On Sunday, the 7th of October, John Terry announced that he would not sign a contract with Spartak Moscow and instead retire. Having led Chelsea to five Premier League titles, as well as rejuvenating a mediocre Aston Villa side last season, John Terry will go down as one of the all-time great defenders.
Early Days
Having joined Chelsea at the age of 14, Terry had to wait patiently to make his mark on the team. He made his debut at the age of 18 against Aston Villa before starting in the FA Cup against Oldham a few months later. After a brief loan spell at Nottingham Forest, Terry broke into the Chelsea first-team in the 2000-01 season. He made 23 starts and was voted the club’s player of the year.
After his breakthrough season, John Terry was rarely out of the starting XI, forming a quality partnership with Marcel Desailly. In 2003, Terry made his debut for England against Serbia and Montenegro. He was brought to Euro 2004 by Sven Goran-Eriksson and was first choice in the middle of the defense, ahead of Sol Campbell.
Building A Legacy
Having been vice-captain for two seasons, Mourinho made John Terry captain. He returned the favor, leading the side to a record-breaking campaign in 2004-05. This saw the Blues win the league with the best defensive record in any of the four divisions of English football and the most points ever accumulated in one season.
Terry won the PFA Player of the Year award as well as being named in the FIFPro World XI. The side retained the title the following season with Terry at the head of everything good about the Blues.
John Terry was at the forefront of the English national side as the Three Lions went to the quarter-final of the 2006 World Cup. While they were knocked out on penalties by Portugal, Terry was still named in the Team of the Tournament. Afterwards, new manager Steve McClaren handed Terry the captaincy of the team.
Challenging Times
The 2006-07 season was a difficult one for John Terry. The captain had a recurring back injury which caused him to miss many crucial games early in the season. Not long after his return, he suffered an ankle injury in the Champions League. This was meant to sideline him for the League Cup Final, but he managed to recover in time, only to be concussed in the same game. Terry still led the Blues to an FA Cup and a Champions League semi-final.
England were struggling in their qualification campaign for Euro 2008. Terry, as captain, told the media that he’d accept full responsibility if they weren’t to qualify for the tournament. They’d end up missing out on the competition. This was the first major tournament England had missed since the 1994 World Cup.
2007-08 was another difficult campaign for Terry and Chelsea. A broken foot meant that John Terry missed three months of the season. He returned for the League Cup Final, only to lose 2-1 against Tottenham. His season would ultimately be defined by one game: the Champions League Final.
Chelsea were playing against bitter rivals Manchester United in Moscow. The game was 1-1 after extra time, and Terry had the chance to win the game for the Blues after Cristiano Ronaldo missed his penalty. Terry slipped on the wet pitch and United went on to win the shootout and the trophy. Despite this, Terry still won UEFA Defender of the Year.
More Success
In July 2009, Manchester City were keen on bringing John Terry to the Etihad Stadium. However, Carlo Ancelotti thwarted all offers from City. The transfer rumors didn’t seem to bother Terry too much, as he led Chelsea to their third Premier League title, as well as another FA Cup.
Despite Andre Villas-Boas being sacked halfway through the season in 2012, Chelsea lifted the Champions League title, becoming the first London side to do so. Terry was suspended for the final but was first to lift the trophy.
During that summer, Terry would play his last tournament for England. Having been stripped of the captaincy twice by Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson opted to bring Terry to the Euros ahead of Rio Ferdinand. England would eventually lose on penalties to Italy. This led Terry to retire from international football.
The next season, Terry led Chelsea to yet another trophy. This time it was the Europa League. Another record for the club, as they became the first team to win the two major European trophies in reverse order. In 2014-15, John Terry was still a mainstay in the side. He received Man of the Match in the League Cup Final against Tottenham and became the highest-scoring defender in the history of the Premier League.
Winding Down
Having announced he’d leave Chelsea in the summer of 2016, John Terry did a U-turn and signed a new one-year contract. The decision paid off as he’d captain the side to their fifth Premier League title in 12 years. He left Chelsea with 717 appearances, five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, a Champions League, and a Europa League.
John Terry still had a hunger to play football and decided to stay for another year. He chose to stay in England and play for Championship side Aston Villa. He was appointed Captain for the 2017-18 season. Terry was instrumental as Villa went to the playoff final, ultimately losing to Fulham.
While many offers were on the table for John Terry, he chose to retire. Days later he was appointed an assistant manager of Aston Villa. A new chapter in the footballing career of a living legend.
Were you sad to see John Terry retire? How do you think he’ll do as a manager? Drop your thoughts below, or let me know on Instagram or Twitter @OB_PerSources