To start off let me make it clear. I’m a Chelsea fan and I’ve been Blue for as long as I remember. I patronize him and literally worship him. But I’m going to keep this article unbiased. I’ll only list the facts and reasons on what makes John Terry one of the greatest captains out there and completely leaving out his personal life. A tribute, to the greatest captain out there !
The symbol of Chelsea Football Club. But the truth is, he is not a nice guy. In fact he is not even a good guy. But he is one of the best defenders out there and it can be clearly seen that he is the perfect example of last-inch defending. If you forget everything he has done off-field, he is a man to be given credit. He loves the club with all his heart and his performance has never been below par. He made sure that the boys when on the pitch remember that if they played for the lion on the chest, people will remember the name on the back. If you want to get a perfect defender, roll-back the years and pick John Terry when he was at his prime. Even at his age his positioning, reading of the game, tackles and goal-line clearances have saved both Chelsea and England.
Do you actually think Gerrard’s captaining England? Wearing the arm-band is one thing but ordering the player is another. You can see it in his eyes, he is the real captain. Why do you think Roy Hodgson picked him instead of the eccentric Rio Ferdinand? Anyone with common sense would bench Terry as he was supposedly not in the perfect state of mind to play in the heart of the defense. But that sums up John Terry. He is just about the very few players you would find who have become immune to all those chants and boos directed towards him. Till the run-up to the quarter finals he has been fantastic for the Three Lions, by successfully seeing of challenges from Zlatan Ibramovich with hard crunching tackles and perfect goal-line clearance.
Pure footballing reasons is what Roy Hodgson said and I’m going to believe him on this one. Leaders are born not made, you just cant inculcate the values of leadership into a senior unless it courses through his veins. It’s a mindset and not a value. When you walk onto the pitch you know you’re the captain and through out the Euro’s Gerrard will never be a true captain only with the arm-band unless John Terry is benched and that is a risk Roy Hodgson is not prepared to take.
Part of the famous Old Guard along with Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba he has been noted by the tabloids to be one of the master-minds behind Andre Villas Boas’s mid-way exit. But lets analyse this situation. The eldest players rule the locker-room in every top club. Youngster look up to the big boys and can’t say anything negatory towards them. But when Villas Boas came he created a rift between himself and the seniors. The boys respected the old guard but Andre Villas Boas did not. Roberto Di Matteo knew that if he had to keep his job safe, he has to have a fantastic relationship with the old guard. It would make a huge difference for him because he knows he will always have a positive figure in the locker room.
John Terry commands respect and if he doesn’t get it, he goes out there and gets it. In the match against QPR which ended up being a memorable match for Torres as he bagged his first Chelsea hat-trick, it was Terry who made the score-line 2-0 with another wonderful header. Cameras caught images of him walking past with his hands on the Chelsea lion and QPR defender Anton Ferdinand looking exasperated. Rising on occasions when the team needs you the most, makes him the perfect captain.
With everything he has done, he still has life in him to go out and silence his critics. His first leg defending against Barcelona and second leg defending against Napoli, proved the world why he is still one of the best. British media is obsessed with him just like they are with Rooney, Mario Ballotelli, Joey Barton etc. But if you remove those off-field personalities you would soon realize that not Vidic but John Terry over the years has been the best defender the English Premier League has ever seen.
Chelsea will always be proud to have him and England should be too.
