John Terry

John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, as well as one of the best English and Premier League defenders ever.

Terry was named UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009, PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for five consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2009. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team. In 2024, Terry was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Terry is Chelsea’s most decorated captain in terms of trophies won. During his 19 years with the club, he led them to five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Champions League title. He is one of six players to have made over 500 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club's all-time highest scoring defender. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score an international goal there, scoring a header in England's 1–1 draw with Brazil. In his final season at Chelsea in 2017, he became the first ever player to captain a team to the Premier League title on five occasions.

Following his departure from Chelsea, Terry spent one season with Aston Villa in the Championship before retiring, ultimately losing the 2018 Championship play-off final. He returned to Aston Villa a few months later as assistant manager to Dean Smith. The side went on to win the 2019 Championship play-off final to be promoted back to the Premier League. Terry left the role in July 2021. When Smith joined Leicester City as manager in April 2023, he appointed Terry to his coaching staff once again.

John George Terry was born on 7 December 1980 in Barking, Greater London. He attended Eastbury Comprehensive School and played for local Sunday league team Senrab.

As a boy, Terry was part of West Ham United's youth system, joining them as a midfielder in 1991. He moved to Chelsea at 14, playing for the club's youth and reserve teams. It was due to a shortage of central defenders that he was moved to centre-back, the position he played throughout his career. After finishing school, he joined the club on a YTS at age 16 and signed professional terms a year later.

Terry made his Chelsea debut on 28 October 1998 as a late substitute in a League Cup tie with Aston Villa; his first start came later that season in an FA Cup third-round match, a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic.

Terry spent a brief period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 to build up his first-team experience and was the subject of interest from both Forest manager David Platt and Huddersfield Town manager Steve Bruce.

In 2002, Terry was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a West London nightclub with Chelsea teammate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne, which led to him being charged with assault and affray. In August 2002, Terry was acquitted of the charges in court. During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the English national team by The Football Association. Previously, along with Chelsea teammates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former teammate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. During his early days at Chelsea, Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.

Terry began to establish himself in the Chelsea first team from the 2000–01 season, making 23 starts and was voted the club's Player of the Year. He continued his progress during 2001–02, becoming a regular in the defence alongside club captain and France international Marcel Desailly. On 5 December 2001, he captained Chelsea for the first time, in a Premier League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, following wins against London rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth and six rounds respectively, and Fulham in the semi-final – where Terry scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. A virus denied Terry a place in the starting line-up for the final, although he came on as a second-half substitute while Chelsea lost 2–0 to Arsenal. In 2003–04 season, his performances led to him becoming vice-captain by manager Claudio Ranieri when Desailly was out of the team. He played well in the absence of the French international, forming a strong defensive partnership with William Gallas.

Following Desailly's departure, new Chelsea manager José Mourinho chose Terry as his club captain, a choice which was vindicated throughout the 2004–05 season as Chelsea won the Premier League title in record-breaking fashion with the best defensive record in Football League history with the most clean sheets and the most points accrued. He was voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals in England and scored eight goals, including a late winner against Barcelona, in the UEFA Champions League. He was voted the best defender in the Champions League for the season. In September 2005, he was selected as a member of the World XI at the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional footballers based in 40 countries.

Chelsea defended their Premier League title in 2005–06, earning 91 points, and confirming the title with a 3–0 victory against Manchester United.

In a match on 14 October 2006 against Reading, Terry had to take over in goal for Chelsea in the final minutes of the match after goalkeepers Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini were injured and Chelsea had no substitutes remaining. Chelsea maintained a clean sheet and secured a 1–0 victory. On 5 November 2006, playing against Tottenham Hotspur, Terry was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea career after receiving two yellow cards as the Blues lost at White Hart Lane for the first time since 1987. Terry was charged with misconduct by the FA for questioning the integrity of match referee Graham Poll after the match. On 10 January 2007, Terry was ordered to pay £10,000 for the inappropriate conduct after he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the FA.

In the 2006–07 season, Terry missed matches for Chelsea due to a recurring back problem. On 26 December 2006, Mourinho stated that his captain might require surgery to fix the problem. In Terry's absence Chelsea drew 2–2 at home to both Reading and Fulham over Christmas, draws that were to prove crucial in the destiny of the Premier League title for that season. On 28 December, Chelsea released a press statement saying Terry had had back surgery: "The operation to remove a sequestrated lumbar intervertebral disc was successful." Although he was expected to return in the match against Wigan Athletic, which Chelsea won 3–2 thanks to a late goal from winger Arjen Robben, Terry was missing once again, due to the recurring back problem. He made his return in Chelsea's 1–0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 3 February 2007 coming on in the 88th minute for Claude Makelele. Terry played his first 90 minutes of football for nearly three months in Chelsea's 3–0 victory over Middlesbrough and received much applause from the Chelsea faithful. Didier Drogba scored two goals for Chelsea in that match, while the other goal came courtesy of an own goal from Abel Xavier of Middlesbrough.

Playing in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 away against Porto, he suffered another injury, this time to his ankle, and was set to miss the 2007 League Cup final against Arsenal, but managed to recover from the injury within days and played in the final. During the second half of the match, at an attacking corner, he threw himself at the ball with a diving header; Arsenal's Abou Diaby, in an attempt to clear the ball, kicked Terry in the face. Terry was unconscious for several minutes, at which point he nearly swallowed his tongue. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and immediately transferred to the University Hospital of Wales. Terry discharged himself the same day and returned to the Millennium Stadium to celebrate his team's 2–1 win. The only recollection he had of the second half is walking out onto the pitch and he did not remember the ten minutes he played prior to his injury. He went on to lead Chelsea to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League, the third time in four years that Chelsea had made it to the final four of the competition. In May 2007, Terry captained Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup final, in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium.

In July 2009, Manchester City made a third bid for Terry, but Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted Terry would remain at Chelsea. He made his debut for the new season against Premier League team Hull City, a match Chelsea won. On 8 November 2009, Terry scored the decisive goal in Chelsea's match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge to preserve their perfect home record for the season.

On 9 May 2010, Terry captained Chelsea as they won their fourth Premier League title after an 8–0 win against Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge. A week later, on 15 May 2010, Terry captained Chelsea as he won his fourth FA Cup medal, defeating Portsmouth in the final by 1–0 at Wembley Stadium.

On 31 December 2011, in a home match against Aston Villa, Terry captained the Chelsea team for the 400th time of his career, a record for the club.

In 2011, Terry ranked third in pass accuracy among players who attempted over 1,000 passes, completing 91.6% of his attempts. Only Barcelona player Xavi (93.0%) and Swansea City player Leon Britton (93.3%) were better.

On 24 April 2012, Terry was sent off for violent conduct after driving a knee into Barcelona's Alexis Sánchez in an off-the-ball incident in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Camp Nou. Chelsea's 3–2 aggregate victory over the holders qualified them for the final against Bayern Munich, for which Terry would be suspended. Terry later apologised for letting his teammates and Chelsea fans down. Terry scored his sixth league goal of the season, seventh in all competitions, in the final match of the season, a 2–1 victory over already-relegated Blackburn. The goal meant that it was Terry's most prolific season and he told the Chelsea website, "I am delighted with seven... It's always good to end a league season with a win."

Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand did not shake hands with Terry before the match against QPR. Terry was banned for four matches when he was found guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand.

On 11 November 2012, in his first match back from the four-match ban, Terry scored his 50th goal for Chelsea against Liverpool. He went off injured in the 39th minute of the same match and was suspected to have ligament damage on his right knee, but a scan the next day showed that there was "no significant damage". On 7 December 2012, new Chelsea manager Rafael Benítez confirmed Terry would not be back from injury in time to play in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. Terry's knee injury kept him out of action for 16 first-team matches in total, including the Club World Cup defeat. He made a 45-minute comeback for Chelsea's under-21 team on 10 January, before returning to the first team in a 2–2 draw away to Brentford in the FA Cup, that was his third match since he last played since November; 3 months prior.

On 17 April 2013, Terry scored twice in the derby match against Fulham that ended 3–0. On 13 May 2014, Terry signed a new one-year deal with the Blues.

On 18 October 2014, Terry captained Chelsea for the 500th time against Crystal Palace. In the next match, on 21 October, Terry scored in Chelsea's record Champions League win against Slovenian team Maribor. Later, he scored Chelsea's fastest-ever goal in the Champions League by heading in a goal after 90 seconds against Schalke 04.

In the League Cup final on 1 March 2015, Terry opened the scoring and was named Man of the Match in Chelsea's 2–0 victory over Tottenham. On 26 March, Terry signed a one-year extension to his contract. On 26 April, Terry, along with five of his Chelsea teammates, was voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. On 29 April, Terry became the joint highest-scoring defender in the Premier League with 38 goals, having scored the second goal in a 3–1 win over Leicester City. On 10 May, Terry surpassed David Unsworth as the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League after scoring his 39th in the opening five minutes against Liverpool, an eventual 1–1 draw.

On 3 July 2017, Terry signed a one-year contract with Championship club Aston Villa on a free transfer. He was appointed as the captain for the 2017–18 season. He made his debut for Aston Villa on 5 August 2017 in a 1–1 home draw with Hull City in the Championship. Terry scored his only goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 victory over Fulham in the Championship on 21 October.

On 30 May 2018, Terry left Aston Villa after the club failed to gain promotion to the Premier League as they lost 1–0 against Fulham in the Championship play-off final.

In September 2018, Terry underwent a medical with Spartak Moscow, but declined their offer of a contract, citing family reasons. He announced his retirement from playing on 7 October.

Terry made his England debut in June 2003 against Serbia and Montenegro, and started his first match for England on 20 August 2003 at Portman Road, Ipswich, in a friendly against Croatia. England won 3–1. His main central defensive partner had been Rio Ferdinand. He played for his country at Euro 2004, and England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson stated that Terry was the first-choice centre-back, ahead of Sol Campbell.

In 2005 during a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Poland, Terry wore England's captain armband, replacing Michael Owen as captain after the latter was substituted.

He cemented his place in the England squad after being selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In a warm-up match for that tournament against Hungary on 30 May 2006, Terry scored his first goal for England, the team's second in a 3–1 victory. Despite an injury scare in a friendly against Jamaica, he recovered to play in England's opening fixture against Paraguay, a 1–0 victory. In the next match against Trinidad and Tobago, Carlos Edwards beat England's Paul Robinson to a cross and as Stern John bundled a header towards the goal, Terry cleared the ball off the line with an overhead kick. In the quarter-final match against Portugal, Terry played the entire match, but England lost on penalties and he was left in tears with his fellow players. Six days later, he was the only English player to be named in the tournament's all-star squad.

On 10 August 2006, Steve McClaren named John Terry as the England captain, succeeding David Beckham. McClaren said, "Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make. I'm certain I've got the right man in John Terry. I'm convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had." Terry scored a goal on his debut as the England captain, in a friendly international against Greece. This was the first goal of the match and also the first goal during McClaren's reign as manager. However, with Terry as captain, England did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2008 – their first absence from a tournament finals since the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Midway through the qualification campaign, Terry had accepted that he would "bear full responsibility" should England fail to qualify.

On 1 June 2007, Terry became the first player in the senior England team to score an international goal at the new Wembley Stadium when he scored England's goal from a header in the box after a free kick cross by David Beckham in a 1–1 draw with Brazil. Almost a year later, he scored a similar headed goal once again from a free kick cross by David Beckham to put England 1–0 up against the United States on 28 May 2008.

Described by ESPN as a "commanding, no-nonsense style of player", Terry was recognized for his physicality and aggressive defending style, though some critics noted that he struggled against quicker forwards. He usually played as a centre-back, although he initially started out playing as a midfielder in his youth. A tall defender, he excelled in the air, which enabled him to defend crosses and high balls effectively, and also made him a goal threat for his team in the opposing penalty area, despite his defensive playing role. Although he was primarily known for his aggressive tackling, he was also an intelligent player, who was recognised by pundits for his positioning and anticipation, as well as his ability to read the game, which compensated for his lack of pace or athleticism, in particular in his later career; he also stood out for his leadership and bravery throughout his career, as well as his ability organise the back–line. Despite not being a particularly fast player, however, in particular over short distances, Samuel Eto'o once described Terry as being "surprisingly quick", while in his youth, a 2003 match report from an international friendly against Croatia described "speed and tackling ability" as his strengths, while instead citing his reading of the game and ability to defend set pieces in the air as areas in need of improvement. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the world at his peak, he is considered to be one of the greatest central defenders of his generation, as well as one of the best English and Premier League defenders ever.

Despite the praise he received in the media for his defensive skills, critical opinion on Terry's technical ability was frequently divided; throughout his career, he was often paired with an intelligent, more technical and more mobile ball–playing centre-back, such as Ricardo Carvalho at Chelsea or Rio Ferdinand with England, which complemented Terry's more physical playing style as a "stopper", and also provided cover for him, as his lack of pace saw him struggle at times in teams that played a high defensive line. While some pundits, such as Chris Wright of ESPN or Robin Bairner and Sulmaan Ahmad of Goal, have cited Terry's technique as a weakness, with Tom Sheen of The Independent also noting that his general reputation for lacking speed or elegance in possession and his reluctance to carry the ball out from the back saw him perceived as "a bit of a plodder when on the ball," others, such as Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp, have instead argued that his ability on the ball and composure in possession was an underrated aspect of his game, which did not get as much attention as his tactical sense. During one of Terry's final matches for Chelsea, in a 2017 article for The Guardian, Barney Ronay noted that "Terry lined up at the heart of the central defensive three," and described him as: "A little heavier, clanking about like an eager old tin man, he still has an excellent touch although, had he played much deeper in the second half, he might have been best served bringing out a shovel and digging a trench in front of his own goal." In 2009, UEFA.com praised Terry for his ability to control the ball with his chest. Moreover, although Terry's passing was initially cited as being in need of improvement in his early career, his distribution throughout his career was also generally solid and reliable, which often saw him complete many passes throughout the course of a season with a high success rate, although he usually favoured making simpler short passes on the ground; Michael Cox described his distribution as "underrated" in 2015, however, while Redknapp and Carragher have both noted that Terry was also capable of playing long balls with either foot, despite being naturally right–footed, a trait which Sam Wallace and Tom Sheen of The Independent also noticed in 2011 and 2014 respectively, with the latter describing Terry as "an exceptionally two-footed footballer," who "will show off a range of passing with either foot." As Sheen notes, Terry's ability with either foot often allowed him to play as a left–sided centre-back in a four–man defensive line throughout his career. In 2011, Terry was the world's third best passer for players with over 1,000 passes, with a 91.6% pass accuracy rate. Only Barcelona player Xavi (93.0%) and Swansea City player Leon Britton (93.3%) were better. He also played in a three–man back–line on occasion, in particular in his later career under Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, although he struggled to adapt to this formation due to his lack of pace as a result of his advancing age. Terry has been involved in multiple incidents that received significant media attention, including legal disputes and on-pitch altercations.

On 10 October 2018, Terry was appointed assistant head coach of Aston Villa, with newly appointed Dean Smith as head coach. On 26 July 2021, Terry departed Aston Villa after three years at the club, in which they achieved promotion to, and consolidated their position in the Premier League. He described Dean Smith as a great influence on his coaching career. In December 2021, his return to Chelsea, commencing in January 2022 in a coaching consultancy role was announced.

Following the announcement of Dean Smith as the new Leicester City manager on 10 April 2023, Terry was appointed to his coaching staff once again.

In July 2023, Terry returned to Chelsea as the club's Academy coach.

On the UK version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6, Terry appears on the front cover with Brazil international Adriano.

Terry is married to his childhood sweetheart Toni (née Poole). On 18 May 2006, Terry and Toni had twins, a boy and a girl. They married at Blenheim Palace in June 2007.

Terry was a Manchester United supporter growing up. His older brother, Paul (born 1979), is a former professional footballer, having played for Dagenham & Redbridge and Yeovil Town. Terry's nephew, Frankie, is currently a professional footballer for Colchester United.

In January 2012, an image resembling Terry appeared without authorization on cigarette packaging in India as part of a government anti-smoking campaign. The picture, which showed a blurred head-and-shoulder likeness above the words "Smoking Kills", was reported by The Indian Express to have been circulated by the Directorate of Visual Publicity. Terry’s management stated that no permission had been sought for the use of his image and announced that legal advice was being pursued. Officials in India gave conflicting explanations, with one suggesting it was an artistic creation and another acknowledging uncertainty as to how Terry’s likeness came to be used.

Terry has been represented in a meme which pictures him taking part in great moments in history and fiction, following his decision to come on to the pitch to lift the European Cup in full kit despite being suspended for the 2012 UEFA Champions League final; he repeated this when Chelsea won the 2013 UEFA Europa League final, in which he did not play due to injury. These included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the freeing of Nelson Mandela and the triumph of Rocky Balboa. Over the summer of 2012 this developed into his celebrating current sporting achievements such as 2012 Summer Olympics medal wins by Team GB.

Terry has expressed support on multiple occasions for the MP Rupert Lowe, of the far-right party Restore Britain, posting on social media in support of Lowe's call for a national ban on wearing of the burqa and the deportation of migrants who are unable to financially support themselves.

Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17

FA Cup: 1999–2000, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12; runner-up: 2001–02, 2016–17

Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15; runner-up: 2007–08

UEFA Champions League: 2011–12; runner-up: 2007–08

Chelsea Player of the Year: 2000–01, 2005–06