JOHN TERRY profile from www.ContactThePlayers.com
John Terry is a central defender for England and Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is renowned for his never-say-die attitude and fantastic leadership skills, often getting the crucial tackle in and doing practically anything for the cause! He has captained both England and Chelsea for many years, and was one of Chelsea’s key defenders in the season they broke the records for fewest goals conceded and most clean-sheets in a season.
John was born on 7th December 1980 in Barking, East London. He was born into a footballing family, with his parents forever giving lifts to John and his older brother Paul (who plays in the lower divisions) to football training. His first team was Senrab Juniors, where he played alongside Bobby Zamora.
Terry was snapped up for Chelsea’s youth teams in spite of interest from Manchester United and Arsenal. He worked his way through the youth ranks, starting as a central midfielder but slowly being turned into a quality centre-back, where his heading ability and brilliant reading of the game could be best utilised.
John Terry signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in 1997, aged just 17. He was happy just to be a member of the first-team squad, playing against the likes of Roberto Di Matteo and Franck Lebouef everyday in training. He made his debut in October 2008, against Aston Villa in the League Cup, but was still very much a reserve.
A loan spell at Nottingham saw Terry’s game improve, whilst his growing maturity and physical strength helped him to be a genuine contender for a first-team spot in the 00/01 season. Coach Claudio Ranieri threw Terry into the heart of the defence, playing as the partner to World Cup winning Marcel Desailly. Terry was voted as the Player of the Season, and became Desailly’s regular partner.
As a local boy, he was loved by the fans, whilst his willingness to battle for the team was also appreciated. His warrior mentality was passed on to his team-mates, and Chelsea started to become a title challenging team, even before they were transformed by Abramovich’s millions.
With Desailly’s injured for much of 03/04season, Terry was handed the captain’s armband, aged just 23, and he retained this when Desailly retired, and new boss Jose Mourinho made him the permanent captain.
Two seasons of triumph followed, with Mourinho getting the best out of his world-class squad of players. Two Premier League titles and the FA Cup in three years wasn’t a bad haul, though Terry suffered a triple-disappointment in 08/09 when Chelsea finished runners up in the League Cup, Premier League and Champions League. In the Champions League Final penalty shootout, Terry had the chance to score the winning goal but unfortunately slipped as he struck the ball and sent his shot wide. Terry was reduced to tears, but continues to be a brave lion and a rock at the centre of Chelsea’s defence.