JOHN Terry is among the Premier League all-time greats, with a stellar career that brought tonnes of silverware.
Here, we look at his extraordinary career as captain of Chelsea, and where he is now.
Who is John Terry?
John Terry is a former professional footballer, who played as a centre back.
He was born on December 7, 1980, in Barking, London.
Terry is best known for his time at Chelsea, where he made 717 appearances between 1998 and 2017.
He was club captain, and is considered one of the greatest players to wear the blue shirt.
Terry made his debut for the club in 1998 in a League Cup tie against Aston Villa, which Chelsea won 4-1.
He scored his first goal for the club in February 2000 against Gillingham at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup quarter final, in a season where Chelsea would lift the trophy.
He established himself in the first team in the 2000/01 season, being named the club’s player of the season at the age of 21.
2002 saw Terry score the winner in the FA Cup semi final against Fulham at Villa Park, however, Chelsea lost in the final to Arsenal in Cardiff.
In 2004, following the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, Terry was named permanent captain, relaxing Marcel Desailly.
The 2004/05 season would be a landmark in Terry’s stellar career.
Chelsea won the Premier League by 12 points after losing only one game all season. It was their first league title for 50 years.
Through a partnership with Ricardo Carvalho, Chelsea conceded 15 league goals all season, the least in Premier League history.
Chelsea also won the League Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win against Liverpool in Cardiff, ending the club’s five year trophy drought.
Terry was a presence going forward that season as well, scoring vital goals against Arsenal and Barcelona.
At the end of the season, Terry became only the third centre half to win the PFA Player of The Year award, after Gary Pallister and Paul McGrath, due to his outstanding performances.
The 2005/06 season saw Chelsea become only the second team in history to retain the league title in the Premier League era after Manchester United.
Chelsea won the league by eight points, winning 29 of their 38 games.
Another solid season defensively saw the team only concede 22 goals in the league all season.
2006-07 was ultimately a disappointment for Chelsea, not being able to retain their league title, and losing to Liverpool on penalties in the semi final of the UEFA Champions League.
Terry did however lead them to the FA Cup against Manchester United at Wembley and Arsenal in the League Cup final at the Millennium stadium.
The 2007/08 season saw Chelsea finish without a trophy following the departure of Mourinho.
This included defeat in the League Cup final against Tottenham and losing the league to Manchester United by two points.
Chelsea lost the 2008 Champions League final to Manchester United on penalties in Moscow, with Terry slipping and missing his kick which would have gifted the Blues European glory.
Terry and Chelsea bounced back to win the FA Cup in 2009, and were moments away from another Champions League final, conceding in added time to lose on away goals against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona after a questionable refereeing performance.
Chelsea achieved the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2010, with Terry a rock at the heart of defence.
He scored vital winners against Manchester United and Burnley as Chelsea pipped Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to the title by two points.
The 2011/12 season saw Chelsea win the Champions League for the first time, with Terry playing in eight of the sides 13 games, including an outstanding defensive performance to subdue Lionel Messi in a semi final first leg victory at Stamford Bridge.
Terry missed the final after a red card for kicking Alexis Sanchez during the second leg of the semi final.
He did however lift the trophy after Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties in the final.
A poor relationship with new manager Rafa Benítez saw Terry dropped for much of the 2012/13 season, much to his fury.
He did score a vital goal in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie against Steaua Bucharest, a game Chelsea won 3-1.
Chelsea won the trophy against Benfica in the final, with Benitez leaving at the end of that season.
The return of Mourinho in 2013 saw Terry back in the starting line-up, and in 2015 he helped the club to the Premier League title, their first for five years.
Terry played every minute of the 38 games in another outstanding season.
Mourinho also won the League Cup once again in this season, with Terry scoring the opening goal in the final against Tottenham at Wembley in a 2-0 win.
Terry left Chelsea in 2017, after appearing more sporadically towards the end of his time at the club.
His last goal came in his second to last game at Stamford Bridge against Watford, his 67th goal in total for the Blues.
Terry was substituted in the 26th minute of his last ever game for the club against Sunderland, a nod to his iconic squad number which he had worn since his debut.
Chelsea won 5-1 in the game, with Terry lifting his fifth and final Premier League title at the end of the match.
Terry then bid an emotional farewell to the Chelsea faithful over a microphone.
Terry also made 78 appearances for England, scoring six times including goals against Brazil and Germany.
He was England captain from 2006 to 2010 and then again from 2011 to 2012.
What happened to John Terry?
Terry signed for Aston Villa in the summer of 2017, for the first time signing permanently for a club other than Chelsea.
He was immediately appointed club captain, and led Villa to the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Fulham at Wembley.
Terry called time on his illustrious playing career at the end of this season.
He returned to Aston Villa in October 2018 as part of Dean Smith’s backroom staff, and helped the team return to the Premier League for the first time since 2016.
Terry left Villa’s backroom staff in 2021 after three years at the club.
He then returned to Chelsea, taking up a coaching consultancy role.
Where is John Terry now?
Terry joined Leicester City in April 2023, once again joining Smith’s backroom staff.
The Foxes are in a fight against relegation, just two years after winning the FA Cup.
Unlike his friend and former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard, Terry has ruled out a foray into football management.
SOURCE: thesun.co.uk
