Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012.

Terry has been involved in a few controversial incidents and has been heavily criticized by the media. However, he maintains his composure and hasn’t let these off-field events affect his game. He is very tough, both physically and mentally. “He always plays the same way and rarely have I seen anything created by a headline affect John.” – David Beckham.

Chelsea FC all-time appearances:

1. Ron Harris -7952. Peter Bonetti -7293. Frank Lampard -6334. John Terry -5995. John Hollins -5926. Petr ?ech -4567. Dennis Wise -4458. Steve Clarke -4219. Kerry Dixon -42010.Eddie McCreadie -410

At 33, Terry is still going strong and is set to make his 600th appearance for Chelsea against Liverpool today in what will be a crucial encounter for both sides. Today, you can expect another professional performance from the Chelsea skipper.

As usual, he will perform all his pre-match superstitious rituals and take position in his typical nonchalant fashion. Still the captain, still the leader and still the legend that he is.