John Terry: Chelsea's talisman over the years

John Terry

John Terry recently made his 400th League appearance for Chelsea against Southampton. The man who is revered by Chelsea fans marked the occasion with a typical headed goal from a corner that gave Chelsea the lead in the match. Chelsea eventually won the game 3-1 in order to make the day even more special for the skipper.

Last season wasn’t Terry’s best by any stretch of the imagination. He was plagued by injuries and didn’t look anywhere near his impressive self whenever he did get a game. Many expected him to be a bit-part player this season under Mourinho. However, the Englishman has shaken off his injury woes and while he obviously isn’t the defender he once was, he is still good enough to play at Chelsea on a regular basis and has been one of the Premier League’s best defenders this season.

Terry is something of a rarity in Chelsea. In a team that has been known for it’s tendancy to import talent from other clubs (even before Roman Abramovich and his billions found it’s way to the club), Terry is an exception; he made his way through Chelsea’s youth system and established himself as a first-team regular. It wasn’t an easy task for him; he was in fact a midfielder who was eventually deployed as a centre-half simply because there was a shortage of defenders at Chelsea during the time. He had to adjust his game to become the player he is today.

The fact that he is Chelsea through and through is one of the main reasons he endures himself to Chelsea fans. However, it’s also due to his style of play. Terry has always been a no-nonsense centre-back; never afraid of a tackle, extremely strong in the air and generally very hard to get around. His determination and vocal attitude means he is a very good player to have around in the side even if he’s not the captain. And he also has the ability to find the back of the net on a few occasions, meaning that he can be relied upon even at the other end of the field.

In his prime, Terry was one of England’s best defenders (if not the best) and will certainly go down in history as one of the finest English centrebacks to grace the game. However, his career hasn’t been without it’s fair share of controversy. Supposedly sleeping with a team-mate’s ex-girlfriend, racially abusing a fellow professional (even under the circumstances he said it in) and even causing disturbances among American tourists on the day of the 9/11 attacks are blots on his CV. Although the stories about the affair and the American tourists proved untrue, the racism controversy cost Terry his international career.

Nevertheless, one cannot take away from the fact that Terry is a world-class defender who gives his all whenever he is on the field, whether for Chelsea or his country. That is why Chelsea fans adore him as much as they do. For the Chelsea faithful, he will always remain a Captain, a Leader and a Legend.